Seasons on the Path: Hair

My thoughts lately, often seem to turn to hair. Umm..in all honesty… I think a LOT of a woman's time is spent thinking about hair. Even when we are little girls.. from the time our moms can capture that little sprout of wisp in a pink sparkly band and shoot it straight up off the tops of our heads (a.k.a. water fountain pony tail) or those of you who glued tiny ribbons to little girl heads who were born with as much hair as an egg ( how DO you make them stick??) Little girls and Mommies alike… we have a thing for Hair!

I was born with a ton of hair and by the time I was five it was so long I could sit on it. I remember my mom sitting me on the washing machine and twisting the long strands around her finger while it was wet, then I would bounce around with ringlets for days… just like that!

My long braids provided much entertainment as I would run across the playground lickety split, from sweaty, freckle faced little boys who like to pull them.

In the sixth grade, I cut it to my shoulders. I wanted it to turn under just so, you know… like the girl in Teen Magazine. No matter what I did there were waves and bumps and although I slept carefully with Dippity Do and Scotch tape across my bangs… I could NOT get my hair to do what I wanted it to.

And THAT is the story of our Hair Obsession is it not? If it's blond, it's not quite the right blond, if it's dark we want it light. If it's curly, we want it straight, if it's straight we so badly wish it was curly...

This is my daughter, Hannah… her hair does this naturally but what did she do all through High School?… That's right… smoke floated out of the bathroom from the flat iron several times a day.

I would say the first half of our lives we try to make our hair to do what it is not meant to do and be colors it was never meant to be.

This hair style I forced upon my wavy feather light hair about 8 years ago. I insisted upon it I loved it.(that flat iron IS amazing!!)

And see that glow of light on the top of my head?… NO… that is not a halo. That is God's way of highlighting the exact area of my head where I would pull out hair as I straightened it… that would never return... (at least not on my head) so began my quest to repair damage already done.

Now then, as if this isn't stressful enough knowing the phrase you used with your kids all those years ("I'm gonna PULL my HAIR out!!") has come true, at no ones fault but your own. Your focus on hair problems takes a very interesting turn...

Illustration

Sitting in the car eating hamburgers, my husband looks over at me and says.."Oh! Hold still… you have a hair." ...OUCH!! That HURT!! "Oh… I didn't know it was attached..."

With wide eyed terror, I grabbed my chin and looked at him; I'm still not sure who was more horrified… him or me!

This memorable event was nearly 10 years ago… let's just say, things have progressed.

Now, I spend a lot of time in a love/hate relationship...