Wordless Wednesday: Big chop to 8 months

My second big chop

I have been a long time natural. I stopped putting chemical relaxers in my hair way back in 1998. One day, I was like why am I spending my whole Saturday in a salon to have my hair relaxed? I never looked back. I am grateful I did. Back then there was no you tube videos or few natural hair forums. I got to know my hair again. Taking my time and relearning what worked on my hair.

After I gave birth to Jacob, I kept feeling the urge to cut my hair off, again. Start from scratch. My 40's has been filled with a lot of changes for me. Most good yet some deeply painful. Finally, one Saturday the feeling to cut my hair became too strong to avoid. I told Sean to cut it off.





All the heavy stuff I had gone through just fell away. I felt lighter. This is not to say I don't miss my thick hair. I did. It still felt right to cut my hair.



As the months passed, it felt great to just get up and go. To look at my face in a different way with my hair was short.






























Cutting my hair, as I began to release more weight, gave me extra confidence that I needec.  After I had Jake, I look at pictures and go is that me? Now, I look at myself and see me.

 I feel being happy with the way you look is important. The hair that I have been given is beautiful. I embrace it fully.

Bloom

It was November, my best bud, Neo, and I were walking to his job. He is not only an actor but a fitness trainer. He was saying how he wanted to keep up his Gladiator regiment. ( He went to a Halloween party dressed up like a Gladiator.) I said I don't want to look like a Gladiator, but I like to get into shape. Then he gave me his Neo stare ,I know so well, then quietly said Why don't you. I said you are right.

The next day I asked him for exercises to do. He gave me a 30 minute workout to do.

When I had to pick a word for the year 2016. Bloom came to my mind. Fast forward to July 2016. I've incorporated Neo's exercises, along with walking, working out to a Belly Dance DVDs and , most recently, Island Girl Hula DVD.

I'm not at my target weight. I released enough that I am now leaner, stronger and vibrant. I've also got back into wearing makeup more which I've always love to do.

Then on July 16, I decided to do something that had been haunting my soul. Since I gave birth to Jacob, I have been wanting to cut off my hair. Every couple of months the urge would come over me.

Finally, I felt like yes. I felt like I needed a new push for releasing weight. I felt like cutting my hair aka as the big chop would help me. I told Sean, let's do this. As he buzzed my hair off, I could feel the energy of all the deaths of family and friends, the break up of friendships, the dealing of going from maiden to mother and all the challenges I held inside fall away.



I felt free. I felt ten years younger.

Bloom. I have bloomed a lot this year. There is still a lot more to 2016 to go. I am embracing this new Bloom for myself.

I'm not suggesting you cut off your hair. Where in your life do you feel stagnant or want to change? I feel stronger, look better and feel ready to take on life in a big way. Sometimes we need to do our own change, before Life makes changes for us.

What would you like to change? How would you like to be or look like when 2017 comes in?