When good neighbors trump hard times.

It’s been a long time since I’ve wanted to cry at work.  I’m not a crier… not usually.  I don’t cry for the sake of manipulation; neither do I cry much out of sadness or anger.  But I can be inclined to cry when I feel totally helpless.  And I felt helpless one day at work this week.  I knew it was coming.  I laid eyes on my schedule the night before and my stomach sank.

Oh no.  That’s not enough time.

Without being specific, let’s just say that something for which I’d need an hour and 15 minutes was scheduled for a total of 45 minutes.  Even if I’m only running five minutes behind, I apologize to my clients.  We all know that time is valuable, not to be wasted.  But 30 minutes?!  I saw no point in tracking down whose fault this was.  That didn’t matter.  What did matter was getting through this appointment graciously and not treating my client like it was her fault.  Cause it wasn’t.  Not only was she not the one who created the schedule, she actually even showed up early.  So for her sake, I never let on that this appointment was creating a tightness in my chest.  I never let on that we should have been allotted more time together.  I never let on that her questioning my every move was slowing me down, nor did I rush her.  With all my might I just held my breath for the next four hours until I could get back on track.  (During this time, I also absorbed both a snarky remark on my tardiness and a criticism of a perfectly executed color plan.)

*exhale*

But you know how my day started?  It started with sweetness and kindness too wonderful to be forgotten by those four hours.  And that’s what I love about Square Piece.  No matter how difficult the day, I refuse to sit down and solely vent about life’s set backs.  Let me tell you how thankful I am to have had such a lovely morning begin my crummy day:

First of all, I came in a tad early to give a friend and neighbor a bang trim.  Her name is Katie.  She’s a doll.  She wrote me the nicest things about our backyard concert and she’s constantly helping us by keeping an eye on our dogs.  Remember when Brian and I went to NYC?  Not only did she help by watching the pups, she actually texted me pictures of the hounds so that I could be sure that they were alive and well.  Isn’t that just the cherry on top?  Even though she’s such a giver, she still felt the need to lavish me with a pair of homemade earrings as a sort of Thank You For the Bang Trim.  (Here’s a picture of the earrings, but my hairy neckline might be muddling them.)  I certainly don’t feel like Katie owed me anything, but the gesture is still appreciated!  (By the way, she loves making and selling jewelry.  See?)

Then my other neighbor and friend, Karen, was my next appointment.  She and I got to connect and have a good heart to heart during her trim.  To be quite honest, she’s not going through an easy-breezy season of life right now.  And it’s a privilege, as a friend, to be on the listening-ear side of that.  And quite frankly, her life responsibilities make my 30 minute set back seem as easy as fixing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  She, too, is ever so grateful for my hair services.  And she, too, texts me pictures; except they’re pictures of her wonderful mane on Day 2 when she’s still feeling the high of the hair pick-me-up.

So I’ve got it good.  No 30 minute scheduling mishap can trump the goodness of sweet friends and neighbors, right?  Glad I’ve got that (and so much more) to help refocus my heart at the end of tough day.