The good news is I don’t have grey hair yet, but the bad news is that means getting my hair done isn't a necessity but more a luxury; at least that’s what I used to tell myself. To be very specific, the last time I had my hair done - cut and color - was in March of 2019. Yes, you read that correctly, it's been nearly a whole year since I last made it a priority to get my hair done.
Since I appreciate my readers aren't just women, let me take a minute to explain what it means, or more specifically, how much time it takes to have my hair done. When I go to the hairdresser, I get my hair highlighted and more recently have taken to a technique called Ombre, which is a coloring procedure that blends one color hue to another, usual transitioning from light to dark. I think the intention is to get it done more regularly, so I don’t think my stylist expected me to take an 11 month break when she first suggested it to me back in March of last year. Anyway, Ombre is perfect for me, or just about anyone with a hectic work schedule, because it hides the regrowth as the new hair is next to the darker hair rather than the highlighted part, therefore making it last just a little bit longer. The whole process, from highlight, to cut, and ultimately blow dry takes about three hours, plus, in my case, my salon is thirty minutes away, so I need to add an extra hour for travel, which totals a whopping four hours! Do you now see my dilemma? What working Mom has four hours to allocate to themselves?
Clearly work days are out of the question, unless one was to take a highly coveted vacation day, which then leaves only the weekends. For those of you with kids, you'll know this present a significant challenge because weekends are usually spent schlepping them from pillar to post for all their various activities. If by some remote chance you're not the weekend's designated driver, like every other working mother, I then have to wrestle with the guilt of potentially leaving my children on one of the few off days I get to go and do something for myself. In my case, nine times out of ten, the guilt wins and I put my family first.
This brings us to the moral of this week's post and another chance to highlight the emerging theme that you ARE important. How you look is important. It’s no wonder the saying, "if you look good you feel good" has hung around for so long. It’s totally true! How are we supposed to be our best selves and represent the companies we work for in important business deals, if we don’t take care of ourselves first? It's high time to nip the guilt in the bud, throw out all the excuses, and go do that thing to make yourself feel rejuvenated. Maybe it’s the four inches they cut off at the salon, but I swear to God I feel "lighter." I caught myself looking in the mirror and smiling; I even snapped a few selfies because I looked good and felt good, which in turn made me feel happy!
That’s what this is all about isn’t it, this whole 52 week transition? It's all about finding the time for self-care, so you don't just look good and feel good, but you can also smile a little more and maybe even dare yourself to be a little happier.
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