I Did It

 I got my hair cut and colored.

I don't go to the hairdressers very often, it's an expense that I can't really afford but I was starting to look like a wild woman. It was over a year ago that I went last time!

It looks better but feels strange. My hair had grown very long, now it's short and off my neck, I keep thinking something is missing! Also, my neck is cold!

better hair, terrible face

I'm hopeless at taking selfies, I never know where to look. Also my face is puffy from lack of sleep and allergies. But my hair is a lot better!

And I got a discount! I've been going to this hairdresser for years, maybe since Mikey was a baby!  I tried a few other places but always came back to this place. I like the way they do my hair.

Mikey took me, then sat and waited while the hairdresser was working on me. Like most hairdressers she is very chatty. She was talking to us for a long time. Many stories of how her business has changed over the years. She was saying that when she and her sister first opened they were busy in January, March, and April. They used to do make-up as well as hairdressing. January was busy for The Coming Of Age Day Ceremony. Kids who have turned twenty are considered adults, there's a ceremony in January that celebrates that!  A lot of girls would rent a kimono and have their hair and make-up done professionally. This time of year there is for graduating and April is the start of a new school year with entrance ceremonies. She said that over the last 10 years, those appointments have gone down. A lot of rental kimono places do the girl's hair as part of the package. Also, she saw a decline in doing make-up and hair for wedding parties, most people use an all-inclusive package from a wedding hall.  

One thing that has amazed me about this lady is her youthful attitude. She's 76 years old but still opens her shop 3 or 4 days a week, depending on her appointments.  She has a lovely style, casual but very smart looking, she wears colors, which is unusual for older ladies in Japan. My mother-in-law told me that after 60 you shouldn't wear bright colors!  Also, this lady is still learning. On the table was a high school math book. Mikey asked about this, and she said that she was trying to see how much she could remember and how much had changed. She went on to tell us that she's excited to start piano lessons next month! She wanted to have piano lessons before but didn't have the time or money so she's taking the chance now.

I was blown away by her attitude!  I'm 62 and feel that it's too late to start anything new and that my time for learning has passed. That I should stop working and just hang around the house.  

Her stories and her desire to learn new things have given me a lot to think about.

So I'm thinking about all the things that I wished I had done when I was younger.  Maybe it isn't too late to learn a new skill, to improve on my teaching and get new students. To do more every day, to live life to the fullest!

I have to work on my health, that has to be the starting point, get healthier to do all these things. I'm a bit worried about how tired I get commuting to the other city a couple of times a week. So I need to figure out how to deal with that, to have the energy to commute and teach. Step by step.

It's time to stop saving things for later and start doing them! I have a habit of finding interesting books, web pages or free on line courses to study but instead of studying I just save them for later. Well, now is later. Let's start!