She....Is Having...Fun

with the lovely Nicole at SirenWhen I was a kid, we three sisters listened to The Beatles over and over again, especially when we were cleaning the living and dining rooms where we could hear the stereo. Martine's perfect handwriting is still visible on the dining room table, on which she wrote I love The Beatles right after the table had been freshly, professionally waxed -- words you can still see to this day, if you lean your head just right, face close to the surface.  

One of my favorite songs since forever is She's Leaving Home on Sgt. Pepper.  I won't lie: as a kid, I really loved this song because I craved the departure that the song is about, the girl leaving home for adventure elsewhere, for fun.  

Because we're supposed to be having fun here. That's kind of the point.

And there were lots of times -- cleaning the dining room for the millionth time as a kid, for example -- that I really felt like there was a lack of fun in my life.  Maybe that's just the sucky part of being a kid, any kid, not just my parents' kid.  I bet I created the same kind of drag for my own offspring, The Kid, without meaning to.  It's just the nature of being a kid, of being a parent.  

Back to my point: fun.  Fun is the point.

Fun is something that it's easy to forget about sometimes, in the routine of get up, go to work, come home, sleep.  Fun is something I've been remembering all along this blissful 6-week break from my job.  Fun is something I really had yesterday at Siren Salon, where I'm always happy as can be, every time I go there.  It helps that it's beautiful there, it smells great, everyone is lovely and funny and gorgeous, and that thanks to Nicole, I leave every time with a great cut, pink streaks and a special I'm-so-fucking-fabulous bounce in my step.

Whenever I go see Nicole and Amber and Kimberly and the rest of the crew at Siren, I feel like I'm living right -- like I'm doing everything right, I'm in exactly the right place at the right time with the right people and -- boom -- it's all happening.  

Yesterday was particularly amazing.  I was running late, but I got -- first time ever -- the parking spot right in front.  I had just missed Joanne, who left just before I got there.  As I was sitting under the heat lamp, in walked Stefanie.  While setting new appointments with Amber, who called in for new appointments but Alexandra?  I know I'm a huge blabber-mouth when I love something, but it just felt so good that we were all in on this good thing together.  I was surrounded by friends, each one of us encouraging the others to stay the course, stay true to looking good and feeling good, and color, always color.

Life doesn't have to have some heavy purpose.  Sure, it's great to come up with string theory or whatever, to put an end to famine and child abuse and animal cruelty.  Yes to all of that and more. But please, I really think if we all just had a little more simple fun, if we gave ourselves this gift of being delighted by little things and being well and truly happy, we could fix all the rest, no problem.  I'm not saying that we would necessarily have world peace if everyone had pink streaks in their hair, but what the hell -- maybe we should try that.  It might just work.  If nothing else, everyone'd be walking around like me, happy like a kid, clapping my hands, jumping around, loving on everything because I am having fun.

Meanwhile, I woke up today and my hair is still pink.  I still have yesterday's glow, I'm still happy (even though my break is coming to an end soon, gulp), I'm still fired up and ready for more fun.

Saying it again because I really think it's true:

Fun is the whole point.  What will you do TODAY to have some fun?  

It's not stupid.  It's not selfish.  It's the point.