I’ve always viewed my hair as a toy. It’s been pixie short to waist length and everything in between. It’s been blonde, pink, an almost black brown, and now silver. I’ve had combinations of green, blue, turquoise, purple, and pink highlights. For me, hair has always been a symbol of play, creativity, and celebration.
Now, it’s something more. It’s a symbol of motivation, of transformation. Today, I whacked it all off—a declaration of freedom, independence, and a commitment to move forward in power and positivity.
Let me explain. The past three years brought physical challenge after physical challenge that led me to live reactively, often in fear, rather than proactively, and positively as I typically do. Surgeries for a partially detached retina and an injured knee, pneumonia, vertigo, and breast cancer each forced me to slow down, to recover, and to face fear in ways I never had before. They left marks not only on my body, but on my spirit. I’ve been sad, fearful, and negative more often than for any extended period in my life. I’ve felt stuck! Worst of all, I’ve been mean to myself in the things I’ve thought and the judgments I’ve made about myself. I would never allow anyone to say the things I’ve said to myself.
Without making a conscious decision, I stepped off the reactivity path onto a path of choice and action a couple months ago when I started working out in the pool every day. So today, I did a thing. A powerful, meaningful, positive thing. I got my long gorgeous hair whacked off into a short, sassy style that I completely love. I collected my hair so that I can donate it to Wigs for Kids.
My hair has always mirrored my spirit. But when life pushed me into survival mode, my spirit dimmed. Today, cutting my hair wasn’t just a style choice—it was a line in the sand, a symbolic, liberating choice. Bonus: It’s also easier to take care of this way.
I know life will keep bringing me challenges. But today, I choose to meet them not with scarcity and fear, but with short, sassy hair—and a commitment to abundance and joy.
Deborah's Deliberations 