How do you do beauty?

My ADK group has chosen to read Kabul Beauty School as our yearly book discussion. We generally choose books that highlight education in a non-traditional way. The story is about a hairdresser from Michigan who decides that her life is falling apart and meaningless and so signs on to work as volunteer with a group providing assistance in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban. She's placed with a group working on opening a medical center and she soon realizes that she has very little to offer to this group either. But what she does have to offer to the woman of Kabul is something much more - it's a chance to take ownership of their lives. She soon begins working on creating a school to teach the woman of Kabul to be hair dressers and open their own salons. Throughout the story, her life becomes intertwined with the lives of the women in her classes. The impact she makes on individual lives is touching and the happenings within the beauty school and salon inspired me to take on my own beauty day at the salon.
Honey was down building on Saturday and Sunday. As I mentioned before, I had a migraine on Saturday and Sarah came over to help chase the blues away with some knitting and chatting. After she left I took to reading a bit more and it got me into the mood to beautify myself and spend some quality time with other woman in one of the most primal places woman gather - in the beauty salon.
My beauty adventures actually began at Target when I decided to dye my hair again. This time I choose a lovely shade called "Chocolate Caramel". Mmm-mmm delicious! Then I swung by my favorite nail place and set up a time to get a manicure and eye brow waxing. They weren't quite ready for me so I slipped on over for a quick hair cut and blow dry at the local Hair Cuttery. A woman named Lynn was an angel sent from heaven. She took her time in washing my hair, massaging every inch of my scalp over and over before giving me one of the best cuts I've had in a long time. She also commented on my hair coloring asking if it was dyed and who did it cause she loved the color. I must admit that I felt a little guilty knowing that I was planning on dying it myself when I got home, as the destiny of my hair color laid in a box in the back seat of my car just outside. (I have to state here that the last coloring job had completely washed/faded out and I was back to my very own original coloring.) I sat there with my eyes closed while she snipped away and listened in on all the female chatter all around. What a place for women of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds to bond! I never really noticed it before. I so wanted to be a part of it all by melting into the chair and soaking it all in. At the nail salon I hit the jackpot with a woman who appeared to be totally focused on making me fall in love with the way she touched my hands. To tell you the truth... I did. It felt wonderful. And if I had had the time I would have had her give me a pedicure as well. I promised myself that next time I would make the time for one. The other woman there being serviced were kind and pleasant to listen to their chatter. Strangers are not strangers in these places are they? Next it was time to wax the eye brows and I had to snicker to myself thinking about the woman in the book removing all the hair on their bodies each Thursday. (You'll have to read it to find out more about that one!)
I returned home to do two different facials - a peel off mask and then a mud mask - and then set to chocolate carameling my hair. By the time Honey returned, I felt like a new person! What a wonderful feeling!
I still have about a chapter left to read tonight and I'm looking forward to our group book discussion coming up in a few weeks. We're planning on going out to lunch at an Afghan restaurant, although now I'm thinking I'll be ready for the pedicure just about then as well.