A Little More Arch, Cinderella!

It is totally true that Cinderella does my eyebrow waxing. It is also totally true that I am the Fairy Godmother.

Okay, so maybe these are past-tense. My esthetician, Dusty, who does beautiful work making my eyebrows look reasonably symmetrical, was a Disney World Cinderella for five years. We discussed this, in fact, while I was lying on the table with hot wax being glided onto my upper eyelids. I was explaining that I was opening in a local community theater production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical “Cinderella,” and that I needed my eyebrows to look pretty. She asked me what part I was playing and I replied, “The Fairy Godmother!” We had a very nice time discussing the irony of Cinderella waxing the Fairy Godmother’s eyebrows that afternoon. Somehow, knowing that she had to endure the heat of the Florida sun, in full costume, in parades, made the tearing-off of the wax strips and removal of my stray eyebrow hairs (straying unflatteringly into my temples and down toward my ears) a bit easier to bear.

The thing I love about having Cinderella do my eyebrows is that she is genuinely kind and was clearly typecast as the woe-begotten stepchild whose every dream came true. And I have, since that day, sought to find more “Cinderellas” who touch my life. The waitress who serves my breakfast on Saturday mornings at Bob Evans, who has an autistic son who is a handful for her, but who clearly – and dearly – loves her child. She is a hard worker and could easily play Snow White at Disney. She’s cheerful, quick, and could scurry those woodland creatures and seven dwarves into perfect order without blinking an eye. And I’ll bet she could use a happy ending, too. Maybe that can start with me giving a generous tip. Maybe you could, too?

Right now, it’s the holiday season, and giving can either be a lot easier for you, or a lot harder. For me, it’s easier – almost like I AM the Fairy Godmother, bestowing goodness and a kind smile to others, especially those who look like they could just use a hug. I know that not everyone can be generous, monetarily, to others, but a kind word of thanks, a note left on a table with an appropriate tip, or any affirmation that someone is doing a good job can change someone’s life.

And it’s not magic, my friends. It’s remembering that anyone you meet could be a Cinderella or a Snow White, with a story you could never imagine. Some good stories, some not-so-good. Without judgment, assume the good, and know that your smile, or extra tip, or kind word might be the only good thing that person experiences all day. Especially if they are in a service profession like my Cinderella – treat them with courtesy and care, like the good Fairy Godmother you know you have inside.