This past weekend, I went with a friend of mine to a new hairdresser in town. I’m not even sure how the subject came up months ago, but we talked about getting new hair styles together. It took some time, as we moms typically set aside our needs, but we finally made our back-to-back appointments.

She had her first professional coloring (highlighting) done along with a great new haircut, while I had a simple cut and style. It had been almost 2 years since my last visit to a salon. I was long overdue. The dry, straw like ends on my hair were a struggle to deal with on a daily basis. No amount of conditioner could tame the 2-inch long split-ends. More often than not, I’d put my hair up in a ponytail or messy bun just to keep it out of my way. I do have curly hair, but even when it was straightened or freshly washed, I had a difficult time running my fingers through it. The ends were beyond repair.

It was time.

When we were done, both of us had healthy hair and wonderful hairstyles. We didn’t do anything fancy, we just did some basic maintenance and ended up with some fresh new looks.

It felt good.

As we drove home, one of the things we commented on was the fact that we kept wanting to touch our hair. So soft. So smooth. We had neglected the care of our hair for so long, we forgot how good it feels to cut off the excess and be able to enjoy what is good and healthy.

Using this experience, I can see how it can correlate to many areas of my life.

It is very easy for me to have so much going in my life, that I get fried. Parts of me are damaged, worn out, and difficult to control. So, I simply ignore it, put it up and away, so I don’t have to deal with it. It’s easier to pretend all is well. I’ll take care of everyone else, and neglect taking care of myself … literally, for years.

This has been slowly changing over the past 10 months or so. I’ve cut my commitment level to so many things that sucked my energy dry. Now, I do realize that it is perfectly OK to push ourselves and do hard things; but what I later learned, I was neglecting what was already healthy and good in my life (like my husband, my kids, my dear friends) and focusing on the outer parts/ends of my life. Not that everything was “damaged” or “bad,” but it simply took all of my energy to control or work with it.

Eventually, split ends happen. And, if not taken care of quickly, it can keep moving up and damaging what is healthy.

Time to be intentional. Make that appointment.

So, 10 or so months ago, I started to be intentional. I cut out areas in my life that spread me too thin. They weren’t “bad” things, per say, just … excess. I wasn’t the wife I wanted to be, the mom I wanted to be, the teacher I wanted to be, the friend I wanted to be, or the Christian I wanted to be. I kept myself so busy managing and controlling the chaos in so many places, that I neglected to take care of and focus on what mattered most.

Just as when my junky hair was cut off and I started running my fingers through my hair more, when I cut out the excess, I started paying attention to and caring for the healthy areas in my life. Now, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t get dirty or messy on a regular basis, but it is healthier overall. There is more connection and interaction, instead of setting aside and ignoring.

I can’t do it all. None of us can do it all. Sometimes, we simply need to cut off what is distracting us from focusing on the good, strong and healthy. Let it go. It may be painful at times, but it can also be quite freeing.

To God be the Glory!