By Guest Writer: Nancy Spiegelhoff
“Come, Nancy, we’re going to Island Park to play on the swings.” Those sweet words from my babysitter, Jeanette, would excite the childish spirit of every six-year-old, anytime, anyplace. Immediately I imagined myself flying high into blue sky and brushing against white cotton clouds. As we neared the park, noisy sounds could be heard from every direction – screams of delight and excitement, boisterous dogs barking for the same reason, maximum volume for all communication between humans.
Then, what luck! I spied one empty swing and made quick claim to it. In retrospect it was a far cry from today’s sleek playground swings. The seat was a heavy, thick chunk of crude barn board. It had a hole in each end. A thick hairy length of hemp rope was pressed through to the underside. A gnarly cluster of huge knots secured the seat. In truth, it offered a very weak promise of safety to the rider.
The perfect day progressed. It was lunchtime all too soon. Jeanette handed me a sandwich on a downward swoop. She probably hoped to avoid a lot of little girl tears if she insisted that we eat at a park table.
I released my grip from the hairy rope for a quick sandwich grab. Instantly I fell into the dusty ground below. Surprise and shock brought tears. My next response was to stand up straight. That’s when the swing came directly at me. That big, ugly board forcibly slammed into my left eyebrow. A great surge of blood issued forth, ran into my mouth, down my clothes, over my shoes, and formed red pools in the dirt.
I presumed the incident caused great excitement and interrupted a lot of play activity. I don’t remember. A trip to the hospital followed, and many stitches were necessary to close the wound. Eventually it did heal but left a long scar where the eyebrow once was. Hair roots were permanently damaged as well.
It was an announcement to the world that I was a one-eyebrow woman. Trying to pencil in a matching one was a futile effort. Many years later, I decided to remedy the eyebrow problem with a permanent fix. A visit to a professional tattoo artist would do it.
Did it hurt? Yes. Would I do it again? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes. I now have a balanced, attractive two eyebrow look.
My friends now say, “Nancy, your face is looking so beautiful. Tell us your secret.” I respond, “It’s a long story. How much time do you have?”
