From my 18 years of life, I can tell you that hair is one of the most prominent ways that people express themselves. Each style and color tells a different story, and mine told quite a tale over this past weekend.
I’m going to start off by being completely honest: this week sucked. My classes were rough, I’m getting sick of campus food, and I just felt constantly exhausted through it all. I’m quite the procrastinator as well, so I’ve been juggling lots of last-minute assignments.
Safe to say, I haven’t been having a very fun time.
On Saturday afternoon, I was finishing my weekly psychology assignment when I glanced at the mirror that sits on my desk.
I took one look at myself and decided something wasn’t right.
The past week had taken such a toll on me and I needed a way out, and somehow I had come to the conclusion that my appearance was the problem. What could I do to fix this? Is there even a way to fix how I’ve been feeling as of late?
My hair has been just above shoulder length for a while now – it’s less of a hassle (and cuter, in my opinion) than my longer styles. It dries quickly after a shower and is easier to brush out. But it’s just a simple, middle-parted straight-across cut, all the same length. There was nothing special about it.
So I decided to make it special.
I grabbed my scissors and put on a Spotify playlist. This was going to be my moment. I picked a small section of the front of my hair, took a breath, and cut.
Looking in the mirror, I saw a lock of hair that was about an inch and a half shorter than the rest of my hair. I cut the other side to match and evened the two locks out.
And there it was. What I called ‘my moment’ was really just a tiny change made to my appearance, done in less than two minutes.
But I loved it. To me, it was a fresh start. The two locks I cut symbolized my way out. Cutting them felt like cutting chains that were weighing me down. Cutting them felt like letting go of the struggles and stress that had been on my mind.
Cutting them felt like being free.
Sure, two pieces of hair may seem insignificant in the long run. After all, it’s just hair, it grows back! But it was the perfect way to end the tough week I had.
And when my friends complimented my new style at dinner later that night, I ran my hand through it and knew that this change was everything I needed it to be.
So there it is, my personal hair story. It may not seem like a dramatic tale, but it definitely has meaning to me, and I hope you could find some meaning from it as well.
Maybe you could use a small hair change as I did. Sometimes, it can make all the difference.