Salon Pure

Sara Matts has been my hair dresser (anyone can style, it takes someone with gravitas to “dress” hair) for about five years now. I’ve followed her to a number of salons, the latest of which is Salon Pure. Out of all the salons where I’ve seen Sara, Salon Pure is the most inviting, down-to-earth and, ultimately, comfortable. It’s the antithesis of snobby, pretentious, product-pushing chain salons. But it’s not a we-were-cool-before-everyone-thought-we-were-cool hipster salon either. Salon Pure is an intimate environment, where you come in and immediately feel as though you’re amongst old friends. Salon Pure is exactly that; pure.

But in the end, it’s Sara’s talent that has me driving over an hour to see her every month. Sara remembers exactly what we do each time with my inhumanly thick, overly abundant hair. And she not only tames what can only be described as Robin Williams sitting atop my head, she somehow coaxes it into submission, actually transforming it into something I’m proud to show off. Sara is always great to talk to, definitely has other-worldly scalp massages, and even maintains a very attractive “19-year-old” ass. But most importantly (or at least relevantly), Sara Matts is a damn good hair dresser.

If I really look back upon my life thus far and tick off the things that I’ve “wanted bad enough” and then attained? The common ground amongst them is that nearly all have been the product of second-rate effort. But I am by no means bragging. Truth be told, I’m ashamed and wish it were just the opposite. For it could very well be that everything I hold to my name has been mysteriously and conveniently handed to me. How I wish that quote were true – that life was straight forward. I yearn to say that I busted my ass for what I have. I would have liked to believe I’ve done so. But who am I to really say? Hell, I can’t even tell if I’m deserving.

It’s not that I haven’t put effort into anything in life. I sure as hell have – but only to have come out of it on the wrong end of things. I’ll be the first to tell you that the list of what I’ve squandered is ten times as long as I wish it were. Unfortunately, I still pay the price for all the shitty decisions I’ve made – quite literally in fact.

So what do I take from this? I shouldn’t want it so bad try so hard. Because when I have, I’ve almost always fucked things up. Hindsight all too often has me blinder than a bat. Yet I, of all people, know that it’s impossible to not want, to escape the burden of longing for that of which I don’t have. However, starting today, I will remember that the best things in my life have seemingly been the product of chance. What I value most has come to me with only the tiniest of ripples from my own actions. So, as counterintuitive as it may be, the next time I come across something I absolutely must have, I’ll suppress my urge to go after it with everything I’ve got. Instead, I’ll nonchalantly brush it aside, with every ounce of burning desire within me.