Blonde Bowling Ball

Tormo helps with my Italian homework

My second CliftonStrengths strength is Communication. Making myself understood has always come naturally — I've rarely had to think much about it. As a marketer, a manager, a planner, and an extrovert who makes things happen, this has served me well.

I had been putting off getting my hair done. After 40-plus years in the Bay Area, I had finally found a stylist who made my hair sing, and I was nervous about starting over. So I did everything to make this a success: asked around for recommendations, read reviews, negotiated an appointment at an upscale salon with a special request for an English-speaking stylist, traveled across town, and crossed my fingers.

It was a learning experience. I look like a blonde bowling ball. Neither the cut nor the color was what I had in mind. The result of an appointment should never be a surprise.

On the upside: the short cut is cooler in this heat, hair grows back, and I now have one more very compelling reason to learn Italian quickly.