Even In A Salon

I unlock the door and begin flipping light switches. Everything is still, but the quiet won’t last long. The open sign will come on, the phone will start ringing off the hook, and voices will sound throughout the building. I welcome all of it.

You see, I’ve changed my mind. 
I once thought a place like this simply wasn’t for me. A dedicated do-it-yourselfer and generally not-fussy person, I rarely entered a beauty salon. 
Then, I found myself looking for work.

Our old farmhouse was in need of serious repair and rather than getting a loan, my husband and I decided I could work outside the home a few hours a week to help cover the costs. Of course, we prayed about it first, but I’m ashamed to admit I had little hope I’d find anyone willing to hire me, prayers, or no. I’d been out of the workforce since our first child was a baby – over twenty years! I now realize God had a plan and it no longer surprises me how everything lined up so perfectly.

It happened fast. Within a week’s time, I was answering phones and setting appointments for a local salon. It was more complicated than I expected, but my boss, Laurie, and my new coworkers were amazingly patient with me as I learned the computer system, the routines, and details of over thirty different services offered.

I find it difficult to be away from home. Being a wife and mother is my primary vocation. I told God that if I was to spend time away from my family, I didn’t want it to be just about money, rather I hoped He would give me opportunities to serve Him wherever I happened to be, even in a salon.

Even in a salon…

If only I had known.

Working at the salon quickly became more than just a job to me. I discovered that this place is about so much more than the externals of cuts and colors, nails, and lashes. For many, it's an island of warmth in an increasingly cold world.

Milestones are marked within these walls. 
In the time I have been here, I have watched squirmy little ones get first haircuts. 
I have seen brides prepare for their momentous day. 
I’ve been present as the entire shop gathered around someone who'd received bad news, offering concern and support. 
I've been warmed by the sight of someone getting a haircut before a big job interview, or young ones dressing up for their first dance.
I have witnessed elderly, whose memory has failed them, relax with the routine that's somehow still familiar to them. 

There is tremendous, hands-on love and care in this place.

The salon reflects it's owner. The way Laurie treats those entering her shop shows me that, more than business, her priority is caring for people. It’s why she does what she does.

One example of this is when Laurie found out some of her clients who were diabetics or on blood thinners were going to various nail salons for basic foot care (not a safe option!) because the local hospital no longer offered the service. She worried about the health of those clients, so she found the RN who used to do it at the hospital and hired her to provide the service here.

There are many extras I witness her doing quietly for others, things most people will never even know about, but I notice. Laurie truly cares about the welfare of those around her. The clients who find themselves in her chair are friends whether it’s the first visit or they’ve been coming for years.

I can say the same for the other stylists. They are all extremely skilled, hard-working people, who take their profession seriously. 
They are creative. 
They fix things. 
They bring out a person’s beauty. 
They make people feel good. 
And, like therapists without the couch, they listen - giving  sympathy and comfort, or laughter and congratulations as their clients share the happenings in their lives. They are kind, and funny, and sometimes a bit sassy. I genuinely like each of the women I work with.

I only ever see the other receptionists as we change shifts, but even in those few minutes, we can laugh together about the ridiculous stuff that happens to us while trying to care for so many things at once. They are pretty awesome.  

For myself, I get to welcome so many people each day I’m here. I get to smile, to look them in the eye and call them by name, to ask how they are. I get to show people that they matter. I get to help. I have encouraged, comforted, prayed with, and for, folks I wouldn’t have met otherwise. It’s such a gift to me and I'm grateful.

It’s been two years now. The home improvement project that started it all is going well and the worst of it has already been tackled. There are still days it’s hard for me to leave home, but I know God has a purpose for everything, and this time - is time He is using. I am content here.

Even in a salon.