Change you can control, like hair color.

“Did you mean to do that?” the principal asked me when I returned from my bereavement leave after my dad died. I had gone out to the beauty salon and asked for a  permanent. Permanents had been out of fashion for quite some time, however I always seem to be on the tail end of these trends.

I told her, “Yes. Thank you”.

Over the years I have had many different hairstyles and colors. I guess it changes depending on my mood or whatever is going on in my life. Today I went to the stylist that I’ve been blessed with for the past 10 years. She is a fit, health-minded, stylish woman. I always leave there feeling and looking better than when I arrived.

This morning as I was driving to my appointment I thought about all the different hairstyles and colors that I have done over the years.  Wouldn’t it be fun to take a look at the pictures and maybe try to figure out what was going on at the time.

When I was little my grandfather called me princess golden hair. I guess that was a nice name for dirty blonde.

In the early 70’s I waited all week to watch the Brady Bunch on T.V. so of course being a look-a-like Marsha was the goal.

As a teenager my hair turned brown, however in the summer I would use Sun-in and lemons to attract highlights to my mane. Farrah Fawcett was the icon when I was in high school. My brother and probably most teenage boys had her poster hanging on their bedroom walls for reasons I could not understand at the time.  I used my curling iron and on a visit to nearby New York City had fun trying to be discovered with my cousin.  The Empire State Building and World Trade Center in the background couldn’t hurt!

I have a curling iron and blow dryer but I don’t think I ever really got the hang of how to do this properly.

When I went away to college I did get a shorter haircut for my semester in England. I think I was trying to sport a punk rock look although that never really happened.  Wearing old clothes or basically my grandmother’s wardrobe was another fashion move I attempted and may not have pulled off as successfully as I thought I did.  Lucky for all of us I can’t seem to find any photos from that era.

The summer before Mike and I drove to California my mother helped me dye my hair blonde. After putting Nice and Easy on my hair, it turned platinum white. I cried and my mom cried.  She took me to her hairstylist friend who lived down the street to help fix the color. I don’t think she was able to fix it very well.  Driving across the USA with Mike we stopped at a few landmarks like Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park.  Here is me with my blonde mullet.   Haha  Cross country trip with Mike

With baby number one I had short hair with highlights.

Then after baby number two I let it grow longer and went dark red

After a few years I traded in salon visits for the do it at home hair color.  It never went that dark again but it was still reddish.

It seems before or after big events in my life I have made crazy decisions about my hair – it often is one of the only things I feel I can control at the time.  I was of course very happy that my first born was going to the University of Miami in Florida, but I was still anxious about how far away he would be from me.  I colored my hair dark brown during this period of anticipatory mourning.

Sometimes I make decisions about my hair without really thinking it through.  Since Mike died, I have been letting my hair grow out.  It had not been long for a while.  It is also very fine so I figure it is now or never.  I have been very blond in the past few months…

and as of today I have added a few low lights but am keeping the length.  I can even do curls, if I am fresh from the beauty salon and she did them for me.  I think I finally have hair like Farrah Fawcett!  As I mentioned, I am always a bit delayed with these trends.

Today’s post is really about change.  Change will happen.  Embrace it.  Run to it.  Take a chance on the uncertainty of life.  I posted a quote from the Dalai Lama this week.  It sums up how I feel these days:

He said, “There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done.  One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live.”

I hope you all have a great weekend.