Anyone who has done the “Big Chop” will tell you how obsessed one becomes with one’s hair. You can’t stop touching your hair, water is your FRIEND (umbrella…for what?), and your hair is so dynamic that your emotions about your hair tend to swing and shift and fluctuate almost on a daily basis. Even though I am still rocking a TWA (teeny weeny Afro), my make-up usage has also changed with my hair. I’m wearing less of it, choosing instead to focus on making sure that my eyebrows are well-groomed, a translucent mineral powder soaks up morning oil, my lipstick or gloss is conservative and appropriate for my career, and a couple of coats of mascara ensure that I am out the door in just enough time to begin my day-on time. I spend about ten minutes each morning grooming my hair and face. I have it down to an exact science at this point which is one of the many reasons I am loving my naturalness, in general, and my sense of self, in particular. I feel pretty…all the time…and that feeling permeates my relationships with others, even strangers.

As a side note, I changed jobs in February 2016 after over 18 years as a classroom teacher teaching Spanish to urban students in a small, college-prep high school. Within that same district, I transitioned to the role of an Instructional Facilitator at another urban high school, triple the size of my former school. I realize that the “me” my new school sees everyday is a “me” that is still new to me. They (except a few newly-friended FB/IG connects) have not seen the pre-natural, non-‘fro-wearing, relaxed short cut, braided, blond-haired Andi that most of the world knows.

I kind of like that anonymity at this stage in my maturity. This new “me” is a much better me!