Hi everyone!
I cannot believe that we are already closer to February 1 than we are to January 1. Time flies. I’ve been quiet these days. More reading. Less writing. More listening. Less talking. I’ve been riding my Peloton. Stretching. Drinking a gallon of water per day. Box breathing. Taking care of myself. Honestly, I’ve felt numb for a few weeks. I’ve noticed that I barely leave the house these days. I think that the combination of releasing Shared Sisterhood, watching the cynicism in Washington DC and online and persisting in the fight for liberation in the world has fatigued me. By the way, I’m thrilled about the release of Shared Sisterhood, but after such a high high, there is inevitably a let down as I adjust back to “normal” life. That’s all that I mean. I’m not sharing this with you to complain. That’s not my personality. I’m sharing this because I want you to know me, the multiple sides of me. Not just the outspoken, confident parts of me but the quieter parts of me that only those closest to me tend to see.
I’ve also been wrestling with the fact that I’m getting older. This past Christmas was the last Christmas that we will have a child living in our home. That’s right, our youngest child is off to college in the fall. That fact hit me hard and, yes, I cried about it. I’ve never stressed about aging, wrinkles, gray hair none of it. I’m even known for my salt and pepper hair. I had my first gray hair at 13. I plucked it out of my head and taped it into my memory book for safe keeping. My Mom has beautiful silver white hair and I’ve always admired how she has never dyed it. I followed in her footsteps. I have colored my hair; when I had locs I tried an auburn color. However, I insisted that the stylist section off my gray hair and only color everything else. But, recently, facing our empty nest, I’ve been feeling old and less attractive than normal. They say that you can tell what women are going through by looking at their hair. Well, I’m no exception. I changed my hair: I had an amazing stylist install faux locs and I’m loving them!
Some of you may know that I’ve done research on hair. Hair is identity relevant because it’s a malleable trait that may touch upon race, religion, age, occupation and other identities. Yet, it is typically less threatening than identities like race. In that way, discussions about hair may help us examine how we are similar and dissimilar.
I know that hair does not change the inside. But, hey, I like how it looks and that made me feel good. 🙂 When I sat down and started typing this, I had no idea that I would end up sharing this with you. This is what’s on my mind. Thank you for listening. Please let me know what’s on your mind.
Recent Comments