hair cures depression

Ok, here is a cute story involving cancer. Those of you who described my blog as poignant- you know who you are, Denise Murphy, will appreciate it. I finally mad it to one of thos look better feel better or whatever they are called groups. Actually I think I already look and feel better but free make-up was involved, so I went. Pretty good free make-up, too. So anyway, I was sitting next to an old lady, whose name was not barbara, however three other women by that name were in the (relatively small) class. Apparently, being named Barbara causes cancer. Anyway this non-Barbara woman was sort of depressed, and although I rarely make such observations, pretty funny looking. We talked because we both had newly-grown post-chemo hair, but she hated hers and wore an extremely unbecoming hat. She had donechemo around the same time as me but had some kind of cancer "down there" that she didn't really specify but she was still in pain from her surgery. When they were demonstrating make-up tips and scarves and wigs, she kept saying stuff like, "Oh, I would never wear that much make-up," "I never go anywhere where it matters how I look." I don't go out in public much because I don't have any hair." etc. You get the idea. Pretty miserable. Being full of positive energy myself, I did not say, well why the fuck are you here? Instead, I said stupid little positive things like, you have nice skin, maybe when you get all made up you will want to go out, your hair is growing in very nicely (that was sort of a partial lie but it was for a good cause.) She was minimally responsive.

So, at the end of the class the beauty people who ran it said, there are some free scarves and wigs if you want to try some on. Since I am already at one with nature with my minimalist hair-do- which is going to look even better with $400.00 worth of free make-up on my face, i did not take advantage of those particular freebies, maybe in part because I already have 6 wigs of variious colors hung on hooks in my closet. BUT......suddenly I looked up and saw an attractive middle aged woman with short brown hair smiling at her friend. I didn't recognize her at first until I realized it was Miss Misery with a free wig on. She was totally transformed! She even walked more upright instead of hunched over like a sick person. It was absolutely amazing. Somehow, she also looked about three sizes smaller and twenty years younger, because i guess when you carry yourself in a slouched over depressed way, you look, well, kind of dumpy, old and fat. But I feel like i witnessed a real miracle. Which of course proves my point that as long as you look pretty, nothing else matters. So having witnessed such a beautiful thing, my spirits were only slighly dampened when I turned on my phone and checked my voicemail to hear several messages saying, "Barbara, you are on the schedule for the 3-11 shift today, where are you?" OOPS! In my own defense, I make a copy of every month's schedule to keep with me because I know I am so spacey- I mean I have so much knowledge in my head sometimes things like when I am supposed to work slip out. Apparently I must have agreed to work a shift for someone else and forgot. Well they survived without my even having to use the cancer card hardly at all.

Also, Laura is back from Europe and she went to radiation with me and we hung out all afternoon, shopping for books and can you believe Ann Taylor Loft still had some of its sale items and I bought yet another couple of pairs of jeans for $4.88. My radiation buddies will be so impressed. Radiation, which I am more than half-way through with no problems. Wow, life is really good!