A little short

This week could be characterized by shortness.



For the past two years I have been wearing my hair (what I consider) long. There are a number of reasons this works for me but mostly it is that I am not at all fussy about hair, make-up and such things. It is never lost on me that all my Learning Assistants have put me to shame in this department. I have always considered myself a bit of a geek and ergo I can be excused for not knowing how to braid or create that pretty little pouf in my hair. That is not to say I don’t make an effort, it just usually fails.

This was the case in Toronto this past week. I had straightened my hair to present at the Canadian Forces Staff College and was feeling pretty good about how I had managed, until I was confronted with a wall of water between my hotel and my car. Even with an umbrella, trying to get a suitcase into a car in a torrential downpour will result in getting wet. So off I headed to the college, wet, but none the worse for wear. By the time I got to the College the rain had stopped but the humidity was intense. As I walked across the parking lot I could practically feel my hair curling. So there I was damp, curly and not at all the way I started out.



New short hair style!

I had been planning on cutting my hair short before I left for Grenada. Having to wash thick curly hair after swimming in the ocean was not an appealing thought. Nor was knowing I would need to blow dry and straighten it, so my long hair days were numbered. My Staff College experienced just hastened its departure. I like my new do- I’m good with almost no maintenance.

My hair was not the only thing short this week. It seemed all of us were a little short with our tempers. As we get closer to our departure date more adjustments need to be made.  The boys who are used to spending the summers between grandmothers and parents are now faced with the reality they need to go to camp. Not a happy revelation for Owen. Aiden has been frazzled as he tries to help but then gets distracted part way through… then I raise my voice to get the job finished. Finally we are all frazzled as we try to keep the house tidy for potential showings, still pack up and try to enjoy the summer.

Everyone was short of time on Saturday as Owen needed to be in Oshawa at 8:15 to meet his aunt for his birthday adventure to the aquarium in Toronto. Brent was to meet a friend at 7:15 to catch a ride to a sale they were going to in Toronto, but his power had gone out and he was almost a half hour late. Meanwhile aunt Ceilidh’s power had also gone out and she was unable to print their e-tickets and Brent’s delay meant they might not meet their ticket timings of 9:00-10:00. As I relayed messages back and forth between all parties, everyone was experiencing a short temper.

Things work out as they always do, with open communication and “sorry” goes a long way when you are frustrated. The reality is that in order to get to Grenada we are going to have short tempers some times and as we get closer to our departure date we are going to need to communicate even more than we normally do to ensure needs are met and feelings are validated. Not everyone will get what they want but in the end we should all get what we need.