Nitter Nattering

My friend with the hot pink phone... it's a boy! On the same day that this young family was welcoming their first child, we were helping our last to move out. The final item packed into the truck was the 36" wide x 48" high solid birch dresser that we'd bought for the nursery - bought to last - all the way back out the door again. Life is full of contrasts. The word childless has taken on a new perspective. I cried and laughed a little yesterday. It was happy sad. While he may move back in, it will never be in the same capacity. Life has shifted.

After my acupuncture appointment, I spent some time wandering around downtown indulging myself with more retail therapy. I ordered a pine centerpiece for the table that I'll pick up this morning. I ate lunch at one of my favourite restaurants and had the chocolate pear cake - allergies be damned. I examined the clothes at several of the high end boutiques and found a beautiful skirt to copy and I bought some bling to go with my Christmas party dress that ought to distract from my cleavage although Howard says it won't work for him - LOL. This shopping will have to end. It's not typical me and my budget can't sustain it but ever so briefly it's been a helpful distraction.

While I was downtown, I made an appointment for next week to talk to Tony - the salon owner - about what he feels I would need to know, learn, upgrade, or be aware of to return to work as a hair stylist. I'm looking forward to that discussion as he's quite knowledgeable and very talented. Unfortunately, he's also closing his salon at the end of December to go into semi-retirement which means whatever plan I come up with won't involve working for him. I would have liked to have done that.

In the afternoon, I got my hair cut into a between styles style as I'm growing it back out after the too short version from the summer that never felt completely comfortable - like I had too much face showing. While she cut my hair, I asked my friend the stylist what she thought of me returning to work and her reply stunned me. She said... I don't think you'll be successful at that because hair styling is all about people pleasing and I don't see you in that role and you've been unhappy and searching for a long time so you'll quit. Being that yesterday was an incredibly emotional day, I tried to leave that comment alone before I started sobbing my eyes out. It wasn't a feel good moment. I was a stylist for almost seven years. I think I still have a good idea of what it takes even if it's a few years later. How I feel about my hair certainly hasn't changed. I imagine clients are similar too.

Today is December 1st. It's the day I decorate the house, do our Christmas letter, and get presents ready to mail, bake butter tarts, make a special dinner, and serve egg nog for the first time. This year, it's roast and Yorkshire pudding which both boys enjoy - a big roast - with lots of left-overs - so that both of them can take meals home.

December is eleven twelfths of the way through the year - a year that I had hoped would end with more smooth than rough moments and so far, it hasn't gone like that. Perhaps my life is always meant to be pure drama. I hope not. I hope at some point things get a bit glossy. I feel like I've been nitter nattering about nothing of great importance for the past few months, nothing profound nor inspirational, and so I'm taking a break. There will be postings if and when I have something to show or something to say but they won't be regular every morning as I may be sleeping in or moving slow or out for a walk or some other such thing. I hope you'll continue to check back and occasionally be happy to find a posting. I have no idea how often that might happen. Things should return to normal in the new year.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - distractions and encouragement