CHARLOTTE BRONTE, HAIRDRESSING AND HOW TO MAKE LIFE BEAUTIFUL

IT was such a beautiful day today! Summer's here, and I feel good! In summer, I come out of hibernation and feel wonderful. I relish the heat and I relish the moment I throw off sweaters and cardigans to put on the T-shirts and summer tops.

First stop was the hairdresser, and here I am:

In literature, one of my favorite hairdressing scenes comes from Charlotte Bronte's Villette. Lucy Snowe, the novel's odd and unsympathetic protagonist, cannot believe how much prettier she looks after having her hair done. This is on the occasion of the principal's fete at their school. Madame Beck, the said principal, treats her students and staff with hairdressing, a great dinner and a ball on the day of her fete. Lucy is impressed at how a bit of pampering can change her appearance. Throughout the book, Lucy believes she is plain and even ugly, though it is probably her own sense of inferiority which makes her think so! 

My next stop was the bookstore, where you can see me leafing through Jane Eyre, an all-time favorite! Jane does not share Lucy's sense of inferiority about her appearance. Jane knows that she is not a beauty, but she likes to dress well and look nice.

Then I went to the seashore with friends, and generally had a swell time. 

It was a long day, where I saw old friends, talked a lot and exchanged news. A day as long as life. I once wrote a poem about this, how some days seem to enclose all of our lives.

And I think that it is days like these which make life beautiful. :-)