Flash back about 20 years. I'm lying in a dark room. There's music playing. I'm lying on my back in a warm bed. There's a woman there, applying lovely smelling potions to my face. I am calm. Happy. She massages my arms and shoulders...my scalp...my ears. And in this moment, this hour of luxury, I have an epiphany. This is what I want to do with my life. I want to give others this experience. I want to live this atmosphere. I want to breathe it in. I find joy here. I want to be an esthetician.
I'd had a facial before. The room was cold. The esthetician smelled of cigarettes. I walked away none the better for the experience. But this time, it was different. I felt peace. And comfort. And joy. And a calling. For 20 years, this calling has been on the back burner. I've wanted it. I've dreamed of it. But I was in a comfortable job and raising my family. It just wasn't the time.
Fast forward almost 20 years later. I lost my job. In the devastation that comes with losing something that you've worked hard for over a 32 year period, came an excitement for what lie ahead. I would finally go to school and become what I'd dreamed. But then came a job offer to do the same job that I'd always done. Out of fear, I accepted. Fear and my belief that things happen for a reason - that my path included this new job. So I took it. But I also continued my journey to becoming what I'd wanted to be - an esthetician. I signed up for school. I loved school. When I did my first facial, I felt the joy I'd coveted. And it went on. Each facial, each body treatment, each service to a client, brought me new relationships. I met people who needed what I had to give - an hour of relaxation and touch. An hour of solitude and the gift of my attention. I loved it. All of it.
Sure, I'd love to be a millionaire too. As an esthetician, I will never achieve that status unless I win the lottery - which has nothing to do with esthetics! But I can tell you, that being a millionaire has never been my calling. I am so happy that I've followed my heart. Listen closely when your heart speaks. Keep dreaming. Keep dreaming.
I am SO proud of you. XO
ReplyDeleteThank you Rachie. You are another of my dreams realized. I love you.
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