Tuesday, July 23, 2013

On Being Brave. {& Haircuts--kinda}

I am really shy. Because of that I am always really impressed with people who can start {and carry on} a conversation with just anyone they meet.

For the past few weeks I was trying to figure out where to get my hair cut {I got a pixie cut and those are a little scary--especially when you don't have a hair dresser you know you love}. I was constantly on the lookout for people with cute pixies so that I could ask them who cuts their hair. None of my Idaho friends have short hair and my ward here is pretty  heavy on the elderly population {we have FOUR retirement communities in our ward boundaries} so I didn't really know where to start. I wanted something really cute and chic {what does chic really mean?}--not a "mom" or "grandma" haircut.

I started to keep my eyes peeled whenever I left the house. I didn't see much when I went out but I can honestly say I didn't look that hard because I knew I wouldn't be brave enough to actually walk up to some random stranger and first, compliment them on their cute hair and second, ask them who cuts it. So I set up an appointment with a recommendation from a friend of a friend and hoped for the best.

The night before the appointment Holland and I were wandering around Target when I saw a really cute, stylish girl {for some reason the stylish part was pretty important to me} with a really cute pixie cut. I just knew that I had to get up the nerve to ask her about it. I walked by her a few times and was about to walk away without asking when suddenly she was walking right towards me! I HAD to ask her.

So I did. I stopped her, complimented her on her cute hair, and asked her who did it. She told me how she had gotten it done at a nearby beauty school and hated it so she cut it herself and then enrolled herself in beauty school!

Ever since this happened I have been thinking about it a lot. I loved learning about this random girl's life. I know I just learned this one little thing but if I hadn't complimented her on her hair and talked to her for a whole one minute I wouldn't even know that. In fact, I probably wouldn't think about the cute girl with the pixie haircut again.

People are so much more real and memorable when you know something about them. I want the people I'm around to be real to me. I want to know more about the people I come in contact with throughout my life. I have my close friends and family that I know so much about but I think I often I forget to interact with all of the other real people around me.

Even though it was something so small I am grateful I was brave and I really feel like I was rewarded with a piece of that girl's story. I think I need to always be on the lookout for something to ask strangers about. I need more random conversations in my life! What about you? When was the last time you had a conversation with a stranger? Did you start it or did they? Did you think about it much afterwards or am I just weird like that? 

Some Other Random Notes:
-In about six months I will be going to that cute girl to get my hair cut!! I got her information and I am so excited to have her start doing my regular trims!
-Now that I have a pixie cut I see girls with pixies ALL. THE. TIME. {go figure} and I feel a special kinship with them. I'm not sure if it's reciprocated but that's okay! :]
-And a couple questions for any hairdressers out there--Do you like to carry on a conversation while you are cutting a client's hair? And do you usually initiate the conversation or does the client?

Here is my hair for those of you who haven't seen it on Instagram yet.


15 comments:

  1. Sorry I have to comment on this! haha I for some reason absolutely HATE when cashiers try to start conversations. It is just always awkward. It is mostly at targe. I think they tell them to ask certain questions or something and it is always just weird. Plus I am always zombie tired and don't want to talk.
    But hair dressers I think some are good at talking and some aren't. I am not good at talking AT ALL but I hate when they ask random questions and then there's lots of silence while they stare at your face for half an hour. I would rather have a really chatty hair dresser that doesn't ask questions but just blabs. haha

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  2. TARGET! not targe. Anyway Also I meant to say that is brave of you and cool that you want to know more about people! I always have this underlying dislike people and can't seem to get rid of that. I don't know where it comes from but I really just hate having to talk to visiting or home teachers or pretty much anybody. Because I feel like it is all fake and forced.

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  3. I seriously love this. Cutting my hair to my current bob was a huge thing for me, and it took a LOT of courage! And I agree, I would scour people's haircuts whenever I was out, and I even sneakily took a picture of one or two girls' hair that I liked!

    Good for you for being so brave. I loved it!

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  4. It's funny how many people compliment you when you have a pixie cut! I had always had short pixie hair throughout high school and I loved it so much, it is so bold and empowering to just chop it off I think! haha. I worried guys wouldn't like me because I "looked like a boy", but I found that guys actually liked a girl with a little edginess. :D
    I still feel that bond with girls with pixie cuts even though I no longer have one. It's like a private group you become a part of and forever have membership rights to even after you lose the pixie cut. lol (Okay, maybe I'm just weird!)
    Anyways... you look ADORABLE with it! I actually think you should go a bit shorter, a little more edgy, because you have the face to pull it off!
    ROCK IT! :D

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  5. I love that you wrote about this! Since becoming a mom I've become so much more outgoing. I often think about how society is kind of distant. We live in boxes! Our house box, then we get in our car box and go to other boxes, and we leave people in their "other" boxes in public. It's sometimes easier that way, but you gave a perfect example about why putting yourself out there can really pay off! :)

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  6. I love this post! :) I look forward to your blog updates, you always have such positive things to say. I love the idea of becoming more outgoing! It can be really hard to do nowadays. Also, love your pixie cut! :)

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  7. Ummmmmm your hair is amazing. Not joking I just LOVE it. Every time you look in the mirror give yourself a mental "high five" from me for bravery rewarded.

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  8. I still can't get over how cute your hair is!! I definitely feel the 'pixie kinship' thing. It's like a, "you understand the ways of the short hair. you get me," sort of thing.

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  9. I love this post and how cute your hair is! I love the little tidbits you get from talking to strangers. I never would have thought you were a shy person so you must have hid it well when we met :).

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  10. LOVE the hair cut--you pull it off so well! Kristina (my sister) will be so jealous--she LOVES pixies, just doesn't want to get one QUITE yet, haha.
    And I totally understand what you mean! It's funny because it used to be totally easy for me to start up conversations with random people (partly because I was single and needed friends and partly because of my ward missionary calling). But I kind of "shyed up" again the last year, and need to get out of my bubble again! So high-5 to you!
    And I LOVE chatty hair-dressers. The lady I get my haircut from in Mesa always wanted to be updated on my life, and she was so easy to talk to that I held nothing back, haha! And then I get my haircut in Flagstaff by Verity Denham and she is just the cutest thing to talk to, haha! So yeah, I feel the best hairdressers also happen to be good conversationalists :)

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  11. LOVE the hair cut--you pull it off so well! Kristina (my sister) will be so jealous--she LOVES pixies, just doesn't want to get one QUITE yet, haha.
    And I totally understand what you mean! It's funny because it used to be totally easy for me to start up conversations with random people (partly because I was single and needed friends and partly because of my ward missionary calling). But I kind of "shyed up" again the last year, and need to get out of my bubble again! So high-5 to you!
    And I LOVE chatty hair-dressers. The lady I get my haircut from in Mesa always wanted to be updated on my life, and she was so easy to talk to that I held nothing back, haha! And then I get my haircut in Flagstaff by Verity Denham and she is just the cutest thing to talk to, haha! So yeah, I feel the best hairdressers also happen to be good conversationalists :)

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  12. I have this pixie cut style that I adore and am too scared to do! how did you get up the nerve??
    btw: I requested to follow you on instagram. (I'm riahfriah).

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  13. Super cute lady...it definitely suits you and look at the baby!!

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  14. I'm a little late, but I LOVE your hair!! And what a great story. I'm suuuper shy too, but I'm slowly learning to open up to strangers I meet while at work. Talking to people, if only for a few minutes can be so fun!

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