Here's Your Sign

I want to tell you a story about a dear friend of mine who recently joined the faithful departed- my hair dryer. Now before you blow this off or judge me, let me explain. This was no ordinary hair dryer. It was a red Son of a Gun by Clairol. It was compact. It was effective. It was over 25 years old! Yes an appliance that faithful deserves a moment of recognition. Oh sure, over time it had developed some issues. It overheated if anyone with long hair borrowed it so much so that it would smell fierce and shut off. (I have a short hairstyle and only used it for about 5 minutes per blow dry.) The wattage label had worn off and the cord was permanently twisted. But I cleaned the vents on occasion and stored it properly. I did the best I could to preserve it. It was faithful with a few minor inconveniences. I loved that blow dryer. I thought my blow dryer and I would be together for many more years to come. That is, until, yesterday. I continued in my regular morning routine as I exited the shower. Wrapped in my robe, moisturizers on my face, I pulled my trusted friend out of the cabinet. After applying my recipe of hair product I plugged it in and was ready for a fresh fluffy do. I picked up my hair dryer and that’s when it happened. BAM! It literally fell apart in my hands. Spilt right in two! I was filled with panic and fear. It was incredulous. What had just happened? I took a deep breath, looked inside and realized the plastic parts connecting the two halves had broken. (WARNING! DO NOT TRY THE FOLLOWING!) So, I simply held the two halves together and turned it on. I figured if it still worked, I get some tape later and secure it. What I didn’t think about was that I could possibly get ELECTROCUTED. I didn’t but that’s not the point. After I turned on the hair dryer, I heard a noise from inside the dryer. Perhaps a plastic piece had broken off and had fallen into the motor. I took the halves apart, gave it a shake and nothing fell out. It was at that point, I realized it was over, all those years of hairstyles, all that coiffing, done, no more, over forever. Then it dawned on me, my hair dryer represented more than good looking hair in life. It was a symbol for my habits over the years. It was something I was used to and knew how it would perform. I overlooked the flaws and made due. The comfort I got from the predictable had a certain peace. Yes, I put up with inconveniences and had to make compromises. I was okay it with. It was something I could control and rely on, so I thought. What dawned on me as I stood there wide eyed, damp haired with one half of my Son of a Gun in each hand was that it literally had to fall apart in my hands for me to make a change. Even then I was reluctant. Come on. I could’ve been electrocuted. HELLO! Can you say denial? Cry for help? When something in my life no longer serves a healthy purpose, it’s time to let it go. I want to be someone who doesn’t need to have parts of my life literally fall apart before I change my ways. What has to change in order for me to change? My road to recovery, stepping out of the darkness of denial and into the light of healing has got to be filled with letting go. I can no longer carry all the hurts, habits and hang ups of my past and live free! I have a choice, remain anchored to the past or call on my Savior for strength and courage to move forward. I choose to move forward. Son of a Gun, I think there’s hope for me yet. Daphne- Another Changed Life For more information about Celebrate Recovery contact Rodney at 479-659-3679 or roholmstrom@fellowshipnwa.org

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