Time to Re-set

Hey Friend!

How’s it going?

We’re on the last slog before Christmas – two and a bit weeks left until school breaks up and I cannot wait. Two weeks of not listening to children moan that they can’t have their phone because they got a detention (I’m sorry – was I the reason you were late to school or were you?). Two weeks of not having to listen to the elaborate stories children come up with as to how ill they are. Like a boy this week who said he’d passed out in the toilet and ‘someone’ had to wake him up. Yet he made it all the way downstairs to the office without a stumble and sat there laughing in sickbay with a friend who was also ‘unwell’…

The most telling evidence of how truthful the boy is was his mum’s response when called – ‘Did anyone actually see him pass out?’

Hmmm…

Moving on.

So, two whole weeks off and what am I going to do other than eat a lot and spend time with family? Well, I’m going to re-set.

Now, I wouldn’t say that I’m a particularly vain person, but for my mum’s big birthday do, I got my hair done. Nothing fancy – just twists with extensions for some added length.

This year has been a bit of a right-off for goals – I’m actually quite embarrassed at my lack of achievement. But in my defence, it hasn’t been the best of years and life has been kicking my butt a bit. I have a host of grey hairs to show for it which I am not happy about so, the re-set starts with my hair.

And I loved it.

The extra volume, the length, the ease of not having to do anything other than a bit of juzzing (it’s a sound – you know what I mean).

That’s the joy of extensions. You can have them in for several weeks and your hair is protected from the elements.

Up until then, I haven’t had my hair braided with extensions since my early twenties. After that, I had my hair relaxed for about ten years before I went back to natural and it’s been that way ever since.

The girls stopped wanting me to cornrow their hair in their early teens but much earlier for Little Miss. She said she didn’t like how cornrows make her look.

Absurd, I thought.

And yet, here I am with one of my go-to cornrow styles, having removed the extensions and I can kind of see what she means.

Why does my whole look suddenly feel so… basic? Not at all interesting? Kind of lack-lustre?

More importantly – when did I become bothered?

Older Miss told me I looked hot when she first saw my hair done and I felt it. Now the only heat I’m feeling is off the oil heater next to my desk at work.

I undid my cornrows and wore my hair out yesterday to let the ‘fro go free. It made me feel like a grown-up as opposed to a child when my hair was plaited.

I loved it.

But not everyone felt the same. In fact, a parent said, “Your hair looks nice, but I preferred the other style (the twists), that was much better. But this is nice too.” I didn’t quite know how to take such a wonderful backhanded compliment…

It’s a good thing I style my hair to please me and not others, right?

The next few weeks will include researching and trying out new products and getting those curls defined and even more gorgeous.

As I think about this, starting a re-set with my hair might seem a bit shallow, but it’s really about giving myself a much needed confidence boost.

The next re-set will be my career. Stay tuned…

Speak soon xx