You are not alone.

I’m not about to start singing, I promise. This was one of the lines my hairdresser said to me when we said our goodbyes over the till.

Almost an hour before I was sitting with damp hair on her hairdresser’s chair, waiting as she got her tools ready to start working her experienced magic on my hair. As per instruction I lowered my head and felt the comb put in place each wet strand, section by section. Hearing the clippers snip the ends, I sat excitedly still as you do, when getting a quick revamp.

She first asked me what I had planned for the rest of the day, whether I’d be shopping. The hairdressers are located in the centre of a big shopping centre. I told her I won’t be as I plan to take on the no “buy challenge”, something I discovered on YouTube. I spoke vaguely about future plans and in turn, she told me about her daughter having similar goals, though she has achieved many of them. Her daughter and I are almost the same age, give or take a few years. The more she spoke about her daughter the more I related to her every word. You’re describing me, I kept telling her. We both laughed as she too could see similarities throughout our conversation.

It was easy to laugh with someone about all the ups and downs. Knowing that I am not alone in my life’s adventures and that someone in another part of the city, country or world, who I have never met, a complete stranger to me is experiencing the exact same experiences as I am, surprisingly lifted some weight off my shoulders.