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I miss getting my hair cut.
Barber shops and salons have been closed in Rhode Island for weeks. I& #39;ve got the side part working out of necessity for the first time since high school. It& #39;s not my best look. (1/10)
Barber shops and salons have been closed in Rhode Island for weeks. I& #39;ve got the side part working out of necessity for the first time since high school. It& #39;s not my best look. (1/10)
But the more I& #39;ve thought about it, I actually miss it for a different reason. I can always count on a great conversation with Mike Bitar. I feel fortunate to consider him a friend. What I& #39;ve learned from him as a client far outweighs any service he& #39;s ever provided to me. (2/10)
I& #39;d say 95% of the time we talk about trivial things like the Patriots or a vacation coming up or how we might have had too much to drink the previous Saturday. I& #39;ll readily admit to being a stereotypical guy. My DNA doesn& #39;t always allow us to touch on deep topics. (3/10)
I& #39;m replaying a lot of that other 5% in my head in recent days. Mike& #39;s family came here from Syria to escape authoritarianism and systematic oppression. America promised to give them that chance. I& #39;ve never known anything different. (4/10)
Mike left a place that stifled a free press, devalued science and education, embraced religious fundamentalism and never made the slightest attempt to care for the disadvantaged. Our rights and policies are supposed to guarantee such things. I always felt like they did. (5/10)
Mike navigated an immigration system that badly needs reform. Becoming a citizen & #39;the right way& #39; can take up to a decade. And still, the fact that people are willing to wait speaks to what we have to offer. I was born into it. (6/10)
I had two parents, food on the table every night and some new clothes every school year. I had the chance to graduate from college and pursue the career I wanted. I had options. I never thought about why. I just had them. (7/10)
I& #39;ve been laid off twice, but I& #39;ve never experienced any real economic pain. I& #39;ve been asked to step out of my car by police, but I& #39;ve never felt any real fear. I& #39;ve looked over my shoulder in certain neighborhoods but asked myself whether or not I should be there. (8/10)
I take all of those things for granted. Real equality is when everyone feels the same. Our current state of affairs says that& #39;s not the case even here in a country that is supposed to guarantee it. (9/10)
So when @BitarBarbershop opens again, yes, I can& #39;t wait to get a fresh cut. I need one. But I& #39;ll be doing all the listening while I sit in that chair. My hope is that one day I might feel like I& #39;ve learned enough to help. (10/end)
