A Hairstylist Shared a Beautiful Story After a Client Fell Asleep in Her Chair

(Photo: Getty Images)
(Photo: Getty Images)

As anyone who gets even semi-regular highlights knows, hair stylists do more than make people look pretty. They can end up as friends, therapists, and in the case of one Kentucky-based stylist, a cheerleader. The message from Ashley Bolling, salon owner at Captivate Salon & Spa, to a client who dozed off in her chair has gone viral.

Bolling shared a waist-down photo of her client in sneakers and nurse’s scrubs on Facebook. She had what she terms a “stop-in-your-tracks” moment while working on her hair: One that 6,000 people have felt compelled to share since. Her sweet post shares how proud Bolling was to work on the hair of a “very exhausted, sleeping nurse.”

“She’d been at work all night and hadn’t been to bed, when she landed in my chair, but not before stopping to buy my breakfast on her way. As she dozed off, I gently rested her head on my stomach and continued to foil her hair….then I noticed her shoes,” Bolling wrote. “I wondered how many miles those shoes have walked. I wondered what they’d walked through. Blood? Tears? In & out of the countless rooms of the patient’s she’s cared for? I wondered how many hours they’ve carried her, and all those like her, while they literally save the lives of those we love and hold the hands of the ones who can no longer fight that fight.” Thinking about it that way pretty much makes every other job pale in comparison, but Bolling points out the importance of caring for those who care for us.

“But with those shoes propped up in that chair, phone in her lap, I got the chance to take care of her (even if it was just for a few hours) and I felt extremely honored to take care of such a hard working, inspiring woman I’m so lucky to call my friend,” she continued. “I’ve always respected and valued these amazing super-heroes and am proud to be the sister, daughter, niece, friend and hairstylist of so many. Know you are appreciated, know you are irreplaceable, know you are loved!”

The post has gotten supportive comments from retired nurses, the family of nurses, and today’s nurses, all of whom could certainly use a little extra TLC. Bolling tells Yahoo Beauty that her sentiment reached far more people than she had imagined. “I’ve been messaged by nurses from all over the world, thanking me for my kind words,” she says. “I’m honestly shocked at how far it’s gone.” Sounds like a good reason to take a moment to tell the people in your life that you’re proud of them.

Let’s keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.