OMAHA, Neb. — This week, drivers exiting I-80 westbound at the 144th Street exit in Omaha saw something you don't see every day.
For about a week and a half, local hairdresser Misty Munns passed by, talked to, and occasionally gave money to a homeless man set up at the exit. She said he reminded her of her late brother.
"Told me he was down from the COVID and not being able to do the carnival work that he's used to,” she said. “It struck a nerve because that's what my brother used to do."
One day, Misty mentioned what she did for a living, which led to a rare sight on the interstate exit ramp.
"I told him I cut hair for a living, and he was like, 'I could use a haircut. So, I was like, 'Alright, I'll be back tomorrow when I get off work."
On Monday, Misty made good on her promise, brought her trade tools to the exit ramp, gave him a haircut, and shared a little conversation.
When so many are still recovering from the pandemic, Misty saw it as an opportunity.
“With our crazy world right now and the COVID, and everything else... I think there’s a need for more kindness in our world,” she said.
Following the trim and a beard braiding, Misty and the man said goodbye with a hug and went their separate ways — but not before Misty gave him a first-aid kit to keep a wound on his hand from getting infected.
As she drove home, she couldn’t help think about her brother and father, who was also a traveler.
“My dad’s been gone two years. Driving home, I was like, 'This is something that my dad would’ve been happy that I did,' and it made me feel good,” Misty said with audible emotion in her voice.
Misty lost her father, Michael Gilsdorf, two years ago to throat cancer at 74. Her brother, Mark Brockman, passed away six years ago due to pancreatic cancer while in his 40s.
People called her dad Mike, the same name given by the man she gave the haircut to.
Matt Ryan at KMTV first reported this story.
