It's been quite a while since I blogged anything and truthfully, I was going to throw something together just for the hell of it. But since starting the blog, it's become something a little more personal than just entertainment. True, most of my blogs are light and uneventful, but thats the mood I was in when I wrote.. so it's still personal. I just have not had the time or to put anything together lately. So maybe I'll write a little on that:
I have a great job that I love. I barber in a small shop with 4 other barbers. The owner's name is Dorothy, then there's John, George and Joel. John started the shop 30 yrs ago and built up quite a thriving buisness that keeps that small town "Cheers" kind of friendliness. He focused on keeping his barbers happy, fresh and skilled and that in turn made the clients happy. He never went into the buisness expecting or trying to make a fortune. He just wanted a place where he could make a decent living, provide a great working enviroment and still have an outside family life. The buisness was never to outweigh his personal life. And, boy, has it worked! Normally, the shop takes a percentage of whatever your chair takes in day by day. The standard I have seen is anywhere between 45-65%. John only took 25%, just enough to cover the shops expenses. He has never raised this amount in 30 years. When I asked why it was so low, he told me that his philosophy about taking care of the barber first. I nearly hugged him right there and then. In my 17 years of working as a cosmetologist, I have never had an employer think like this. Most put the client above the barber in an effort to increase the buisness' profits. And most would sacrifice their employees to make a buck. I remember thinking that this was too good to be true, that there would be some catch or dark cloud to accompany... but there wasn't.
Dorothy had been working for John for nearly 13 years when he decided to sell the shop. John longs to return to Conneticut with his wife. He misses New York with all the stores, restaurants and entertainment. He has been in my little country town for too long now. But he wouldn't let his life's work go to just anyone who had the money to buy it. He turned down many offers from other competitors to puchase the shop because he didn't want his shop to be run like theirs. He wanted the principles he established to live on. Thats when Dorothy stepped up. A cheerful bundle of nerves with soothing blues eyes and a quick smile, Dorothy wasn't as confident that she could run the shop as John was. She boldly took possession of the shop a year ago, promising to keep Johns legacy as it was. John would stay on until he and Dorothy were sure that all the chairs were attended by quality barbers with the same friendly attitude the shop was accustomed to. Thats where I came in. John held the interviews since he had staffed the shop for 30 years and had only one chair to fill. Dorothy also wasn't sure that she had the ability to see through false personalities. The chair I attend had been filled by a string of short lived failures. Drug addicts, nut cases or just lazy people... the chair couldnt find a proper master. It doesn't take long to weed out the undesirables when you pay good cash every day.
So, mostly I have spent my days with a buzzing clipper in my hand and the scent of old fashioned Clubman in the air. I never get tired to the smell of that stuff. I work 3 full days and a short 5 hours on Saturday. My weekend is actually in the middle of the week, but since I have no children or other factors to conflict with my days off, it workes beautifully. We all cover for each other if someone needs a certain day off, or if there is some emergency. I find it works well to look at it like several mini-buisnesses... we are our own bosses. The others are great too. Joel is the youngest at 24 yrs old. He is Johns son as well, but you would never know it by the working relationship. He has also become engaged, so that adds a sweet innocent feel to the place. You can see the moments of reflection in an old mans eyes when he thinks back to the day his bride walked down the isle toward him. George is probably 50 and works to my right. He's married to a Brazilian woman and frquently takes trips to Rio and other exotic places. We swap jokes all day and I'm educating him about Twitter. I work mostly with Joel and George. We put the satellite radio on Deep Tracks or Classic Vinyl and try to outguess each other on the artists. I normally lose to them. Do you know that feeling of nostalgia mixed with deja vu that you may have lived somewhere before or have missed your era timeline when you go into an old place? That feeling is comforting and soothing. The feeling of "home". That's what I get every morning that I go to work. I am lucky. I am blessed. I sometimes feel a tinge of guilt because I know others are stuggling for work. But that passes quickly when I remember the months of unemployment and living off my mother. I earned this. I desreve this. So, I take it with gratitude, loyalty and protection.
There is somewhat of an irony here. Maybe thats not the word I that fits, but I cannot find the exact word. Only a few days ago, I lost a telephonic hearing to my last employer for unemployment. I was on the phone with my manager and the owner of a prominate franchise salon. The manager outright lied under oath to the interviewer about the reason for my leaving the job. I was so upset, shaking and nearly in tears. I couldnt believe that she would lie under oath. But deep down, I knew she would. It's not that I need the money right now, but I was unfairly discharged from that job, so I wanted to try to prove it and have some kind of justice. Well... that didn't happen. But, I am so happy with my current job that I don't even care. So whatever that word is that describes that... thats me. Feel free to leave me a note on that. And I wish everyone of you the same feeling of happiness and contentment that I have with my job.
