Haircuts

There are many communication challenges in our lives and world. Ther are those that, you might say, are an ongoing part of life such as trying to communicate one's feelings to another. And then ther are those that I consider to be more situational. Things are fine and suddenly the stars align in a certain way and - presto! - you find yourself struggling to come up with the right words that properly convey what it is you are thinking. even though this situation may have occurred before, it never cease to surprise or frustrate. At least that is how it is for me. I am talking about haircuts - that necessary act that never goes away.

Normally, I get my hair cut every six or so. Mainly it depends upon what length I want my hair to be. Each time I approach the barber's chair I have a definite image in my mind what I want my hair to look like after my hair is cut. Yet properly communicating that to the hair cutter is never not a challenge. "Take a little off the top." What exactly does that mean? What is a "little?" I will often say, "Just around the sides and back," knowing I do not want the hair on the top of my head to be ignored. I struggle with this. And I can tell the barber who is on the receiving end of my instructions is struggling, too. How could they not be? They, too, are trying to understand what it is I am saying or, more to the point, meaning.

The result of this experience is lots of stress. Sometimes I walk away with a haircut that is pleasing and other times not. Never do I walk into any barber shop with full confidence that all is going to go well. What's the deal here? How could something seeming so simple produce such angst and be fodder for miscommunication? My wife is smart in that often she brings in a photo from a magazine of a hair style or cut she wants. Still, even with that, she does not always get what she wants. I definitely have to give this more thought and keep working on my communication skills in the process.