I was a little nervous about coming to work today to reveal my new "do." When I walked into my boss' office he greeted me. I was squeamish, and ready for whatever quizzical declaration he might have about what I did to my head. Drum roll please! He simply said, "Hey Ije! Good morning! Did you have a good weekend?" After our exchange of common pleasantries, and talk about how our individual weekends were, he went straight to business about talking on what he garnered from the recent HR conference he had returned from, and he talked with me about some training and development strategies he wanted me to investigate and possibly implement for the college.
Wow! I was pleasantly surprised, and also internally happy that he was more engaged with picking my brain on a new endeavor rather than wondering what I did with my hair! I know it's early but I really like my new do.
When I told my mother about my plight to go natural she responded in her Nigerian accent, "Ije, are you shaw about dis?" Lol! My response: "Yes, Ma, I'm sure."
As she threaded my hair it had been 20 years since she had engaged in this time honored African hair tradition. We both recounted those days during my early years when I dreaded "hair days," because I knew it meant torture while I sat between my mother's knees as she worked her magic. Even now, those childhood images are still vibrant in my mind, and in the mind of my mother. And so I now return on my own volition, and plop myself between her knees again. We reminisced and laughed...
xoxo
-chisomthewriter
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