My New Stylist

I love long hair. I recognize the fact that my hair grows rather slowly, so having long hair is a rare treat for me. I have been bald, not by choice, and learned to even more greatly appreciate my hair when it grew back. Seven years after completing chemo, my hair was the longest it's ever been. I love long hair. I love being able to toss it in a ponytail, or straiten it, or curl it up tight, or wear it in loose waves, or braid it or...you get the point. Well, I started getting vain about my hair. It was my best feature, I decided. I would probably never wear it short again, I thought. That's when I met my new stylist. I actually knew the guy previous to my haircut appointment, only I didn't know he cut hair. I only knew him as that energetic three-year-old whose diapers I had changed...earlier that day. You see, I didn't even know I had an appointment to get my hair cut. And I learned, too late, that even if you think your sewing shears are safely under your watchful eye, you are vulnerable to the wily whims of a creative young child, if you let your attention wander for even a moment. In less time then it would take to say "where did I set those scissors?" half my ponytail had been shortened by roughly six inches. Yes, six inches. My son had snuck up behind me and gently cut my hair. This was a tragedy!! I saw red and I actually cried. I give myself credit for not killing my child. I took out the ponytail and assessed the damage. There was no way to salvage the length. I found a (real, licensed) stylist to attempt a fix of my scary crop, certain that I would hate whatever the result was. And, wouldn't you know it, she worked wonders! Not only did she skillfully rework my do, she piled on compliments about how thick and healthy and wonderful my hair was going to look. She encouraged me, and insisted that it was the best thing that could have happened. I actually started to believe her. She was right. My hair is now short (to me, above the shoulder=SHORT). But, I have never received more compliments! And, I'm actually finding that I really like the new look. I feel chic and trendy, for the first time in a long time. My natural curl is at last being utilized. It takes 5-10 minutes to accomplish a stylish do, as opposed to the hour it used to take. I would never have taken the plunge and chopped my hair if I hadn't been compelled to. I've learned a valuable lesson from this experience that I think I need to really make a part of my normal thinking. It is this: things in life are ever-changing, even if I think they are things I can control. Good things that we have will disappear. We will lose, sometimes. And that's okay. I can't stop things from happening to me, and why would I even want to? When things happen that are unexpected and sometimes painful, I'm going to take a moment to reflect before I freak out. I'm going to try (emphasis on TRY) to reserve judgement until I can see clearly enough to judge wisely. TODAY, I know that tragedies, both big and small, often aren't tragedies at all. I trust that if I have the love and support of good people in my life, the right attitude and some faith, all things can work together for my good. And it doesn't hurt to have a good back-up stylist!