The Things We Do Amidst Chaos

When I graduated high school I got my ear cartilage pierced. And then I got a tattoo.

When I left for college I had long hair down my back. The first week there I cut it all off into a bob, that just went shorter from there into a pixie cut.

After getting married I colored my hair blond. Which was awful, by the way, because I did it myself. It looked like straw and I had to color it back to light brown.

After my first son was born, I actually grew my hair long. Three and a half years later, after having my second son, I had it all cut off again.

Before my daughter was born I had my husband actually use clippers and buzz my hair on the sides.

Now, as I am about to move to yet another state, I have gone and gotten two more tattoos.

And I know I’m not alone in this.

My sister-in-law has colored her hair purple after moving and starting a new career.

My friend went and had her nose pierced after her daughter was born. And then got tattoos before moving.

Why is this?

There is something in us that goes a little berserk when we are experiencing a major life change. Maybe it is a way to feel hip or attractive, or maybe it’s a way to commemorate a major life event, or maybe it is a way to claim some sort of control over the chaos we are living in. Whatever the reason, we need to make sure we check our hearts for the motivation, and ideally don’t do anything too drastic that we will regret in the future. (Yes I know tattoos are drastic. Yes, I checked my heart for my motivation.)

Life is often out of control, and we all have our ways to find peace in those moments. For me, this is usually exercise and cleaning. But when life throws us major turbulence, we seem to need something a bit more significant.

What about you?

What crazy things have you done when life has thrown major changes at you?

xoxo