Hairdressers = dentists.   At least, they do in my head. And it takes me the same amount of time between when I know I need a haircut and when I realise I need to have a tooth filled.

It’s not that I hate hairdressers personally. It’s just that they want to know what I want in a haircut and I haven’t got a clue– I just want a “comfortable” hairstyle that is no-fuss in the mornings and where I don’t look like a freak

So I nearly always walk out of the salon after the haircut – and it doesn’t seem to make any difference what price I’d just paid – and I feel very uncomfortable and I don’t like the haircut or how it “sits” on my head.

To save some money I started getting my hair cut as a model at a hairdressing Academy. My hair is cut by hairdressing students, but supervised by an experienced “Hair Master”.  My eyes have been opened to how good it feels to have a great haircut – and colour – and what a difference to makes to how I am feeling! This man is Amazing!

Yesterday, I turned up for my usual haircut at the academy.  As the young apprentice started, the Hair Master recognised my hair – he told her “This is not curls, but irregular movement”!  And he told her how to cut it well.  And that it would be a challenge for her.

She started snipping away.  He told her “chip deeper”.  So she did. “No, deeper than that,” he said. So she did – all the way to her finger!  Now she needed a bandaid. So she downed her tools and was gone for a while.  Bandaids seemed hard to find.  Finally, the Hair Master couldn’t stand is, and he jumped up and said, ‘Would you mind if I cut your hair?”  As if…!!

He gave me the Best Haircut Ever! And then he picked up the docket and I followed him to the front reception for me to make my payment. Where he laid it down on the desk and put a big X through my $25 bill. Then I realised my debt was going to probably be much higher than I’d anticipated for this Haircut. “Oh well,” I thought. “It will be worth it.” But I’m also wondering how I’m going to explain the much bigger pricetag to my Personal Accountant waiting for me at home!

He then circled a big dark zero over the top of it. “You don’t pay anything today,” he said. I gawped unbelievingly, and gratefully stammered my thanks. I owed a big debt.  And through no effort on my part, it was completely wiped out. What a wonderful Picture of Grace.