Evolving into something new takes courage, patience, grit, and love. In my middlish stage of life, I have come to realize that we all, and I mean ALL, have the right to reinvent ourselves and our lives. As we mature, we hone into the things that we love, the things that we don’t, and all of the experience in between. It’s our choice to do as we wish with all of that vital information. Like the remarkable poet, Mary Oliver wrote in her gorgeous poem Summer Day, “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” This resonates with me deeply. As women, our responsibilities to others are so vast and often heavy. From our parents to our spouse to our children, and most often, we are the ones that are lost somewhere at the bottom. No matter how rich and lovely our lives as daughter, wife, mother, a sister maybe, we still are entitled to invest in what makes our heart sing separate from anyone. No explanations are necessary.

When I decided to switch my musical focus from pop to country, I did so because it felt true and good in my heart. It was such a pure expression of what I loved. Sure enough, the worry tumbled in… judgment filled my mind, and the ego stepped in. Thankfully faith and grit came in, and I did what felt right for me. It’s been the rightest right of all.

Additionally, I also took the plunge and cut my long hair. I literally lopped off 10 inches of an identity. It wasn’t planned; in fact, I was going in to get a quick trim. My hairstylist looked at me and said, “ I would really like to cut your hair short and give you a really cool cut.” At first, I looked at her with a look of “oh no, my hair is my security blanket, my youth!” I smiled and said, “ are you sure short hair will look good on me?” What I meant was, am I confident enough on the inside to shed something on the outside? With confidence and sisterly love, she promised it would look and feel amazing. I reluctantly said yes. I am so happy I trusted Kelsey and dove into this expression of shedding my skin and feeling and loving my new reflection, inside and out.

It’s good practice to shed our skin and see what’s underneath. Maybe it’s something subtle and gentle, or maybe it’s as bold as can be; the point is that we get to choose, and no answer is wrong. We often need to allow our eyes to see a different landscape to determine what beauty means to us. I invite you to invest in finding out…