New year

New year. New haircut. New look to my blog.

New accomplishments to make.

This week, with my nursing classes set to begin in earnest in a few days, I finally made the decision to cut my hair short. I needed a style that would look professional all day long. In 53 years I’ve only had my hair cut short twice--(and neither time was pleasant)--so this was a big decision for me and my family.

But I’m glad now that I did it. In fact, I don’t ever plan to let my hair grow long again.

I argued with myself about going short for months. In the bathroom I’d lift my hair above my shoulders to ‘see’ what it would look like. (It doesn't work.) I looked at different haircuts and read about what kind of cuts were best for women over 50. I talked to friends who had short hair to see if it was difficult to maintain and how they first felt when they went short. I had my family look at photos of short hairstyles to get their input.

Yet, despite all that, nothing really satisfied my questions.

Finally I realized I wouldn’t know if I liked short hair on me until I actually committed and did something about…not a sort-of-mid-length cut but an all-out, above the shoulders, full-throttle commitment.

So I did.

When those first snips sounded in my ears…way up high on my neck…I was a bit rattled. My mind was screaming ‘that’s too short!’ But I knew I had made my choice and I couldn’t bolt from the chair now. So I did what any committed grownup would do. I clenched my jaw and closed my eyes.

For the next twenty minutes I barely looked at myself in the mirror. After she finished I will admit I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. It was a big change and sometimes it takes a while to adjust to big changes. Now, after a few days of getting used to the new person staring back at me from the mirror, I’m starting to enjoy the cut. It looks professional. It is easy to care for and it stays in place all day long. (Plus several people have told me it makes me look younger than before, so that helps, too!)

Some decisions in life are like that haircut. We can toss them around mentally for months or years. We can research them from every angle, ask questions, seek feedback, even dip our toe in the water to try things out from the safety of the shore. All the important things. But, until we actually DO something, until we actually make a commitment…an all-out, full-throttle commitment, we will never know for sure.

So, if there is an idea you’ve been tossing around, maybe this is the year to commit. Not a toe-in-the-water test but a full-throttle commitment.

You may like the new person staring back at you.