by Stephanie Wong
Thursday March 14, 2013:
The first of our upcoming monthly Beauty Nights at Elizabeth Fry Society in New Westminster was an enjoyable experience. The room was buzzing with women who were signed up for services and waiting for their manicures, massages and haircuts. Several ladies were circled around the nail care station and some even painting each others’ nails, demonstrating how safe spaces offer opportunities for our participants to relax and enjoy themselves.
As part of Team Beauty Night, Courtney and I were really impressed by the kindness that the participants showed to one another. One memorable moment was when a lady asked me to stop massaging her back even though I had only just started. She knew it was near the end of the night and wanted the next person on the list to have their turn too. The most memorable was when the time came for last call (where we only have enough time to pamper one more person before wrapping up) and the next lady in line asked me to skip her so I could give the last massage to a lady with a walker who appeared to “need it more”. Acts of kindness, no matter how small, can be incredibly touching and contagious.
