So yesterday I headed up the hill to Kirsten to see what cure she had for my pink hair…
After all, my pink hair was SO last month daaarling….
She had previously warned me that trying to “lift” the colour i.e. to strip the pink out, may leave me with very yellow hair, and apparently not in a good Goldilocks kinda way….. So the only solution was to go darker, a WHOLE LOT darker and wait for the pink hair to grow out.
Oh the joys of having these kind of hair problems 🙂
While she was still grimacing and lamenting my previously lighter hair colour which she had been patiently cultivating ……..I even confessed to her that I sorta-kinda like my hair short! Something I never thought I would hear myself say…..ever……..like ………..never………..ever….
I guess when we lose something precious to us and even when we have the good fortune to get it back, we are forever changed in some way. We either learn to appreciate it a whole lot more and strive to never take it for granted again OR we realise that what actually has been lost, is the power it previously had over us.
I remember having a similar conversation with a survivor while I was still having chemo last year . She had been clear for a few years and had come for visit and to cheer me up! All I remember was how gorgeous she looked with the vivid blue streaks in her short hair; certainly NOT a colour I would EVER have expected her to have chosen. I remarked on how much I loved her streaks and she said “ you will see how less seriously you take your hair when it grows back”. I remember nodding and smiling but at the same time thinking that I would NEVER ever be able to be that brave! I so desperately wanted to look like everyone else with hair, I was already so tired of standing out from the crowd with my headscarves. Me and my newly grown hair would live happily ever after in complete anonymity, fading into the background of acceptable and predictable colour palettes!
But she was absolutely right…
What I have learned since my hair has grown back, and what I would really like to never ever forget – is that hair is just hair. And despite what we tell ourselves AND despite what society tells us – It’s actually not a security blanket, it’s not our identity, and horror of horrors – it’s not even necessary in order for us to carry on living our lives.
Now don’t get me wrong, I certainly am not trying to tempt any kind of fate here and I certainly have NO desire to be bald again…. ever…..like…….NEVER EVER!
I’m certainly going to look after it and strive to remember each day to be grateful for it…… but I’ve also decided to have some fun with my new head of hair………well as much fun as Kirsten will allow me to have with it 😉
“It’s your outlook on life that counts. If you take yourself lightly and don’t take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humor in our everyday lives. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver”. Betty White
“She was what we used to call a suicide blonde – dyed by her own hand”. Saul Bellow
“My real hair color is kind of a dark blonde. Now I just have mood hair”. Julia Roberts
“The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts”. Marcus Aurelius
“I dyed my hair about 42 different colours, and kids can be pretty judgmental about people who are different. But instead of breaking down and conforming, I stood firm. That is also probably why I was unhappy”. Christina Hendricks
“It doesn’t matter if you have new parts, old parts or spare parts. You can shine no matter what you’re made of”. – Bigwell Robots
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing—that’s why we recommend it daily”. – Zig Ziglar
janine's life in quotes 
I’m sure although it was farewell to your pink hair this week, it won’t be the last time it makes an appearance. It made a statement, once I got over the first surprise of the “few pink streaks” which you were having put it – I loved it. You wore it well, you wore it proudly, and inspired others to do the same!
I’ve told the story many times and to pretty much anyone who will listen, but the one thing we haven’t had to worry about over the past year – is when we’ve left to go somewhere (and usually when we’re running those extra few minutes late…), was the dreaded question, “did I turn the straightener off?”. We’ve saved a few diversions home to check, but when I’ve heard the hairdrier going again over the past few weeks, I’ve smiled to myself knowing there will be some more “normal days” ahead, when we have to turn around and go home to check whether the straightener is actually off.
Its been a year of life lessons, but the most important one is the life is too short not to have fun, smile and laugh. xxx
“After a while I looked in the mirror and realized… WOW after all those hurts, scars and bruises, after all of those trials, I really made it through. I did it, I survived. So I straightened my crown, and walked away – like a boss”
– Anon –
“Life is too short to have boring hair”
– Anon –
“They are not grey hairs, they are wisdom highlights – I just happen to be very wise”
– Anon –
LikeLike
Oh dear Pete, fortunately using a straightner is still a little while off, so you can rest easy for a while 🙂
Love your quotes, thank you! You really embraced the pink hair with amazing good humour – even when I arrived home for the first time sporting it – you know your face cannot lie!
xxx
LikeLike
oops that previous comment was actually from me! Pete hasn’t quite gone mad and started talking to himself……..well not yet any way!
LikeLike
Love your comments, Pete. So what color is your hair Janine? I must say Noreen always says ‘make the most of any opportunities and think about tomorrow, tomorrow ‘.
LikeLike
My hair is a VERY dark brown right now – but while watching the Home Channel this morning, I was introduced to hair chalk – going to search for some asap 🙂
LikeLike