Farewell Everyone | Suite101.com

Dear readers, I'm afraid the time has finally come to bring this column to a close. Writing has always been, and forever will be, a passion of mine. Unfortunately, there is only so much one can write about when it comes to hairstyling. I've covered all there is to cover, and hopefully I've imparted some knowledge along the way. I am not saying by any means that I've learned all there is to learn within my profession; only that the well has run dry when it comes to ideas.

Hopefully, someone will be able to pick up where I left off and breathe some fresh air into a topic that has become stale. I appreciate all the positive comments I have received along the way, and am grateful that I had the chance to share my columns with you.

There are some final words of advice that I'd like to share; I guess you can say it's a summary of everything I have learned in the hairstyling profession.

I've learned that beauty does not exist. It is only something that lives in our minds, and our idea of beauty will change as time goes by. One day, years from now, you will go through a photo album and see a picture of yourself and wonder, "What was I thinking when I had that hairstyle?". Everyone's ideal of beauty is different, and no matter how hard you try, no matter how much money you invest, you cannot live up to everyone's expectations. There are some people who will look at a famous supermodel and not find them attractive. There are people who will look at an "ugly" person and think they are the most perfect person God has ever created.

Since there is no point wasting time trying to live up to an ideal of beauty that may or may not exist, you must learn to look in the mirror and see the beauty that exists within yourself. Never color your hair because your husband likes redheads. Never cut your hair because your wife prefers short hair. Don't try to live up to someone else's idea of beautiful; instead, be yourself. You are already beautiful.

Alot of people spend an obscene amount of time and money chasing after the elusive dream of perfection. I've seen women cry over bad haircuts. In some people's minds, being beautiful is all that matters. That is a shame. There are so many more important things in life besides hair. Family. Friendships. Happiness. You cannot be happy if you look in the mirror all day judging yourself. It doesn't matter. A hundred years from now, you will look no better than any of your contemporaries. Even if you spend a million dollars on improving your image, you will still find something about your appearance you'd like to change.

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