Natalie (not her real name) is in her 70s. She was from the Czech Republic and migrated to the US very young. She used to own a relatively well-known hair salon in my town. But that was decades before we moved to California.
Natalie has been my hair stylist for quite a few years. She is one of the few hair stylists who has mastered the skill of cutting, coloring, and styling short hair for women. Since most American women have long hair, hair stylists generally have little to no experience with short hair. I have been pleased with my hair since I found her through a referral from my neighbor.
She helped me try a different hairstyle a few days ago. The photo in this story shows the result of that. She said it would take another four months for my hair to grow to the right length. I can’t wait to see what my hair will look like in four months. I already love it as it is.
She was married and has a son. At the age of 70, she is dating a fine gentleman who is living in Germany. I think they met each other when she was in New York. She has a house somewhere in upstate New York that she rented out.
For a woman in her 70s, she is highly active. She worked full-time as a hairstylist. She has flown to Germany every other month to be with her boyfriend. Sometimes, she would call to cancel her appointment because of an “emergency” in Germany. We could easily guess what the emergency was about.
She lived in a lovely, fully furnished cottage, an added one-bedroom suite on top of a two-car garage. Her friend of many decades owns that place. She is a tenant as well as a house sitter.
Besides the nominal amount she paid as rent, she has no bills besides groceries. That is why she could afford to take month-long breaks and fly to Germany every other month and more frequently sometimes.
She is planning to retire in Germany in six months. She is not planning to take on a full-time job in her retirement. She might teach haircutting and coloring part-time in Germany. I am happy for her. I am sad about losing a good friend and a very creative hair stylist.
In her 70s, a single woman, living as carefree as she is, what is not to love?
I have reflected on that a lot. Many of us probably have more “stuff” than she does. We have beautiful houses with nice expensive European furnishings. Our garages are filled with expensive EVs or high-end automobiles. Our rooms have laptops, iPad, Big Screen TVs, X-Box or Play Station. Closets are filled with European designer dresses, shoes, and bags. Kitchens are filled with Japanese knives, Christofle Silverware, Versace plates, Waterford glasswares, and a SubZero fridge.
Many of us also have expensive, fancy college degrees and big titles printed on our business cards. Of course, we have the bank accounts and the Net Asset Values as proof of our good standing.
With all our “stuff”, I can’t say my life is better or happier than hers. I am very jealous of her carefree and worry-free lifestyle. She is living the time of her life in her 70s.
Why didn’t I think of a life like hers decades ago? Would I have chosen a different lifestyle had I known of hers? Ultimately, aren’t we all looking for ways to live happily? Somehow, I have equated that to having lots of stuff. The “stuff” was my sense of security, the prerequisite to happiness. But are they?
If you like my writings, please subscribe to my Email List. https://www.thisisceline.com/subscribe-to-email
Comments