On the Couch with Gina– Part Dos

Gina has written a part II to My Love Affair and wanted to share. Check her out!

“How I wish I could pigeon-hole myself and neatly fix a label on! But self-knowledge comes too late! By the time I’ve known myself I am no longer what I was.”

I had a revelation this weekend that had been brewing just under the surface of my awareness for awhile. I have finally wrapped my mind around it. Now that my hair is completely relaxer-free, it feels as if I’ve gone through a second transition. The first transition was about deciding to grow out my relaxer. Since I wore my hair straight through my entire transition, most people didn’t know that I was going through such a change. There was no declaration to the world. I’m not sure that even I knew what a major change was happening or how much it would affect me.

Once the straight ends were gone, a hot and humid day came along that made it impossible for me to even consider putting heat anywhere near my head. And just like that, I went from one extreme to the next overnight.
Since that first wash and go, I think I’ve only straightened my hair a couple of times. Who knew I’d fall so in love with the “new growth” that I’d flirted with for so long???

Despite my love affair…..I’m still adjusting to people’s perceptions, comments and questions about my natural hair. I had to have professional pictures taken for work, and I opted to straighten my hair for the pictures. This is the only time all summer that I’ve done so. In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t straightened it. Not that there is anything wrong with straight hair, because I still like my hair straight occasionally. However, it does bother me that my sole reason for straightening was that I thought it would look more professional. Hmph. I guess I’ve continued to step further away from the box since then. I am so tired of the damn box.

Life is just full of transitions I guess. I find myself looking for more areas in my life where I’ve been living within the confines of what I’ve been conditioned to think, believe and do. I want my decisions to feel right FOR ME in my heart and soul. So, along with something as cursory as changing my hair philosophy, I’m truly enhancing my philosophy on life. Leaving the familiar is scary and exciting. I’m just flowing with it…shedding old things and embracing the new. All the while, I’m people-watching, dancing, and smelling the flowers so I can remember the look and feel of every moment.

“Regardless of what you’ve been told, you can and do change with every new experience. Each experience enhances your capabilities by giving you something new to draw upon. Every new capability you discover and develop leads to a new opportunity. Move toward your wildest dream, take the labels off your mind and step boldly into your greatness.”

With every new step I create a new me 🙂

For more of Gina, check out her BLOG.