ANSWERED PRAYER
Well guys, we’ve got an anniversary on our hands! (don’t get your hopes up, I haven’t been hiding a secret relationship from you guys for the past year 😉) August 1st marks one year since I started my job at the salon! I cannot believe I have been working there that long, it truly has flown by. The past three hundred and sixty-five days have been filled with love, learning, and tons of laughter. A year ago, I could not have even imagined what starting this job would bless me with. I am a different person than when I started, and I honestly think the changes that have been made were for the better. So, to show my gratitude for the past year, here are some of the amazing experiences and lessons I have had while working at the salon:
Always wear a smock. Even though you are positive there is no way you could get color on something, that stuff gets EVERYWHERE.
I am basically a dishes champion now. Like, I would for sure medal in that competition.
Laundry is a different story. In my first month, I managed to flood the back room whilst doing the laundry. However, there have been no floods since, so I am going to call that progress, and say I would at least make the top twenty in that competition.
The dog will always want to go outside at the worst possible time. Also, she will often fake you out, just to go outside again.
I’m basically a handy man now. I’ve changed outlet covers, light bulbs, spray painted cabinets. I can even use a screwdriver to tighten a blow dryer stand!
There is for sure an art to shampooing, and it takes a LONG time to get it down. Thanks to all of my guinea pigs who took one for the team.
No matter how much you sweep, you will always miss some hair.
Only the strong survive the Holiday Season at the salon, and I am proud to say I made it through. (but also slightly terrified for the upcoming round).
I am for sure over my fear of calling strangers on the phone. I’m like a real adult now.
Work can be So. Much. Fun. When you work with incredible people, the days just seem to slip on by.
On a more serious note, I cannot even begin to describe how grateful I am for the job I have, it truly has been life changing. It’s given me confidence I didn’t know I needed, pushed me out of my comfort zone, and helped me to grow. Plus, it has been one of the sweetest answers to prayer I have ever received.
One year ago, I was at a complete and utter loss for what to do with my life. I was almost done with my Associates Degree, and I had no idea what the next step of my life should be. More Schooling? Same School? A Different School? Moving? So many questions, and what felt like no answers. I wasn’t proud of where I was, because I felt like I hadn’t accomplished anything. During the past two years of schooling, I was supposed to have figured out what career I wanted to pursue, but unfortunately, I had utterly failed at that mission. Last summer, I was making some of the most heartfelt prayers I have ever made, just to know where to go next.
Suddenly, a job at the salon opened up (something I had been specifically praying for 😊). I was so grateful for what I thought would be an extension on my waiting game. I could work at the salon for a couple of months, figure out what in the world I was going to do with my life, and then move up to Utah in January. A temporary way to keep busy, earn some money, and buy myself some more time. I know this will come as a total shock to all of you, but I still had not figured out what I wanted to do when January rolled around. “I’ll just give myself a few more months”, I thought, “The answer has to come eventually!”.
Well, somewhere in the midst of washing color bowls and sweeping up hair, my longed-for answer came. When I finally let go and stopped obsessing about my dilemma, but instead just put it all in God’s hands, I realized the answer had been right in front of my face for the past few months. Cosmetology School. Working in the salon had opened me up to this whole new world and helped me to see that it was a world I longed to be apart of. The answer wasn’t something that came like a bolt of lightning, or even in the time I wanted, for that matter. It subtly came to me as I went about my life, and slowly but surely, I could not deny that this was the answer I had been searching for.
Looking back now, it is amazing to see how much the Lord has perfectly guided my life to this moment. He not only knew what I needed out of this life, but how and when I needed it. He knew I needed to have failures, lessons, and frustrations, so that way, when the right answer came, there would be no denying it. I am so grateful for the experiences I have had over the last few years, because they have truly taught me how the Spirit speaks to me. These experiences have helped to grow and shape me into the person I am today and have given me an incredible testimony of how much the Lord truly loves each and every one of us. We can always trust Him with the plan for our lives, He will never let us down.
I am so grateful for the work environment He placed me in. Not only do I have amazing coworkers, who are invested in me and my future (thanks for all of the help, guys!), but the salon was literally an answer to one of my most tender-hearted prayers. I don’t think they know how much working there has blessed and changed my life, but take it from me, I am forever indebted to the past year.
So, I guess the lesson is:
A WHOLE lot can change in a year.
Never give up on the Lord.
Sometimes it truly feels like our long, sought after answers will never come, but they always do. They just come in His timing, which is the exact way you want it to be, I promise you. He knew the exact experiences I needed to have, and the person I needed to be, when that answer came, and I am so grateful for that. Trust Him, trust in His love for you, and watch how far He will take you.
P.S. I will not be starting Cosmetology School for at least another year, so don’t ask me for haircut unless you want a hack job 😉. However, I do know of a really good salon you could go to!