Boy, after National Poetry month I seem to have fallen off the blog wagon, again. I had a Friday Five, sort of, in my head. But this morning five seems like four too many so I have just one random thought.
About a month ago I cut my hair. It was long, long enough to sit on. Long enough to make an impact when I walked into a room and I’ll admit, that impact was a big factor in me keeping it long for such a well, long time.
But I cut it. Cut off 13". More than a foot. Cut it so it is a little below my shoulders.
I expected to get a little bit of attention when people saw me for the first time because, to me, it was such a dramatic (almost traumatic) event. In the month since I cut it I can count on one hand the people that noticed it. And they were all in the same room at the same time. After that, nothing.
Now granted, if I were still working in cubicle land I think more people might have noticed but still it surprised me. And heck, if I’m being honest, it hurt for a bit. Then I realized there is an important lesson here for me if I am smart enough to internalize it:
What you think you look like matters less than you think, so quit worrying about it so much.
Food for thought. I think.
hm…
ha!
I had a snotty thought – which I often think about myself as I’m getting ready to go somewhere and fussing with the way I look. No one is there to see ME, anyway. But I like what you had to say so much better.
Yep. I think you might be on to something.
Yay. I need to quit worrying so much.
Excellent point. Do you like it?
You know what? I go back and forth. I like not getting it caught in the car door. I like not waking up with gobs of tangles. I like being able to dry it in less time. And it looks okay.
But if I am equally honest, I miss the wow factor. 🙂
That’s an excellent point. People often notice something is different, but have a hard time pinpointing what it is. I often get “Did you cut your hair?” when i am actually wearing a nicer outfit than usual. Or “did you dye your hair?” when i get a haircut. Funny thing, that.
I hope you are enjoying the haircut.
Yeah, I think you’re right…people notice something is different but they’re not sure what. Even my husband, when he picked up at the salon that day, said, “Wow, you look amazing!” and he said two or three times before it dawned on that I had cut so much off. 🙂
Yes, something to ponder…Sometimes my friends notice little changes but miss the huge ones! Like the time I had stitches in my face and no one said a word. Spouse suggested that people often do notice but are reluctant to mention it, for whatever reason. But, hey, I would have noticed and would have said something 🙂 I bet you look fabulous.
Your spouse might be on to something. People might be reluctant to mention something for fear of getting into a conversation they don’t want to have.
And for me, looking at the negatives as I so often do, I think, well, if they say something about my hair they might feel compelled to say something about how much weight I’ve gained so maybe it’s good that they keep their mouth shut. 🙂
I think your conclusion that appearance matters less than we think is a good one…and a huge relief, at that!
Perhaps because your hair was still long, the difference wasn’t as noticeable? I mean, from the front, it probably didn’t look different at all, right? Just a thought…I wouldn’t take it too badly. I think people tend to be a bit clueless, and like another commenter said, if they’re not exactly sure what’s different, oftentimes they won’t say anything.
Yes, I am trying to take this as a huge relief to not worry so much! I do think it’s that people notice something but not the specific “what”
From the front, hmm, down to my waist versus above the bust line….it’s a pretty big difference. (I usually split my hair and pull it forward, over my shoulders)
It was an interesting observation for me.
Jone, you’re right, a lot of people aren’t visual. The salon was doing something with it. I couldn’t donate to Locks of Love because the highlights solution they use has bleach in it and they don’t take hair with bleach.
The 30 poems in 30 days WAS intense. I always think, man, that’s almost a chapbook in a month. I just wish I could maintain it.
I’m sorry you weren’t able to continue yours but sometimes life has other plans for us.