Fridays with Ed

A glimpse of grace from the barber's chair.

Bob Olson is a former skeptic and private eye who has investigated life after death for 27 years. He shares meaningful stories to expand minds, comfort grief, and uplift souls. He’s the host of Afterlife TV, author of Answers About The Afterlife and The Magic Mala, and founder of the directory of credible psychics, mediums, animal communicators, and intuitive practitioners, BestPsychicDirectory.com.

Ed’s barbershop in The Lounge.

If you’ve ever read the book Tuesdays with Morrie, you know the power behind regular, periodic visits with someone special. In my life, I could write a fascinating book about my biweekly haircuts with my friend and barber, Ed.

Barbershops are a storyteller’s cure for writer’s block. I've often thought there ought to be a TV reality show based in a busy barbershop. The litany of characters who come and go from Ed’s place, with two floors and up to ten barbers, is a TV producer’s dream. Even during my brief moments there, I’ve returned home with interesting, humorous, and sometimes shocking stories to tell my wife, Melissa.

Ed, the shop owner, is half my age, but he has the maturity and insight of someone who has lived a full life and learned from the experiences behind him. He’s also the only barber I’ve known who tells his clients that he loves them when they leave. I’m not sure everyone gets this blessing, but I know I’m not the only one.

Two weeks ago, I showed up to my appointment a half-hour early. As I walked toward a comfortable, cozy chair, Ed greeted me as I walked by, and I looked up to see that he was cutting the hair of a twelve-year-old boy. I’ll call him Marshall.

This story is no longer available. It has been published in a new book titled: Insight from Hindsight: Stories that reveal what life is trying to teach you

Insight from Hindsight will be available September 2024 on Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook!