Good Day, Bad Day

Sometimes I have to go back and read some of my own words in order to keep from backsliding on this journey.

This morning, I was suddenly keenly aware of that patch of breakage from 18 months ago near the crown of my hair.  It’s much longer now, but it’s still so far from the ends,  creating a false layer. It was sticking out of my updo this morning as if in mockery of my past foolishness.

I also felt very frustrated because it seems as though the trek to mid-back will last forever. I just couldn’t see any progress.

I had a very strong urge to trim, but my regular 1/2 inch trim is not scheduled until July. Annoyance was really setting in.

I went back and read some of my more enthusiastic blog entries in order to try and change my frame of mind.  Then I hopped in the shower and washed my hair.

To my surprise, when I took my hair out of the towel, I could feel my wet ends touching a spot on my back that I didn’t feel last week.

While I can’t see any progress, today I could actually feel it.

Once again, thank heaven for those tiny little milestones. They always seem to provide encouragement just when I need it most.

The Little Things

Sometime it seems like hair just isn't growing.  Of course, waiting for hair to grow is far worse than watching a pot boil.  Yet there are surprising little things that one notices from month to month or even from week to week.  


Perhaps I'll try a hairstyle that I couldn't do a month ago because my hair was too short, but I can do it now.  Maybe I'll feel hair brushing against my arm or my back and know that I didn't feel it there even last week.

Only a couple of months ago, I couldn't reach up behind my back and grab my hair without leaning my head back a bit.  Today I can grab a good inch between my fingers with my head held high.

I think of these things as mini-milestones. They're not the major markers of hair growth like hitting shoulder length, or having my hair falling below the line of my shoulder blades, but they're pleasant little moments just the same.

Little things, little pleasures, little surprises--that's what keeps me going. 

That's also why I take monthly progress photos.  I may not see much or any difference from one month to the next, but if I look at a photo from three months earlier, what a change!

Growing long hair really is a journey, it's not a sprint.  Enjoy and savour every moment of it.  The length will come in time.  

In the meantime, enjoy the little things along the way.