A Spring of Joy

I am a girly-girl.

I love make-up and fashion and doing my nails and long hair. I love the femininity of being a woman, and a piece of my femininity was tied up in my hair. Long hair. It’s been over a year since I sat with my head bowed and heard the buzz of trimmers clipping away at my locks. That was a hard day, but it was also a good day for me… to begin the journey that I knew but needed to live… that beauty isn’t about the outside.

Today I had my first haircut. Yep, that’s right. My first haircut. And it felt good.

Some of you are wondering just why I needed a haircut, because my hair is still very short. I will spare you the details of how hair follicles work and how when my hair started growing back in it started at different times in different places and how my hair grew in unevenly… and CURLY! In fact, I almost have a mullet.

The short answer to why I need a haircut?

Basically, it’s because if I didn’t get my hair shaped, then I would soon look like Christopher Walken.

Or Doc from Back to the Future .

(I actually dressed up as Doc for Halloween, but I am way too embarrassed to post photos. For those of you who saw me in person, I’ll just let the memory burn itself in your minds and try not to hide my face the next time I see you.)

So, today I breezed into the Image Recovery Center and said, “Make me a new woman!” Ok. Well. No, not really… they did that last year when they shaved my head. Cincy and I giggled over how “long” my hair has gotten and I watched as very small snips of hair fell around me, not because it had to happen, but because I wanted it to happen. And it felt good.

So, here’s the before…

And here is the after picture.

For those of you who are thinking, “I can’t tell a difference.” That’s okay. Because I can, and that’s all that matters.

Christopher Walken, eat your heart out.