#222: Life lessons through vanity!

Let me preface this by saying: I know I'm vain. Luckily, God meets me where I am.

When I was a kid I had super long hair and super thick hair that was tortuous for my mother to comb because my head was so sensitive. Thus, she had it all cut off somewheres around 8 or 9 years old. I looked like a boy. I hated it. I remember someone in a store coming up to me and telling my mother what a cute boy she had. I vowed to never have short hair again once I had control over my own hair.

And so I didn't and I haven't. I have more or less always been on a crusade to grown my hair out long because in my head I'm just this close to looking like Jennifer Aniston.

When I was looking at my Ireland pictures this summer, however, I realized that my hair is always pulled back because it's either annoying or it doesn't look down. I was sometimes embarrassed about how my hair looked. I shared this with my hair dresser today and we decided to do something different and cut it short.

The moral of the story:

• When I let go of trying to look like someone else (which, by the way, was not working), I discovered the perfect length hair for me. It looks great.
• I asked for other people's [read: experts] help. I'd thought I wanted to go brunette but asked what covers up gray the best: blonde. 
• I followed the advice of an expert (see picture).
• After my appointment, I felt like a million bucks! Caring about Putting effort into how I look is a subset of taking care of myself. Yes, I can get obsessive, but there is an element of basic care-for-myself-ness that is reflected in putting some effort into how I look. 
• Once again I am reminded that everything I need is right here now. Right. Here. Now. I don't need to go off and get a makeover or have totally different hair or clothes or nails or extensions or botox or whatever to be happy. Everything I need to be happy, joyous and free is within me, in my life.