Visions of Beauty

Like every teenager, my mother did things I thought were horrifyingly embarrassing. My mom's hair has a natural curl. Many days we would be traveling here and there. Mom always kept a Velcro curler in the car's console. Growing up in Michigan meant dealing with the summer humidity. Mom always wanted her bangs to be curl free. Here was her solution.

She would put on her seat belt and then using the rear view mirror carefully place her bangs onto the curler. Then she would say, " Now Gina Lynn, remind me to take this out when we get out of the car." As if I would WANT her to leave to car in that condition. You know people can see you at the stop signs! We lived in a very small town everyone knew our car. And sometimes after looking at her in the curler for so long I wouldn't see it any more and she would get out of the car with it in! I vowed then and there that I would NEVER have my appearance be an embarrassment.

When I hit thirty my hair too developed a curl. But no worry, I let my bangs curl wild and free. No curlers for me. No public humiliation moments. Then the Fed Ex guy showed up.

I was in the zone. Paint brushes flying, music pounding when I heard someone walking up the steps. Without a thought I gave a big smile and opened the door. Being the friendly, chatty person I am I proceeded with some witty banter before he hustled on. As I turned to place the package down I caught my reflected in the glass.

I was wearing both my sunglasses and my painting reader glasses on my head. I had two pieces of hair perfectly sticking straight up above the glasses. I had paint on my face and a ratty, very used kleenex sticking out of my chest pocket. I was the mad scientist of the art world! What happened? Where did I lose control? I could hear my mom crackling in my head, getting me back for all those eye rolls of my teenage hood.

Okay, okay so maybe she's right. But at least there wasn't a curler in sight!