Coni wigs out

My poor studio is a mess today. I have dragged out every wig and hair piece that I own so I could choose what I think I will need for this job. There is always so much prep work to do. It is really challenging to make my ADD brain think in an organized manner. The evidence of that statement is in the pics above. Not only am I packing wigs but I also have to have my blow dryers, curling irons, ect. Then, bobby pins, hairstyling products and a ton of other stuff. Ahhh, the glamorous life! I hope it doesn’t sound like I am complaining. It can just have its overwhelming moments.

The wigs that are lined up are the ones I have already washed and styled. The poster propped up on my chair has pictures of the Pilgrim characters and photos of the actors who will portray them. We will have a great looking cast of Native Americans playing the Wampanoag tribe as well. I had to make the poster in order to keep straight who is who. I am grateful that I have learned some techniques to help keep my thinking straight.

Thank goodness Mary came over and asked if Ed and I wanted to go to Olive Garden for dinner. We had a good meal with good company. Twelve year old Rachel looked adorable and baby Tamara was precious as always. Tim and Ed were kinda cute too but Mary and I out shined them, of course.

When we got home, I decided to stay out of the studio for the rest of the evening. I have been in there all day today. 

Ed has been helping me practice getting a wig applied faster. Timing is almost as important as making a wig look like real hair. Every night, Ed comes in and sits in the hydraulic chair for about an hour. That is how long it takes me to put a wig on him. Now THAT is a good man. I am truly blessed.

coffee anyone?

I get some of the best e-mails. I am not thinking about making this a habit but, here is one that I really needed to contemplate. Maybe someone else out there will be challenged by this too. All my St. Arbucks heads out there ought to appreciate it.

A
young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was
solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire soon the pots came to boil.
In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, ‘Tell me what you see.’

‘Carrots, eggs, and coffee,’ she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma the daughter
then asked, ‘What does it mean, mother?’

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after
being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile.  Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

‘Which are you?’ she asked her daughter. ‘When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems
strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes
with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity?
Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?