the ramblings of a chronic over thinker

accept that accepting might be hard…

i wish it was this easy… or maybe it is?

“Acceptance doesn't mean resignation or giving up; it means acknowledging reality and finding a way to work with it. It's about being present with your experience, even the difficult parts, without judgment.  Acceptance, in its core meaning, is the acknowledgement and consent to something, whether it be an idea, a situation, or an offer. In psychology, it often refers to recognizing and embracing a situation without resistance, even if it is painful or undesirable. This can involve acknowledging and allowing difficult emotions or circumstances to be present without trying to change or avoid them. “ -the internet, vis-à-vis, a bunch of smart humans

it starts with you

maybe not all of my readers know that this year, 2025, freshair lost four employees. for various reasons, the relationships built here at 542 A came to an end. it’s not easy dealing with issues, conflicts and situations, but it’s also, not hard? i don’t want to denigrate the fact that yes, operating a business with fewer service providers than needed to stay afloat is hard. it’s actually stressful, scary, pathetic, weird and downright annoying. but it is life. it is my life.

i have been in the beauty industry for over 25 years and i can say with honesty, that comes with heaps of acceptance. to be fair, i think that living life comes with acceptance. sometime last year while working on the course and going through the early stages of menopause (yeah, i said it. i’m 46. it’s real). i began to understand the process of acceptance. i am a person that likes to take control of the things i can. i have crazy discipline and i don’t break promises to myself (i used to in my younger days, now i make a point to make promises to myself i KNOW i can keep). all of this is accepting myself. i understand that i am a little tough. i have high standards, i love kindness, i love laughing, i love eating, i love staying in shape and feeling strong. i talk a lot, i love action films, i am uber curious and i love a good detail. i have accepted so many things about myself in the past 12 months and it’s funny how, even now when i am struggling to find hair stylists who want to work together, i am faced with acceptance.

since covid we have been looking to hire stylists and managed to get a few. due to the climate of the world right now, the odds are for sure against me and i feel it. but then what? what can i actually do? if no one applies to work and we can’t find a way to get more bodies in the chairs, i’ll need to accept the fact that my business isn’t able to run in the way it was originally intended to. that really sucks, but at the same time, this is life. my life. i accept it.

i am aware that this post is a little saddening, but it is the truth. i accept it. many things have transpired in the 15 years my shop opened till now. many things have changed. i have changed. it’s okay, i’m accepting it and i am moving on. i have so much other things going on in my life and my career is just one part. this job is a part of the totality of ME. feels good to share and if i can give y’all some advice on acceptance? start with accepting yourself, the good and the bad. this helps prepare you for the other stuff. like night sweats and pasty breath. it prepares you for bad news and unwanted attention. i am officially in my acceptance era, and it feels okay.

now i’m going to go outside, practice my ball handling and shooting (yes, i play basketball now 🙄). getting outside is actually great for accepting things, except when it’s smoky out, stay inside and accept indoors.

✌🏾

-p

p.s.

i also love jokes! if you want to share some here, i accept! 😉

the ramblings of a chronic over thinker

here i am! here i am!

just living my best life, whatever that means…

so, we are 8 months into the year already! yipes! as i predicted, i fell off the writing bus. a few of my clients asked me, ”why there were no emails or newsletters?”. well, the reason is not really that serious. we got busy, we lost some staff members, we needed to focus on some internal changes and the writing took a back seat.

what have i been up to? well, my some of kids are playing high level basketball and i have been driving them back and forth from their practices (thank god the price of gas has lowered). i have been able to get outside and skate but that brought on some knee pain i have never experienced before! honestly, 50 is closer to me now than ever! my knees have served me so well these 40+ years. they have been so good, but now i need to add the services of a physiotherapist because my job and active lifestyle is starting to wear me down.

2025 has me feeling all kinds of aging. is it my 16 year old child? the perimenopause? the business ups and downs? my parents health? wow, i could keep going. i will. i have growing children that need food, shelter and the world is literally on fire (here and a few other places). i’m still struggling with how to deal with the news and the violence against others i see everywhere…. i feel 58.

10 years ago… lookit those brows!

just writing now actually feels real good. i’m happy to be back! thank you Luci for the push, i really appreciate it!

we have some exciting changes coming up. the waiting area is getting a re-haul! we are going to be changing it up soon. it’s time after 15 years! we’re hoping to bring in some new products for fall (yeah i said it) but be sure to check out some of the new stuff we have in now!

bardot. is a new vegan product line that boasts full volume for fine haired folks. it’s a dry shampoo, a volumizing spray and a texture spray. the texture spray is bananas! Also new in store is clinisoothe+. it’s skin purifier that’s gentle and safe for all. i used it on my sons dark, dry skin and poof, next day it was an normal colour! crazy! the results blew my mind!

anyways, i’m back. drop me a line, send me some love. i’d like to hear from you guys even though it’s been since april….

✌🏾

-p

the ramblings of a chronic over thinker

put your hand up if you’re worried about our southern neighbours! 🤚🏻🤚🏼🤚🏽🤚🏾🤚🏿

heading south? looks depressing…

so, we cannot vote in america. we cannot stop policies or procedures in america. we cannot DO anything in america. we are canadian. we can vote here. we can stop policies and procedures here. we can DO SO MUCH more here. the fear mongering that dt and his american counterparts are forcing on us is bananas! what are we actually living through right now? can anyone tell me what the truck is going on? real talk, y’all don’t need to tell me what’s going on, i know….

non stop information

okay, i was extremely worried and now i am moderately worried. i’m hoping to get to a place where i won’t worry about it at all. and all of that to say, i am not ignorant to the issues, i am just trying to decide HOW i’m going to move forward with the issues. one of my brothers is so ‘un-bothered’ by this whole mess, it makes me a little frustrated because it seems like he doesn’t care at all! what i failed to see is that HE decides what moves his worry meter. NOT the news, media or whatever viral information is moving around. he CHOOSES to focus on other things and look for the light. …i wish there was a drug i could take to erase my worries. i would call it, “look to the light.” i’d pop one daily because life is fully life-ing right now! then i have kids, a business, a partner, parents and siblings, friends…. you get it. pop a couple ‘look to the light’ pills and boom, worry free for 6 hours! just like a pain killer. a worry killer. am i onto something?

if she would just turn around, the light is behind you! look!

i am not trying to shift our focus, but maybe i am? okay, i am. we need to focus on canada. we could be in the process of a canadian renaissance! a beginning, a newness, a step in a whole new direction that could possibly be better than the direction we were headed. we have an election coming up, and we have a new season coming up! spring is a reminder of the process of beginning again and starting over. it’s a good thing.

tiny tea with a friend? yes, a good thing!

i’m actually headed south later in april so i’ll give you guys an update on the experience. i’ve heard a mix of stories from candians who have been south. some say it was the same as before and others were discriminated against. let’s hope when it’s my turn, i will have a smooth experience and not have any issues. now if i could only get my hands on some ‘look to the light’…

✌🏾 -p

for the record i also have an idea for a language pill. similar to the worry pill but it helps you speak a foreign language fluently, with ease. just pop 2 pills and boom! greek is flowing out of your mouth! langjic (pronounced- lang-jick. yes it needs some better branding): magic language. available in 3 strengths. basic, authentic and slang. hit me up if you have any ideas to help my pill cause! 🤣😬 or don’t! ha!

the ramblings of a chronic over thinker

how’s your health?

this top is so funny, i love it!

i have a busy job and as many of you know, i’m on my feet for 90% of my services. i get my steps in but sometimes i do feel like my job has GIVEN me some health issues. back pain from shampooing, shoulder pain from blowdrying and hand pain from braiding and styling. although i do love my job, it has some pain and at times, has challenged my health.

i’ve managed to get a hold of my fitness, more or less. i have a decent routine and make the time to move and get sweaty. i also like to get a daily meditation in to get my mind right. what are the things you do to stay fit and focused? are you one that has a routine or you’re more flexible with your fitness and focus. i mean, it takes all kinds right?

i really enjoy boxing as well

i try to stay strong by lifting weights and exercising. i do monitor my sugar (aging and sugar are a bad combination) and at times i wish i could more… just in a bit of a slump these days and i need some fitness motivation. real talk, i’m just waiting for the snow to melt so i can see some green grass. i’d love to hear your fitness and focus routines, maybe it’ll rejuvenate me because, you know, march.

✌🏾-p

march is just dank and gloomy sometimes, with the melting snow and the brown grass? 👎🏽👎🏽 deflation city…

the ramblings of a chronic over thinker

diversity means what exactly?

this is cool

here’s an internet definition from the oxford dictionary:
di·ver·si·ty

/dəˈvərsədē,dīˈvərsədē/

noun

1. 1.

   the state of being diverse; variety.

   "there was considerable diversity in the style of the reports"

2. 2.

   the practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc.

   "equality and diversity should be supported for their own sake"

so much diversity in these colours

some of you know that february, in north america, is black history month. the goal is to bring awareness and celebrate the beauty of being black. the month is commemorated to enlighten others to the accomplishments and designations black people have garnered throughout history. cool? of course!

but, dear reader, do you like all these calendar reminders of how ‘different’ we all are? does it help you in any way? will there be a test? will knowing this information make me a better person? what about the rest of the year? is there an awareness month for every race or grouping? how does that work? i welcome all suggestions even though i know that there can’t be a month dedicated to EVERY ASPECT of our lives, right? right?!

✌🏾 -p

so many questions rambling around…

the ramblings of a chronic over thinker

if i opened an amazon link from our online store, would you shop there?

maybe it could be cool, no?

in a recent staff meeting we discussed products and incentives with a high emphasis on ‘selling’ of course. the number one complaint from my stylists is that sometimes the product they’re looking for isn’t on the shelf. it has been sold out, not ordered, or discontinued. this is time in the dialogue that the client says, ”i’ll just look on amazon.“

-ahem-

really? you’re just going to go straight to the online mall? not going to give us a chance to help you or make a sale?

the convenience is real. with a click of a button, you have curl cream and mousse heading to your address. i get it, but i also don’t get it. if our clients are going to just go to the online mall to get 10/10 hair, then should we even be selling OUR choice faves? let me be clear, if you are purchasing PROFESSIONAL GRADE PRODUCTS AND TOOLS on amazon, the price will be right, that’s is a fact. BUT (big but because it’s really important) whatever you purchased might not be what you thought you purchased. for the most part, the products, and tools sold here can do the job, it’s just not vetted the same and might be old or discontinued.

when you purchase from us, we are able to contact the seller and even get answers to your issues. kevin murphy and surface (2 of our featured product lines) have taken a lot of time and money to produce products for your hair, skin and nails that compliment and enhance your natural features. no trash ingredients are used, research is deployed to find better ingredients that out preform and last. every decision made is to put your hair, skin, and nails in the best position for optimal growth and development. i mean, you get what you pay for right?

last question, would you buy our stuff if it was on amazon? for real, let me know your thoughts in the comments.

✌🏾-p