My Stylist Warned Me, But I Did It Anyway…

Many of us have been told over the years to never make a drastic change to our appearance during times of unsteadiness in our lives. I am sure that I have not been the first woman to think that a new style or color will make such an impact in my life that it will somehow make life’s challenges easier to overcome. This thought isn’t always top of mind, but sometimes hidden somewhere deep in our subconscious.

I am very aware of this, and yet all reason went out the door when a photo of a cute haircut caught my attention one day. I was sure that the smile and carefree appearance of the woman had something to do with the short hairstyle she was sporting. Wouldn’t my life be so much better not spending an hour each day doing my hair? Wouldn’t I be able to fill that time with more important things to help balance my hectic life?

Wanting to make sure my stylist would replicate this life altering style exactly, I clipped the photo and waited for my next scheduled appointment. Driving over to Lisa René Salon, I thought about how I was going to be a different person in an hour or so. The shackles that held me down were going to be removed and I would finally be free!

I sat in the chair and pulled the photo out. Before I could even start explaining, I got the look that we all have come to love and fear. It was the “let’s tell it like it is” look. She recited the “is this the right time” mantra and I assured her that my life was stable and I was not having hair (life) altering illusions. She has always wanted me to be able to do my hair in less time, but knows that I am a perfectionist about it. She convinced me to take this in steps instead of jumping in too far and not being able to grow it out for a year. Was she trying to keep me from being that smiling, carefree person in the picture? I decided to go the safe route and do this in steps. Maybe I would be partially carefree and smile only some of the time. I know I would come back in five weeks and get the rest of my life altering makeover. I could handle that.

I thought that first cut would be invigorating. I was scared to death and instantly knew it was a bad idea. Thinking I was fooling her into believing that I was in the right frame of mind was no longer invigorating. Shouldn’t she be able to tell this was the worst time in my life to make a change? I couldn’t of been less in control of things than I was that summer. Oh my—what have I done?

Of course it was a cute cut. It looked just like what I had asked for. Looking in the mirror I almost fooled myself for a moment that I was someone different. Then I woke up the next morning and realized carefree wasn’t in my vocabulary. I needed control over my hair because I didn’t have control over everything else in my life. Carefree started looking like messy and uncaring. Suddenly my hectic day was starting off on the wrong foot. If I couldn’t start with perfect hair how would everything else in my day unfold?

Five weeks went by and I walked back into the salon and admitted to my stylist she was right. How could I make it through the months that it would take to grow this out? She made it work and within a few months I was back to making that wonderful hour of hair magic each morning.

It was never really about the hair, it was all about having an hour that I dedicated to myself to balance my thoughts and organize my day. It was kind of a Hair Meditation Hour and at the end I looked FABULOUS.