Today I am writing about a topic of great significance and importance. Some would say it's so crucial, it may just be earth-shattering. This is truly a subject that is life-and-death, which has often moved people to weeping as they become overwhelmed with its magnitude.
Obviously, I'm talking about my hair.
Okay, maybe earth-shattering is a slight overstatement - but seriously, my hair takes up a lot of my energy. Less, probably, than some of you with naturally curly hair. If that's you, you may want to just check out now, because you almost definitely will not relate to the things I'm about to say.
For the first 23 years of my life, I lived under the crushing reality that my hair would not curl. Don't misunderstand - I genuinely love and adore my hair. I have never dyed it to this day, and it happens to be very nice hair, soft and shiny and whatnot. I don't use any special shampoos or anything, I just wash it semi-regularly. I didn't even know what product was until about two years ago. Seriously. I think I purchased my first bottle of hairspray about a year ago. I just ran out. I haven't bought another yet. It just doesn't seem like a necessity. But regardless, all that low-maintenance stuff comes with a heavy price. I tried and failed to curl my hair for years. I find beachy waves in particular exceptionally appealing, but what's the use in paying $14 for salt spray to curl it up when it's so unlikely that my attempt will be successful? I once marked a minor victory in 2008 at the Dallas Junior League Ball, which was won only through the tireless ministrations of my good friend Elizabeth and a can and a half of hairspray. No, every attempt to get my hair to hold a curl, no matter how dirty it was, no matter how much mousse or curling spray was used, ended with me conceding defeat in the face of limp, ratty looking hair that more or less just looked unwashed.
My hair stylist, Jeremy, whom I seriously love to death, has been doing my hair for over a decade now. He's known me longer than many of my close friends. Seriously, I was in 8th grade when he first cut my hair, and now I am engaged. That may be more sobering for him than for me, but it's still a very long time. The last time I went to get my hair cut, I had been contemplating bangs, but my little sister beat me to the punch. I think maybe he felt bad for me that I never do anything interesting with my hair (since I don't like it too short and I don't dye it, and, to recap, it's pretty much just straight 24/7). And after he cut and dried it, he said something magical: "Do you mind if I give it a little wave?"
Let's just say, I thought he was losing it. I've never been able to make my hair curl in my life, dude. What makes you think that your fingers are any more magical than mine? But he smiled and he pulled out his straightener, and I ended up leaving the salon looking like this:
He didn't even use hairspray. My mind was blown. And he also showed me how to do it myself, and I tried it, and guess what? I can have curly hair. At last!!! This may seem insignificant to some of you, but I think it actually changed my perception of myself. See, I like my hair, but I always found it kind of boring. I'm not brave enough to dye it, so I just kind of carried it like a burden I was forced to bear. But it turns out, I just needed a new perspective. And now it's more like a choice to wear my hair straight or not blow dry it or use product, because I'm not doomed to one particular thing. I can change it if I want! No longer is this I-went-running-this-morning-and-didn't-have-time-to-dry-my-hair hair:
This is I choose to wear my hair in this weird, not-straight-not-curly-kinda-need-a-haircut-again form! Some people even said they liked it! Who knew?
The point (if there is a point) I'm making here is that a lot of times, we think we're held captive by something, but in reality the only thing holding us back is a misguided understanding of the full situation. My hair is kind of a shallow example, but there are deep and serious conclusions we can draw from this. For all you have convinced yourself that you're stuck in a dead-end job (or no job), or in a bad relationship, or living with your parents when you want your own place - you're not. Yes, responsibility and wise choices are still at play here, but at the end of the day, we always have choices, and recognizing the freedom to make that choice is a great and amazing moment.
I think I'm gonna curl my hair tomorrow. What are you going to do?
Obviously, I'm talking about my hair.
Okay, maybe earth-shattering is a slight overstatement - but seriously, my hair takes up a lot of my energy. Less, probably, than some of you with naturally curly hair. If that's you, you may want to just check out now, because you almost definitely will not relate to the things I'm about to say.
For the first 23 years of my life, I lived under the crushing reality that my hair would not curl. Don't misunderstand - I genuinely love and adore my hair. I have never dyed it to this day, and it happens to be very nice hair, soft and shiny and whatnot. I don't use any special shampoos or anything, I just wash it semi-regularly. I didn't even know what product was until about two years ago. Seriously. I think I purchased my first bottle of hairspray about a year ago. I just ran out. I haven't bought another yet. It just doesn't seem like a necessity. But regardless, all that low-maintenance stuff comes with a heavy price. I tried and failed to curl my hair for years. I find beachy waves in particular exceptionally appealing, but what's the use in paying $14 for salt spray to curl it up when it's so unlikely that my attempt will be successful? I once marked a minor victory in 2008 at the Dallas Junior League Ball, which was won only through the tireless ministrations of my good friend Elizabeth and a can and a half of hairspray. No, every attempt to get my hair to hold a curl, no matter how dirty it was, no matter how much mousse or curling spray was used, ended with me conceding defeat in the face of limp, ratty looking hair that more or less just looked unwashed.
My hair stylist, Jeremy, whom I seriously love to death, has been doing my hair for over a decade now. He's known me longer than many of my close friends. Seriously, I was in 8th grade when he first cut my hair, and now I am engaged. That may be more sobering for him than for me, but it's still a very long time. The last time I went to get my hair cut, I had been contemplating bangs, but my little sister beat me to the punch. I think maybe he felt bad for me that I never do anything interesting with my hair (since I don't like it too short and I don't dye it, and, to recap, it's pretty much just straight 24/7). And after he cut and dried it, he said something magical: "Do you mind if I give it a little wave?"
Let's just say, I thought he was losing it. I've never been able to make my hair curl in my life, dude. What makes you think that your fingers are any more magical than mine? But he smiled and he pulled out his straightener, and I ended up leaving the salon looking like this:
He didn't even use hairspray. My mind was blown. And he also showed me how to do it myself, and I tried it, and guess what? I can have curly hair. At last!!! This may seem insignificant to some of you, but I think it actually changed my perception of myself. See, I like my hair, but I always found it kind of boring. I'm not brave enough to dye it, so I just kind of carried it like a burden I was forced to bear. But it turns out, I just needed a new perspective. And now it's more like a choice to wear my hair straight or not blow dry it or use product, because I'm not doomed to one particular thing. I can change it if I want! No longer is this I-went-running-this-morning-and-didn't-have-time-to-dry-my-hair hair:
This is I choose to wear my hair in this weird, not-straight-not-curly-kinda-need-a-haircut-again form! Some people even said they liked it! Who knew?
The point (if there is a point) I'm making here is that a lot of times, we think we're held captive by something, but in reality the only thing holding us back is a misguided understanding of the full situation. My hair is kind of a shallow example, but there are deep and serious conclusions we can draw from this. For all you have convinced yourself that you're stuck in a dead-end job (or no job), or in a bad relationship, or living with your parents when you want your own place - you're not. Yes, responsibility and wise choices are still at play here, but at the end of the day, we always have choices, and recognizing the freedom to make that choice is a great and amazing moment.
I think I'm gonna curl my hair tomorrow. What are you going to do?
No comments:
Post a Comment