justin

I don't particularly like going to get my haircut. I always feel a little anxiety about it. I don't like how you have hold your head during the uncomfortable hair-washing, I don't like thinking of chit-chat to exchange with the hairdresser, and when it comes to tipping, I always feel like I am doing it wrong. But, it was time.

So last night after dinner, I walk over to my salon and go in an sit down on the bench to wait. There is a man sitting next to me. He is very excited. He's rocking back and forth a little and rubbing his knees.

"I know you!" he says to me.
"you do?" I smile.
"Did you ride the bus here?"
"no. I walked."
"There goes the bus! I wonder where that bus goes."

The man getting his haircut nearby says, "Justin, stop."
I smile and say, "it's okay!"

"I want to be a fireman when I grow up!"

Justin and I talk while the man finishes getting his haircut. I learn that Justin just got a new ipod, that he likes hip-hop, baseball and that he really wants to be a fireman when he grows up. While he and I talk, the other people in the salon join in here and there. The hair-washing woman walks by and laughs with Justin about something. The man cutting hair joins in too.

Then it's time for Justin to go. The hair-washing woman helps him get his coat on. Justin swears under his breath about something and then apologizes over and over to the man that cuts hair. "are you mad at me, Joe? I'm sorry."

Then Justin leaves. And the group of us that a minute ago were chatting and laughing go back to our regular roles. I sit quietly waiting. The hair-washing woman sits down with a newspaper, until it's time to wash more hair. The man that cuts hair starts drying the hair of another customer. No one is talking anymore. And I went back to feeling nervous about my impending haircut. The change was remarkable.

Yesterday the boys and I made a Valentine's banner. I made a potato stamp for Isaac to use. He loves paint and mess, so he was in charge of stamping hearts.

And Andrew, who hates paint and mess, cut hearts out of paper.

And that was that.
Have a lovely weekend!