Haircut

BEFORE

When I was little, my mother kept my hair cut in what she called a "pixie". As a young teen, I opted for a "Twiggy" mainly because I had heard for years how my face was too small for long hair. On the occasions when I let my hair grow, Mom or others would constantly be at me to cut it. Part of me hated being told to cut my hair, and part of me loved getting a new look. The part that hated being told, wanted to grow my hair as long as I could. Someday, I thought, I would be brave enough to just do it.

Tenacious to a fault, I finally decided in my late forties, that I wasn't going to cut my hair until I wanted to cut it. Over the past ten years, I have grown my hair out several times, trimming it every so often, giving what was cut to Locks of Love.

{Locks of Love is an organization that makes wigs for children with cancer. Even though my hair is mostly gray, they still accept it and sell it to offset the manufacturing costs of making the wigs for the children. So it is a win/win situation.}

However, while my hair has been trimmed several times, I have kept it relatively long; long enough to braid. Something about being able to pull it up in a braid seemed important.

Well, a couple of days ago, I took six more inches off the last cut which I had several months ago. My Love, Roger, volunteered to cut. Since there wasn't enough to send to Locks of Love, I threw it out into the garden for the critters to use to line their nests for the winter. When we were done, I felt lighter...happier, even.

Interestingly, it was my youngest daughter who reminded me of the psychology behind hair cutting and women.

"Wow, Mom, that's great!" she said. "Isn't it good to let go of all that old history."

Hmmm...an interesting perspective. One I had forgotten.

Over the past year, lots of difficult things occurred, some of which actually made me ill. My hair grows, on average about an inch a month. Cutting off another six inches of hair was equal to letting go of the last six months. No wonder I feel better!

While I love long hair, I also understand the need for change, both mentally and physically, in order to grow and proceed in life. How grateful I am that I have daughters who can remind me of wisdom I have forgotten.

AFTER