A late morning, we slept until 8:00 AM. Unbelievable I feel rested and don’t feel exhausted every morning. Today is a new day, I sprang out of bed and I promise you I am not a morning person so something has gone terribly wobbly in the universe if I am the early riser. Andrew decided to stay on the boat and do a few things at the dock and I showered and dried and curled my hair which is an incredible waste of time! I was thinking about work this morning because if this was a normal two week vacation it would be just about over and I would be preparing to go back. I want to be fair to myself this summer for the first time in a very long time. I want to be selfish and think about only me and mine. I am still having a little trouble leaving home and work behind. I am of course the worrier in the family so I worry about everything. What will it be like at work when I go back? Did our house flood in the recent rain storms in Houston? Are my friends ok in Houston? Will I have fun and as this all worth it? Many of things I can’t solve and seriously it is also a waste a time to worry about how they will all turn out. Fifty three years old and I am still learning how to not sweat the things I can’t control or change. Some of these thoughts are just burdens that I carry needlessly.
I walked into town with Eileen and Dan. Salt Springs is a great little port town and we wondered through some shops and grocery store. These guys are so much fun and so generous. They are so great together and fun! I felt restless so eventually they wondered one way and I wonder another and we agreed to meet back at the dock and I set out on an venture of my own. I walked for a while and looked through the stores. It was early so the town was just waking up. You could smell coffee in the air and fresh bakery goods. The fires station is situated at the center of the town and as I walked by the guys were out drinking coffee and sitting in chairs at the big garage doors saying good morning and taking in the beginning of what looked to be a spectacular day.
I made a right and walked towards a sign that said Barb’s Bakery and Bistro on McPhilips Avenue. I was helpless drawn down the street being led by the wafting breeze filled with the smell fresh baked goods. I made the left and found myself in an alleyway with Barb’s on my right and The Grateful Heads Hair Design shop on my left. I stood there for a minute and savored the smell cinnamon, nutmeg and coffee. A man walked by and bid me good morning. He said another great day isn’t it? It has been so long since I have had a great day I really did not know how to respond. The simple fact that this guy had been having day after day of great days made me feel a little confused. Now your all guessing that I collected myself and then turned right and headed into to buy cinnamon buns. Well, you guessed wrong. I looked left for just a minute and I noticed the logo on the hair salon sign. Two hands cupped upward ready to catch me, raising up to praise the heavens for this great day! My friends, I found myself somewhere in the middle! Now I have been somewhere in the middle before and it is an strange place to be and it makes you feel directionless. I turn right and I make it a great day with tasty cinnamon buns, I turn left and I go into a hair salon? Then suddenly it hit me. It was right there in plain sight. It could not have been more clear, I marched in an introduced myself to John and instructed him politely to remove most of my hair. He was a very pleasant, 40 something guy with s slight shake in one hand. The shop was small, warm and comfortable. John’s station had a screen displaying all the pictures that he had taken of the surrounding areas. His pictures were quite good and it was clear that efforts were made to take those shots. He had hiked and biked and kyaked and walked and waited for those shots. He was pleased that I was looking at the photos and he began generously sharing and describing the work. He didn’t seem to care that I didn’t have an appointment even though the phones were ringing and the appointment book looked quite full. He hadn’t seemed to flinch for second or worried at all that I had walked in and asked to have my hair removed. He invited me to sit down and ran his fingers through my hair. He kept talking about the photos and then gradually said, yes I think I see. The woman beside me in the chair looked over a little frightened and it was clear that she was curious how this would turn out. I told him that I had taken a leave from my job for three months and I was living aboard a boat and when I woke up this morning I wanted to take everything in but for some reason my hair seemed to be in the way. I told him that I had joked about shaving my head and somehow that seed had sprouted something unexpected. He turned the seat towards the mirror and asked me if I was ready. I said without hesitation, yes and I almost felt joyous. I told him confidently that I wanted him to remove most of my hair and that I wanted to see piles on the floor and nothing much for the wind to blow on my head! He sat in his haircutters stool and began to cut. He kept talking all the while and was such a nice guy. We had a very interesting conversation about American, Texas, gun control and the legalization of pot in the US and how amazing it was that the US had gone ahead of Canada. I could see him cutting in the mirror and long strands of my hair falling away. I just felt lighter and lighter as he cut it and the more he cut the happier I became. He was so relaxed and so focused at the same time. It was like watching a sculpture working on the fine details of his statue. By the time he finished I was smiling ear to ear and I know that for sure because I could see my ears very clearly! A little product to style it up and vola! He handed me a mirror and spun me around. All I could do was smile. It seemed like there were piles and piles of hair on the floor. The more looked at them the happier I got. I don’t know why and I really can’t explain it but there was something about cutting off my hair that removed the burden that gave me a clean slate, a fresh start and a place from which to begin a new journey. Thank you John and thank you Grateful Heads Hair Design for cutting off 90% of my hair. John took my photo in front of the salon and I paid him and thanked him for helping me remove an obstacle. He laughed and we shook hands.
I left that shop feeling much different. Somehow in all that hair that fell to floor was a pile of worries, burdens, responsibilities and obstacles that I have now left behind for the summer. I realize that the hair will grow back and that I will still have to go back to work, home and family at the end of summer but for now I am free. I don’t know why removing my hair was so important or made me feel so different. Why not a tattoo or why not a diet? I have no idea but it was the right thing to do and I feel incredible. I want all my time and energy spent on important things like my husband, little kitty, my health, the boat and this trip. I want to savor this summer like it is the gift that it really is! No more blow dryers, no more curling irons and no more fuss. I am tossing all three of those off the boat at the next stop! They will go in the donation bin at the next island thrift shop I see.
I walked back to the dock and surprised Andrew. He smiled and told me he loved the haircut but what is more important he loves that I feel happy. It is amazing how we forget sometimes how to clear away the obstacles in our way and make our way back to the people and activities that make us happy and are most important. Boating with Andrew is the journey of a lifetime. What am I saying, just being married to him has been a wonderful journey. Somehow cutting off all my hair has cleared some of the way so that I can make my way back to everything that remains important to Andrew and I. Was it really about my hair? I have no idea, I think I found myself somewhere in the middle and I needed to take a minute to mark the moment or just needed to clear another obstacle. Regardless, my hair is essentially gone and my husband reaction was that he loved everything about me and if I loved my hair shorn then he loved my hair shorn. Kitty was very confused about who I was for just a second and then a little fresh turkey fixed that right up!
Ropes off the dock this afternoon at 11:15, with some help from our friends, and we were once again first out of the slip and on our way to Silva Bay. Since we are the slowest boat it appears that we are the guinea pigs for actual conditions! We successfully navigated around money makers rock for the second time and I stowed the ropes and fenders and we headed out into Captain’s passage and the Trichomali channel headed for Silva Bay. We went through Gabriola Pass and arrived at Silva Bay another quiet little harbor with not much around. Nice docks but rainy afternoon. he other boaters on this trip are so smart, kind and generous and we are learning so much from them as well
Underway I finally hit the kitchen and made homemade Cheddar Cheese and Chorizo biscuits for Happy Hour on Sam’s boat. They seemed like a hit and completely disappeared. It appears that we have recipe hit number one in the floating kitchen! My shorn hair was a surprise to the other boaters but I just said that for all of you who think that blonds have more fun……I have a scoop for you, try short hair some time it is working for me!
Left Dock/Weighed anchor: 11:37
Cruise Log: 28.2 Nautical Miles,
Weather Conditions: Gray, SSW winds @ ~15 Kts, 1-2 foot seas.
Wildlife Sighting: To darn busy avoiding crab and shrimp pots and wakes from other boats trying to speed through choppy water. Do crazy boaters count?
Arrived Dock/Dropped anchor: Docked @ 4:45
Slip for the night: Slip E16, $65 Canadian
Time today Helm for TEA: 2.25 hrs
Time today Helm for ACA: 4.20 hrs
Lessons learned: Sea planes have to follow boating rules after they land. Makes sense! Shipyard rock is bigger than it appears on the chart! We getting much better with maps, GPS and IPAD-INAV X.
Fun Meals while underway: No breakfast, not hungry, we ate a big dinner at Pub last night so cereal onboard. Still taking the easy route! Cheddar Cheese, Chorizo Biscuits for happy hour last night.
