Diary of an Amateur

Several years ago now, I was at the hairdresser and we were discussing my hair. The how’s and why’s of its unruliness.

Back story: when I was about 35 years old, my hair just went berserk. Curly berserk. Before that it had a lot of body, but it was straight as a board. I have an old set of hot rollers and my previous hairstylist from home who can attest to that; as well as all the perms she gave me over the years prior to that.

Now when I went curly, it didn't just get a little curly, it got that tight, knotted-at-your-scalp, needs five different kinds of hair products, curly. My hairdresser at the time said there was a chance it could possibly one day revert back because of hormones etc. Regardless, this is not the hair I would have picked to have for all time – as it’s just too much work.

However, the reason for the whole visit, was that I was having my hair professionally colored.  As the processing part of my color was happening, I was looking at my phone, and I saw some Snap Chats from my kids.

I don’t do Snap Chats.  I would look at theirs and laugh, but I had never reciprocated. But for some insane reason, all of a sudden I thought, why not?! So I took a picture of myself, all "colored-up" and sent it to both of my children.

Finally my hair was done, and I was driving home and song that I loved at the time begins to play on the radio in my truck called ‘Shake It Off’ by artist Taylor Swift.

All of a sudden, my hair is young, I am young, and I am remembering how on my previous two hair appointments; my oldest child J was home and how he went with me to those appointments, also getting his hair cut.

As the memories began to flow, I started to get a little weepy; it's strange without him, and I am remembering him "car-dancing" to that song when he was home. So what to do but do the same; I am dancing all over the place inside my truck, in the dark, with my young hair, all the way home, with that song on repeat.

Finally I am home, I'm feeling good about myself and my young hair, I walk into the house and my youngest son Zach is already home.

He’s standing there laughing at me and starts talking about my prior snap chat. I was like "so you saw it?" Still laughing he says "Oh yeah, you sent it as a story, so everybody saw it".

I went nuts! Shouting for him to delete it for me, he’s laughing, practically crying, as he is trying to tell me who all had already seen it.

Technology has not always been kind to me. All these new-fangled apps on these phones, mostly just leave me befuddled. I have since become somewhat educated, enough to not send them to the world anymore, but I still pretty much stick to being a viewer and not a film-maker.