The Hair Clip

I’m actually a morning person and somewhat OCD which means I can get a pile of stuff done before 7 a.m. Unfortunately, any deviation from my scheduled plan and fasten your seatbelts, we’re all going somewhere hot in a handbasket.  This was one of those mornings.

My teenage son’s current obsession was his hair.  His “friend-girl” had just completed a five day marathon of nightly braiding his wet strands into tiny rows so that each morning he would wake to a head full of strawberry blonde curls.  An ambitious and non-sustainable plan.

I run a tight ship in the morning without a minute to spare, so just before I set out to blow dry my own hair, I popped into the kitchen to refill my mug.  (Thank you sweet Jesus for hot coffee in the morning.)

With blow dryer in hand, I reached into the bathroom drawer for my hair clip.  The hair clip was not there.  Now, unless you have frustrating short hair (and God did not bless you with the talent of all things “girl” – also related to why He did bless me with an army of all sons – such a wise God), you may not understand the importance of the simple hair clip in the complicated blow drying process.  It’s vital. I checked the next drawer, no clip.  Cupboard, no clip. An overwhelming feeling of panic filled my senses and my chest constricted just a little.  I did not have time for this!  I thought back desperately searching my mind for where the clip could be. 

“HAYDEN!”  Obviously this was his fault.  He was always borrowing my stuff and I could find anything from Tupperware bowls to my “borrowed” slippers in his bedroom at any given time.  I burst through his door with the urgency of a mother of five rushing for a bathroom with a sneeze coming on.

“Hayden!  Where is my hair clip?”

“Yes, I know it’s 6 am.”

“Yes, I know your alarm is set for 7. ”

I was absolutely certain that he must have used it in last night’s braiding extravaganza.  Sleepily, and barely audibly he denied any knowledge of my claim.

Another frantic sweep of the bathroom ensued but yielded no clip.  I searched the kitchen, counters, drawers, fridge (yes –the fridge, I have done a few dumb things – this was not out of the question.) No hair clip was found.  Oh.  My.  Word.

I might have to call in sick.  I did not have this kind of time to waste in the morning.  Then I remembered the family room.  Aha!  I scoured the area where the braiding activity took place.  No luck!  Another scan of the boy’s bedroom.  This time I used my less invasive, handy cell phone flashlight and didn’t wake him up (because I’m not a crazy woman).  No hair clip was located.

By now, panic had full reign on my mind and I was beginning to reel out of control.  I called my husband at work.  Yes, he is a first responder and generally busy on the job.  But, this WAS an emergency.  As it turned out, he had not seen my hair clip and also did not share my sense of urgency. 

I was dangerously close to the “No Turn Around” point in my morning schedule.  I considered whether “Hair Malfunction” might be approved on a sick day request.  Many precious moments had been wasted searching like a mad woman and I had no choice but to try to salvage what I could from my mostly air-dried head of hair.

As I grabbed my hairbrush and looked with full on dread into the bathroom mirror, I spotted it.  The hair clip.  It was in my hair the entire time.

Have you ever had days like this when everything feels like it is spinning out of control?  Life seems crazy and there is barely time to breathe between the kids, the house and dumping another basket of laundry onto the couch to be folded. Days are a blur of runny noses, homework sheets, chauffeur duties and incessant whining?  And food.  Every single day they want to eat!  It’s too much. 

And you wonder about, maybe even compare yourself to, those other moms with their perfectly blow dried hair.  In your mind’s eye you can see them sitting at their cleared off kitchen tables, reading an inspiring devotional while they sip Chai Tea and their children (wearing adorable, clean outfits) play together for hours quietly in the next room.

Do you know what these women are?  Imaginary!  Give yourself a break sister.  We’re all just making it through one day at a time.  And trust me, this stage of life you’re at, it won’t last forever.  It will feel like it though.  And then, one day it won’t.  And you’ll look around and see you’ve survived.  And then it will be your chance to encourage another mama to hang in there.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Paul reminds us “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

Once you give yourself some grace, you can give that grace to the rest of us too.  Eventually we can all bask in it.  Acceptance and grace.  And every once in a while, look in the mirror.

❤ Tess