I lived in Springfield, Mo., for a short time after high school. As most girls, I would try to keep my eyebrows clean and neat, so I would go to a salon called "After Midnight", that wasn't all that far from my apartment. I only went a few times because it was kind of expensive ($10 for eyebrows) to get a wax. The second time I went in there was an middle aged, flower child man with a golden cross earring dangling from his ear, wearing a black shirt, and salt and peppered hair. The man asked me what it was I had came there for, I told him and he said he'd be with me in just a moment.

As I waited, I realized he was going to be the one doing my eyebrows; it was odd to me because I had never had a man do my beauty work, I'd always had women, but I was ready for the experience. After waiting for a short period of time, he asked me to come back into the room where they did waxing. The room had a table, similar to a doctor's office, in it. I laid down, as I had the time before, and was prepared for an "in-out" waxing, which turned into about a 30 minute, give or take, waxing.

I enjoyed my time so much, I wished I had the money to go back every two weeks for another eyebrow waxing. In the time he took to wax my eyebrows he told me about his family, his life growing up, we shared points of views on subjects such music, different kinds of waxing, partying, ect. My favorite part about our conversations was when he would begin his sentences, he would refer to me as "Little Sister". I was amazed at his precision when waxing; after he was done waxing, he would take a pair of goggles, the kind jewelers wear when cutting gemstones, to make sure he got every last out of place hair off of my brows.

Stunned with his performance, I wrote him a check, and he gave me his business card, and told me to come back anytime. That was the first time I had met someone who I could tell really loved what they did for a living. I got in my car and opened his business card. Inside was his name, Midnight Bobby Dolan, a picture of him at a younger age and a quote that said this, "When you're green, you're growing; when you're ripe, you're dead." I thought to myself, "That is one of the most insightful things I have ever read". Then I found myself pondering what it meant.

Images of apples falling to the ground beside a tree filled my head, as I tried to make some kind of relation with this quote. When I got back to the apartment, I told my roommate, Nikki, about the business card. We sat there sharing ideas of what this quote may have meant. We both had a pretty good idea of what it meant, but neither of us could put our thoughts into words that really made sense. So we let it go. But ever since I read that quote it has stayed imbedded in my mind, and kept me thinking what is the meaning of this?

When I had almost forgotten all about it, it sort of came to me one day. This quote was about life. Everyone comes up with different ideas to what a certain thing may mean but this is what I got out of this particular one: Until you actually are dead, six feet under dead, there are still things to learn, do, say, teach, pass on, and see. You are always growing, like an apple, but until you fall off the tree there will always things to keep living for. From that day forward I have made sure to be grateful to everything that I have in this world; I don't take a drink of water with out tasting it, when I breathe I take a moment to feel my lungs fill up with air, or when I'm walking I'll run my hand up against the side of whatever is beside me to just feel the textures on my fingertips.

In today's world it almost seems like everyone is too busy to see these little things that mean so much, and no one notices the little things until they're gone. In my personal experiences, I have learned that if you are living with hatred of someone, even if someone has hurt you beyond repair, you must always forgive them. It's not always easy but to make peace with that person you must first make peace with yourself. If you don't it will eat you up inside out, and in turn you will lose everything you once knew good in this world. Just remember to live, love and laugh to the fullest everyday. I would also like to say thank you to Midnight Bobby Dolan, for showing me that advice can be found in the strangest of places, all you have to do is look. Remember: When you're green, you're growing; when you're ripe, you're dead."

Peace.