Day #80 Writing Through COVID-19: Palmer Saves the Day

My parents have been looking scraggly for several weeks now. They've both needed haircuts. I ignored this as long as possible. I don't know how to cut hair.

That said, I'm usually eager to learn a new skill, and I do know how to watch a YouTube video. I've also read that some cosmetologists offer Zoom services, talking you through a haircut. So I could have cut their hair.

But truth be told, I didn't want to. Cutting my parents' hair required a level of physical intimacy with their cicada-shell scalps that is more than I'd bargained for.

I realize cutting their hair could be a sign of love and care. I'm sorry I didn't want to do it, but I didn't. Maybe this is why I'm a teacher instead of a nurse (or cosmetologist).

Luckily, my daughter Palmer, who in non-COVID life teaches math in Denver, is living down the road with my son Harrison for the summer. She mows the farm lawns and serves as my socially-distanced personal trainer, riding her bike alongside me while I run the gravel, cheering me on and correcting my running form. She is a ray of sunshine. She also knows how to cut hair.

So this morning I asked Palmer if she would be willing to don a face shield, scrub to her elbows, and cut her grandparents' hair--outside, of course.

And she did! I was making the 8-day grocery run this afternoon when she cut my mom's hair, trimming the scarecrow fly-aways into a cute little pixie cut. She's made plans to cut my dad's hair tomorrow morning.
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I am no saint, no martyr. I have been happy to feed and entertain(?) my mom and dad during this strange time. But my parents have tended to their own personal grooming, and I will confess I am grateful for that.

Could I do it? I'd like to think that if push came to shove, I could. But it would require re-calibration of my role. Maybe my COVID-19 experience with my parents is "Elderly Parents Lite." I don't know if I have it in me to provide intensive physical care if I didn't want to so much as cut their hair.
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Tonight I am thankful my mom's hair is cut and my dad's hair will be cut tomorrow. Mostly I'm thankful that the concept of family allows for a sharing of responsibilities, support, and pitching in.

Palmer was helpful and kind to her grandma today. And whether she knew it or not, she was helpful and kind to me as well.

Enough.
Be well.
Write.

Allison