The Evolution of Penelope and Peacock Style & Color Lounge

My dream has always been to help people develop their inner potential. We all have a special gift we were born with that is uniquely ours called talent. It's the little itch inside you to be something or do something specific with your life - the part that comes naturally. No one can take our talent away, but, in order for us to find our true potential in life, we must work hard to develop the talent within us, or we will never know where our gift could have taken us or what we could accomplish.

When my mother became suddenly ill, I was faced with the daunting privilege of being solely responsible for her care. She was a nurse by profession and she worked hard all her life taking care of others. Her fateful tragedy was my opportunity to do something special for her and put my abilities to the test.

My mother was a victim of a medical mishap. She had been living her life to the fullest as a vibrant, healthy retiree enjoying her friends and family, to becoming a totally dependent stroke patient whose survival relied on tube feedings, multiple medications and 24-hour nursing care. Through it all, even in her death, her wonderful spirit prevailed. I feel very lucky to be the one who was chosen to be with her as her primary caregiver, advocate, and friend, during her last years and moments on the planet.

Caring for my mother on a daily basis was intense. Her needs were similar to that of an infant and she required constant focused attention. My mother acquired mobility issues due to nerve and spinal damage. Her medical condition made her fully dependent on others for care and confined to her to a bed or a wheelchair. To bring her some joy, I had hired a cosmetologist to come to our home to style my mother's hair and apply her make-up. Each week Sandy would come and my mother's face would light up with the excitement of a child's. My mother felt so pretty and content by the time Sandy was through doing her magic, those precious moments with her hairdresser were vital for her spirit.

When my mother passed on and I was faced with an opportunity to change my career, I thought that becoming a cosmetologist would be a great way to bring joy into other people's lives and make them feel good about themselves - just like my mother had felt every time Sandy came to visit her. Hence, owning my own salon would allow me to continue practicing my craft and bring joy to clients as well as giving other stylists an opportunity to grow and develop their career and build their dreams. Thus, Peacock Style was developed in memory of my mother, Patricia.

Penelope is a character that popped into my head while I was working on the vision for the salon. Though she is totally fictitious, Penelope has some flourishes of my mother's personality and mine, as a young career woman, with big dreams, living an adventurous life. I am still dreaming and I will never stop. My life's journey is not over. But, through Penelope, I will always keep my mother with me in my heart.

Read about the Adventures of Penelope on her monthly blog.