Conversation with God

"God speaks to me in many different ways.."




Welcome to club of middle-class workers in Jakarta. These are feelings I have as one of the members of the club; the job is boring, the money is not enough and.. the job is boring, the money is not enough.. the job is boring, the money is not enough..

One day, frustrated with all 'privileges' the club has given to me, I decided to cut my hair. Yes, having a hair cut could lighten the burden in my head I THINK.

Don't you think so?

OK, having some millimeter less length of MY HAIR is evidently a solution. A quick panacea for me. It makes my head feel lighter. Less heavy. Full stop.

Anyway, it's not my hair that we gonna discuss now (as I'm too afraid that shampoo producers will soon find me to be their next ad star. For sure not to be the 'after using their shampoo' model, but the 'before' one. Rite, we really need to stop discussing my hair now). It's the barber. This barber is special. He has been my barber since the day, as long as I remember, I had my first hair cut in a barbershop.

I don't know his name. But I can directly imagine, while I am writing this, his face, his warmth gesture, and the atmosphere of his small and without aircond barbershop. And the radio of course! Yeah how can I forget his old radio that plays Javanese gamelan or wayang play or anything that sounds to me like something from Java and just brings a breath of Javanese peacefulness in Jakarta's hot, humid and crowded air?

To get the opportunity to do my haircut in his barbershop is also a special occasion. It needs effort as my family house is no longer near my fave barbershop. We move from the East to the South. When I have that opportunity for the first time, after more than 2 years not going there, I feel like not just coming to a barbershop. It's like a meditation place. It's where you get enlightenment after you spend some time inside.

Talking with him always makes me happy. It does not need to involve something too heavy, or too cheap (like a goss). And you don't need to over reacting nor pretending. He is maybe more than 55 now. But I swear, his face, his physical appeareance do not look any older! He is simply as old as (or as young as?)10 years or even 20 years ago during my first haircut times. Nothings significantly change. And he always tells me his secret of his lifestyle, like drink a lot of water, never eat too much, live well managed; when it's time to pray, go to pray, when it's time to have some rest, have some, when it's time to eat, eat then.

My revealation of his secret does not stop in his physical day to day activity. From his mouth, I also find the importance of how we should manage our heart. "Life is not that difficult if we can control our heart to accept our destiny and just do whatever best we can do to live". That's what he said which reflects his Javanese "nrimo" culture. Actually, that wisdom sounds so familiar, spoken and written everywhere, but does not really SOUND to me. But from his mouth, the words can really slap my face. I don't know exactly why. Maybe the way he speaks can influence me, or further, simply the way he SHOWS me the way he lives. Reflection of his words can be seen clearly from him from head to toe, from his life. He is the father of eleven. His job is a barber. And he tells me the success stories of his children. And he always shows me his smiley face. He is happy with his life.

Anyway, have I told you the most important secret of why I like him so much? It's his comment. His comment about me. But before that we all have to agree that he is a simple and honest man. He will not lying about anything as he doesn't have any bad motives to do so. Agree? Agree that he will speak only the truth? Ok, you agree and I will tell you this.

He said, "Wah Mas, makin ganteng aja!"

(Oh well, I should join other club then. This 'the job is boring and the money is not enough' club does not suit me anymore. I am too good looking to be in this club! *grin HAPPILY)

*Dedicated to my personal barber in Melbourne, Tesszar and Abi who kept me looking good without some extra dollars.