The small, humble room with chairs and mirrors looked inviting from the Oaxacan streets. It was my 20th birthday and I was ready to do something I had never done before, a whole new look to accompany the end of my teenage years. My friend and I walked into this small hair salon ready to celebrate completing another year with a little change. After talking to the middle aged woman about what I envisioned for my new look, I sat down in the revolving chair waiting for the transformation process to begin. CHOP! " Well that is definitely higher than my shoulders," I thought to myself, simultaneously convincing my racing thoughts that this is exactly what I wanted. The short cute layers were definitely a change, but I decided that I liked it, and after all, hair always grows.
Then the dye came. The thin, subtle red streaks that I had timidly requested revealed themselves to be large thick stripes of red; six to be exact, three on each side. Then I laughed, okay, well first I cried due to the shock of my new punk rocker look, and then I laughed. It was just so funny.
You live and learn, and then you never choose to take a new risk with your hair in a small whole in the wall salon in the middle of Mexico. We bought another box of dye and made the stripes much more subtle. My friend's perm that ended up leaving her hair looking similar in likeness to a wet poodle came out when she washed it. And I now have a neat hat that I used to cover my red streaked head walking away from the salon to remember the excitement of the day. It was worth it, and I am so glad that I can add this to the memories I have in this incredible country. I am excited to grow and become more of the woman God desires me to be, and that is a transformation worth waiting for. But most of all, I am learning to see myself through Christ's eyes. And when you find your beauty in Christ, red streaks or not, it takes your breath away.
