I’m Still Pretty on the Inside | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: I’m Still Pretty on the Inside | Previous Challenge Entry
By Laurie Staples
07/11/19
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES

Through some cruel stroke of fate, I wasn't born with curly hair. Both of my parents and all of my siblings have curls, but much to my mom's dismay, my hair is poker straight. Not to be deterred, as soon as I grew enough straight hair to wind around a curler, my mom created curls for me. Though there were nights when I begged to go to bed without my "cur-wers," it was a rare night that Dippity-Do and "cur-wers" were not a part of my bedtime routine.

If people got a gander of me after I'd been swimming, they were shocked I didn't actually have curly hair (a poser!). I'd overheard my mom tell people that I was "just as pretty on the inside.” But I didn't feel like I passed muster without curly hair. I wanted to tell them I was still pretty on the inside. Sadly, focusing on being "pretty on the inside" has not been a guiding principle in my life.

My ridiculous hang-up with my hair kept me from buying a hilarious souvenir picture taken of me on a roller coaster ride. Just thinking about that picture makes me laugh, so I can't imagine how much genuine laughter I've missed out by being too vain to buy it. Sad.

In the photo, somehow (through terror and some bizarre muscle contractions) I was able to make my neck look every bit as thick as my head. Gravity held my thin, straight, yellow hair into a perfect triangular point. I looked exactly like one of those Troll dolls that were popular at the time.

What was I afraid of anyway? That someone would think, "Well, I did think she was pretty—until I saw that picture of her. Now, I realize she actually looks like a Troll.”

Not long ago, I needed to get my passport renewed. Knowing I would be looking at it for the next ten years, I made sure I got dolled up for the picture—which of course included curling my hair. Despite my efforts to the contrary, my picture was devastating. Good heavens! I look like I’d aged thirty years! My mom said it was really no wonder, because I'd been "put through the mill" in the past ten years. Well, who knew "the mill" could wreak such havoc?

To add insult to injury, an insensitive beast of a man mistook my son for my grandson. At that point, I wanted to go sit in the car and have myself a good cry.

I am disappointed that looking old and being mistaken for my son's grandmother derailed me like it did.

I know I'm not the only one who impatiently flips through pictures until I land on one of myself, whereby I stop and intently study it and critique every detail. No matter how good the picture is, if my hair isn’t looking good in it, it's a horrible picture.

Vanity is nothing new, but it is sad how much emphasis our world places on outer beauty. How sad to believe our worth is measured by what we look like, rather than by who we are!

Obviously, this whole vanity thing is a crutch of mine—but I think I'm getting better, at least I am laughing at myself more. Today, I wouldn’t twice about buying that Troll picture—so surely that's a step in the right direction.

“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outside, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

PREVIOUS ENTRY | NEXT ENTRY
SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY FOR THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE

The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.