"Beautification---it's way beyond the surface!"



taken at some point at time by my daughter---nice ride though don't you think?

We can put lots of things on the surface.

We can cover up lots of stuff.

We can pretend that the make-up and hair color will fix the hurt underneath...

We can cover ourselves with all kinds of stuff...

but at the end of the day...the things that we take to bed with us

are the things we don't cover up.

I went to my monthly beautification session today. 

 I've been seeing Becky now since I was a college junior. 

 She's been a constant peg in my life now for many years. 

 Becky is my beautification specialist.

We've been through dating,

 weight gain, weight loss, husbands, pregnancy,

 postpartum depression,children getting on our nerves 

and now we enter mid-life together (we just don't call it that yet). 

She's seen me at my best and she's seen me at my worst.

  She makes me laugh and she cries with me--she's the cheapest therapy I've ever had. 

 I love her free spirit and her authentic laugh.

We've experienced many styles together---the kinky perm, the soft twist, the new mom bob,

the pregnancy highlight which has now become the gray hide--truth be told

there was probably some type of mullet do in there somewhere

. It never has mattered how she has done my hair--if I am honest-- I have never been able to make it look like she does and I'm okay with that--for one day a month, I look really sexy hot--the rest of the time--just sexy hot.  I can live with that. 

Becky is my hair styler, cosmetology specialist and now we've moved on to

calling her "my beautification specialist." 

 She also has a variety of novelties for sale in her booth--

At Christmas it is red fingernail polish (and if you wait until July, you can get it really cheap),

certificates for training sessions from her husband,

occasionally a homeopathic oil that is good for cuts, pimples and other ailments like hangnails---

Today was the annual "get your girl scout cookie day".

I tease her constantly about the items in her "store".

Today was the day to mix up the gray, cut it off and talk.

One of the other folks in her shop has been off sick

 and so Becky has been doing some customers from that person for the last few months. 

 Most of them are older women, who often remind me of the "church lady" from Saturday night live.

  As I sat in the chair, Becky was collecting money from the "church lady" who went before me. 

She was short, slim and gray with a simple cut. 

Becky was feeding her a girl scout cookie sample

 and helping her make her selection to buy and take home.

  I sat and watched and enjoyed.

As they finished their transaction, Becky reached over and gave her a big hug. 

 It was very moving to watch

--it wasn't one of those little fake push away hugs or pat on the back hugs---

but a real wrap your arms around mean it kind of hug.

She walked the lady over and said good-bye and started with me.

I looked at her and asked, "Do you always hug your customers?

" 'cause she always hugs me when i leave-(now I know I'm not the only one)

she looked at me and said, "yeah, if they let me--some folks will push you away."

I asked, "Why?"

she just said, "because".

I said, "no really Becky why do you hug them."

She simply smiled and said, " cause I love them."

She continued with my beautification and as the day went on--

I began to reflect upon her action of hugging.

We all look for things to make ourselves feel better.

We pay lots of money on make-up and clothes and hairstyles.

Truth is sometimes the things we need most,

like a smile, or good conversation or a hug of love are free.

As I sat there, I came to realize that Becky's action

 with the "church lady" probably did a much better job

 at beautifying the woman than the haircut.

  Her touch of love went way beyond the surface

 and hit the heart of her 'beautification calling' in life.

As I age, I realize we don't need all that crap we stick on our surface.

All we need is a good friend who makes us laugh,

a smile,

a touch,

and an occasional therapy session with a good beautification specialist.

What we tend to forget is we are

all "beautification specialists".

May we,

like Becky

open up our shops,

pull up a chair for folks,

give them a smile,

a listening ear,

and reach out and hug them......

.that kind of stuff.....goes way beyond the surface stuff.

So for today,

I am thankful for a really sexy hot hairdo day,

a beautification specialist who is also a friend

and

a moment of watching a tender touch.

May we all like my "specialist" Becky seek to find the stuff underneath the surface

--for that is where our real beauty lies.