barbhendee

J.C. says I have a penchant for making sympathetic facial expressions--and sometimes he wishes I would stop it, and that if I could, it might make life a little easier.

Sometimes, I think he's right.

Too often, my normal facial expressions possess other people into talking to me about all kinds of things of which they normally would not speak.

This is wonderful when my family or friends start talking. I'm so glad to listen.

But this happens in other situations . . . well, a lot.

It happens in line at the grocery store, at the optometrist's office, occasionally at the doctor's office, etc. Someone will start talking about his or her life and problems in a semi-inappropriate situation, and then ten or fifteen minutes later, they look at me in shock as they realize what they've been saying. I do not know why this happens, but when it does, I honestly feel it would be wrong to stop them. Clearly, these people need to talk.

There is one place, however, where I wish I COULD put a sharp stop to this inevitable event . . . and that is when I am in the chair of a hair stylist.

In a hair salon, I have noticed that the other clients are always the ones doing the talking and the stylist is doing the listening--except for me. Three minutes after I sit down in the chair of a hair stylist, she is pouring out her current life situation. I do not mind listening at all, but the results to my hair have been tragic on more than more occasion.

This happened last Thursday . . . and I have been somewhat "butched." The problem is that when a stylist looks up in surprise at everything she's been saying for the last fifteen minutes, she also looks at my hair in surprise.

Never a good thing.

But then she wants to make sure I come back. I do understand that these women spend all day listening to other people--and they need to talk as well--but I wish I could find one who could talk and focus on my hair at the same time.