A change in tune

Jillian is a student of Life. I'm not really sure if she is working on her BA or Masters but she's a funny little character who I can't help but love because she makes me laugh.

On Wednesday morning Jillian knocked on the office door. She didn't wait for any kind of acknowledgement as she pushed it open and proceeded to take a seat in front of the big mahogany desk.

"May I help you?" the Dean of Life asked, without looking up from the papers he was reading.

"Help? Oh that's funny," Jillian replied, her arms crossed tightly across her chest.

"Didn't you just get a new job? I thought you were on top of the world with happiness these days."

"You know what I'm here about," she said and blew a puff of air up into the bangs that were hanging over her cool blue eyes.

The Dean looked up at her and shrugged. "Refresh me."

"I need a haircut," she said tersely. "I called to make an appointment for one with my girl and was told 'Sherry is no longer with us.'"

"Sherri the hairdresser? I don't recall sending someone out to collect her for me, but it was a busy week, it is possible. I'm sorry for your loss."

Jillian rolled her eyes. "Not no longer with us in that sense. She's gone to another salon. I don't know where and I don't have time to call up every salon in the city to find out, which means I have to go somewhere new."

"I'm not following," the Dean said. "What exactly is the problem here? Do you need a recommendation?"

"NO!" Jillian slammed a fist to the desk. "I want Sherri! I like her. She knows exactly what to do, she doesn't talk too much, she doesn't let awkward silences go on and she's not crazy expensive. So why? Why did she have to be change number two hundred and forty-nine for the year 2009? Couldn't you at least let me keep my hair? It's my thing. People love my hair. They ask me who does it and I tell them Sherri at 42nd St. Now I've lost her and I have to find someone new. I have to try to work out with them what exactly it means when I say shorter bangs, cut close around the ears, razored in the back. That takes at least two appointments. Sometimes three."

The Dean started to whistle softly.

Jillian sighed. "I know, I know. Change is inevitable. Change makes us grow stronger. Change introduces new opportunities. But I've had enough for a while. I'm starting a new job in two weeks, I just want my hair. I don't really expect you to understand but come on." She banged her head on the top of the desk. The Dean continued whistling.

Jillian picked her head up and rose from her seat. "Fine. I will go find myself a new hair dresser. I will get a new hair cut. While I'm at it, why don't I put my house up for sale too before you go and burn it down and force me into a new space. One of these days we are going to talk seriously about 2009 and the cards you handed me this year."

"Come back tomorrow and we will talk hair," the Dean replied but Jillian was already out the door and down the hall.

Jillian went to work the next day and told her tale of woe to her girlfriends there. One of them sent her the number for the place she went to. Jillian called them up to make an appointment.

"Do you have something for Friday?"

"We have a space at 4:30," the receptionist replied.

"Hmm, no, that won't work," Jillian replied, knowing she would not be able to make it all the way from the west end of the city over to the south central end during rush hour in time.

"Well, we have a spot open for tonight at 6:15."

"Great! I will take it," Jillian said. She was determined to plow full steam ahead into embracing this new change. No fear.

The appointment went as expected. Jillian did her best to explain how she usually wore her hair. She had brought with her the latest issue of Vogue that had Michelle Williams on the cover sporting a blonde pixie cut that she thought looked like her usual style. The cut ended up shorter that how she normally got it done but she would deal with that.

The next day nobody noticed her hair, which amused her more than anything. Only a few weeks ago people had been stopping her and asking if she had just gotten her hair cut and commenting that it looked really good. She had only been styling it differently, more sleek and tucked behind her ears as it was getting long and hard to work with.

More than anything, Jillian was proud that she had embraced a change to something that was so close to her sense of pride and identity. She knew it was superficial and a silly thing to get so worked up about.

When Jillian got home that evening she checked her mailbox and found an enveloped that looked like it held a personal letter. She tore it open and laughed a deep, satisfying, belly laugh. Inside was a coupon for 20% off her next appointment with Sherri at her new location, Rouge Hair on Hargrave. If Jillian had only waited one more day...

Jillian had thought that she was supposed to be learning this year about accepting change in her life. She completely forgot the other theme that came up so often--patience. That was the song that the Dean had been whistling to her if only she had taken a moment to stop and listen.

Said woman take it slow
It'll work itself out fine
All we need is just a little patience

Guns N'Roses, Patience