Let It Go

I know we make a lot of excuses once we become mothers - like we dress like hobos because our kids are just going to spit up on us.  Or when they get a little older we still dress like hobos because we seem to spend more time and money on cute outfits for them than for ourselves!

And we don't do our hair, let alone go get our hair done because there simply isn't time!  

Praise God for the ponytail!!

Since becoming a mother, I only go to the salon once a year to get my hair done.

Once a year.

And every time I leave the salon I think, "why did I wait so long to do this?"

Perhaps you remember a few weeks ago my little ladies made their first visit to the salon to lose 8 inches of their hair to donate.  On that day I kept telling the hairdresser that I'd be back at the end of summer to have mine cut off too!  

It's been getting WAY TOO LONG!

But why was I going to wait?

My hair is a long straggly mess.

I wear it up all the time because it's too long to manage - not to mention how many times a day my kids accidentally pull my hair when it's down!  A cute hug from them could mean a headache and serious bruising for me as they pull my hair in their embrace.

I grabbed the phone and just made an appointment right then.

Why did I need to wait until the end of summer?

As I sat in the chair, I realized that I didn't take a before picture!

(And sadly have since realized that I have no pictures of my hair at the great length it was! 

 Longest it's been since high school!)

I had the hairdresser snap a quick pic just after she washed it, before the big cut.

You can't really tell with the Darth Vader cape and wet hair how long it really is, but trust me, if I were wearing high waisted mom jeans, my hair would rest a few inches above the belt!

7 inches gone.

Praise the Lord!

How awkward is it taking photos of yourself in the bathroom mirror?

How in the world is there a "selfie" obsession?

Anyhooch,

after pondering why it took me so long to have my hair cut and why I would possibly keep putting it off, I came to a few conclusions - #1  Although I wanted to cut my hair, I kinda liked the attention I got from friends and family about how long it was.  I often heard, "I can't believe how long your hair is!" 

 And that attention felt kinda good.

You know what's funny?

Many of my friends haven't even noticed that's it's gone!  

Neither did my family!

Oh vanity!

You silly little fool!

Conclusion #2  The little voice in my head that says, "It took you about 4 years to grow your hair this long, and will take about 10 minutes to cut it all off."

Time wasted.

But here's the point friends - Conclusion #3 - The main reason I kept putting off cutting my hair is the same reason why I put many things off - I'm lazy.

Yikes - how many other things do I hold onto because of my vanity, personal investment, or laziness?

I think it's time I take the scissors to some areas of my life and stop making excuses!

Some things just need to go!

(insert your most favorite Frozen tune here "Let It Go")

Sacrifice

Would you believe I've never taken my girls for a "real" haircut!

They are 8 and either my mother or I have always cut their hair.

They really needed a haircut so it was time to call the salon.

We had talked about donating their hair, but it meant cutting off a few more inches than they really wanted.

I could see the fear in my daughter's eyes.  She really didn't want her hair cut above her shoulders.  I told her that a few more inches meant some other person who is sick with no hair would be able to get a wig.  I could see the battle in her mind.  I kept encouraging her that it would grow back quickly and she was so close!

She finally decided to do it ( I felt badly for being so persuasive!) and it's adorable!

Sister followed suit.

We had talked about them donating their hair for sometime as it is something I want to do now that my hair is crazy long and needs to go! (If you know an organization that takes color treated hair, let me know), but once we got to the salon and it became real, they started to question their decision.

It was really just a few inches more than they planned on cutting to be able to donate, but those few inches were a real sacrifice.  

We all know that great sacrifices are required of us in life to reap great rewards - like sacrificing your body for 9 months (let's be honest, it's more like 2 years) if you want to have a baby.

Or uprooting, leaving your community and moving to a new city to take the job you really want.

Quitting your dream job and moving to another state to marry that man that God has called you to share your life with.

Sacrifice.

But what about the choice we face almost daily to sacrifice something small for a greater good?

I don't know about you, but often in my life it's those few extra inches, one more lap, another hour... that stops me from making the sacrifice. 

It might be a small thing like not making the dish I want because the recipe is too demanding and I don't want to sacrifice my time.  Or not having a stronger, more healthy body because I'm not willing to stay on the treadmill for 30 more minutes each day.

But to get the result we want, be it a fantastic meal, healthy body or helping someone, it means a little sacrifice.

Are you willing to sacrifice a few more inches today to help another or get what you really want?