Change is good for its own sake . . . especially when it comes from the reliable voice of word-of-mouth referrals.

Sometimes the best antidote to the blahs is to change something. Maybe it's re-arranging the furniture, throwing something out you no longer need or want. Maybe it's just taking in the change of the seasons, the buds, the gentle flow in the air.

For me, this week it was a hair cut. You can see the new look in my profile picture on this blog. Not only was the haircut a change, but the way I did it was a change, too. Didn't go to a mainstream salon, but instead I chose the in-home salon of Nancy Sposato, Licensed Acupuncturist, Hair Designer, Sculptor. No waiting to shuffle from chair to chair leafing through magazines until it's my turn. Nancy works on one person at a time, whether upstairs in her acupuncture studio space, or downstairs in her private salon complete with professional shampoo sink, Goldwell color formulas, and the same mirrors you'd expect in any salon.

Once I grew past the hair straightening dictates of the 60s, I finally embraced my naturally curly hair in the 70s and 80s. Since then, I've hated to use a hair dryer, pulling out my curls. Any cut that requires that work is not for me. Nancy totally understood my desire for a wash-and-wear style that required no ironing. And that's exactly what she gave me and I love it. Now there's no need pull my hair up and worry about it wet and dripping after hot yoga class. The hotter it gets, the curlier I go.

A little touch of elegance in the stairwell just outside of Nancy's in-home salon.

Nancy didn't push any hair products on me either. She's a great believer in less is more. Part of an underground multi-preneur generation who does what's needed to flourish, she combines talents and resources. With her sculptor's eye, trained at Mass Art, Nancy believes all her interests and talents are connected; to choose one over the others isn't necessary. Although she has a website for her acupuncture business, I never would have found her if it weren't for the power of word-of-mouth referrals. I saw someone's hair I liked, asked her who had cut it and she told me about Nancy and her in-house salon. Without high end designer salon prices, Nancy gave me a designer cut at an affordable price and I'm sure I'll go back for regular trims.

Or maybe the next time I'll try one of Nancy's Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture Treatments that is designed to stimulate Qi and blood flow to the face reducing the visible signs of aging. For now I'm sticking with the new "do." One of Mother Nature's gifts to us mature adults is waning eyesight. That's my own mental Facial Rejuvenation trick. It sure eliminates the fine wrinkles from view. A generous blurring lens that erases the years' markers when I keep my reading glasses off to put my make up on.