Wow!! I am fastly approaching the one year mark and what a journey it has been. I'll be one year officially in late March 2010!!!! :-) As I continue to come to grips with this beautiful, new look and new view of life, I am still learning alot about myself and the people around me.
There have been some down days but a whole ton of UP days. I love my locs. I never thought I could ever do this and I did......I am! It took some getting used to, not just for my family and friends but for me too. I really didn't think I would make it this far. Several times, especially when my hair started breaking off in the back (see the Ugliness of Eczema), I thought I would just chop it all off and go back to wigs/weaves. But I didn't and I wore my super dry hair with pride. Spending so much less time on hair has allowed me to really see who I am and still feel beautiful even when I dont necessarily think I look beautiful. The last time I wore anything remotely artificial on my head was in Sept 2008 for one of my closest friend's wedding, this was pre-locs, post-natural....I was still battling with the natural look.
I've had crazy looks from family members and crazy comments from men. Other than my 2 male friends with locs, the only other man that was in love with them was a white man!! Get that! lol I mean, how do you respond when a black man asks you "what are you trying to gain from wearing locs" or "will you ever go back to wearing weaves if your man asks you to". Uhhhh.....NO!
I never really thought of my locs or any of the hairstyles I wore previously as a plan to "gain" something. Not to say that I haven't, because I definitely have gained alot spiritually and mentally from my current choice of hairstyle, but that is not my reason for doing it. I just wanted a change and that change has turned into a journey that I want to continue on for years and years to come. Futhermore, I AM my hair and loving me means loving the coiled follicles attached to my body. I love this look and am anxious to see how my 2 yr, 5 yr, 10 year journey continues!!
Love Ya'll
