Hair

I love my curly hair. Oh, wait. I forgot you can’t actually see my face. Well imagine that I’m rolling my eyes and smirking. Because I am. It’s taken years of anxiety and frustration to get used to my hair. That photo you always see on the left shows my hair after I’ve straightened it. My hair is curly- frizzy, curly, CURLY. As a young girl I hated it. I wanted my friend’s straight hair. No matter where we moved, I always managed to have at least one friend with board-straight hair! I even married a guy with long, straight hair. I was a glutton for punishment. I don’t know why I ever got the idea that curly hair was a bad thing. I just remember knowing I’d be prettier if my hair was straight!

And I managed to have straight hair for a while. I did it by spending an inordinate amount of time straightening, heating, pulling, and  even ironing it. I’ve straightened and coaxed my frizzy hair into softer, gentler waves for so long that the first time I was in a hurry and decided to go to work with my “natural hair” everyone said “hey did you get a perm?”.  I just laughed.

I don’t know if it’s maturity or necessity, but I’ve learned to appreciate my curly hair for the time it saves me. After that day last year I’ve gradually increased my “curly days” until I seldom straighten my hair anymore. Once people complimented me on my hair, once I started seeing it in the mirror, I got used to it. I can’t say that I look any better, but I feel so much better.

I was thinking about this at school today as I was enjoying a windy recess time with my students. I actually was enjoying the wind. And I started thinking about all the time I’ve wasted over the years trying to change my hair. I’ve cut, treated, straightened, and sprayed my hair. I’ve tried every color, style, and length imaginable. And I’ve come full circle to what God gave me in the first place- brown, curly hair. Isn’t it ironic that He’s smarter than I am even about such a little thing? Now I don’t get nervous about “my hair” every time the wind blows. I don’t worry about “doing my hair” before I go out. And I have an extra half-hour a day to blog!  Maybe I do love my curly hair!