The Magic of a Haircut

I feel totally beautiful today.  Trust me, this is not something I say or feel about myself very often.  I just got home from my hair stylist with a fresh new look that I couldn't be happier with.  Yes, I even cried on the way home (but let's be real, I cry a lot these days).  Somehow Dolcie, my stylist, knows exactly what I need and she executes perfectly every time.  Today what I needed was just to feel good about myself.  I left feeling that way, $50 poorer, but totally worth it!

The last time I felt beautiful was when I was pregnant.  I loved the look of my full, round belly.  I loved the cute new maternity tops I bought and the cropped maternity jeans.  I don't know if I had the "pregnancy glow," but I sure felt like I did.  I walked around proudly, picking shirts that hugged my belly instead of trying to cover it up. 

These days, I rarely feel beautiful.  If I'm being fully honest, most days I feel like crap.  I'm not happy with how I look physically.  I find my body downright depressing.  To top it off, after giving birth I was left with a generous gut and the most horrific stretch marks on my belly (imagine a child took a fat purple marker and started drawing lines everywhere . . . yes, purple).  Really it just seems cruel to have the physical evidence of having had a baby, yet no baby.  I'm reminded of this every time I look in the mirror.

Today, though, I am going to celebrate feeling beautiful!  I know the feeling will fade away in a day or two (or even in a few hours when the cute hairstyle starts to droop and frizz . . . please Mike get home before then!), but I'm going to try to hold on to it for as long as I can.  Maybe this feeling is just a sign that I need to get a haircut more often . . .

Tomorrow the pampering continues with a pedicure in the company of one of my best friends.  Ahh, spring break, I love you.

 P.S.  This post is NOT an attempt to fish for compliments.  Other people telling me I look nice is not nearly as satisfying as feeling it myself.  :)