Joy and Truth

I have been amazed at how people who haven’t seen me since the surgery, and don’t know I’ve had a craniotomy, react when they see my new hairdo. I’ve heard everything from, “You’ve had a make-over!” to “I like how brave you are to cut your hair so short.” But most of all I have been surprised at the remark, “You look so good, but there is no way I could wear my hair that short.” About 70% of the people who see me say that. But how do they know unless they’ve tried it? I didn’t know until the surgery forced me to shave my head.

The interesting thing is that most of the people who say this have the same hairdo they had in high school, and they have never tried anything else. Why is it that so many of us are so afraid of trying something new—afraid of change? If a person absolutely loves the hairdo she has, that is a different story. By all means keep it. But if a person doesn’t change because they are afraid to try something different then that is a problem. Life is meant to be explored and discovered. That is part of the joy—discovering all there is to find. Trying, tasting, experiencing all the good life has to offer.

Exploring life means being brave. It means opening yourself up which sometimes makes you vulnerable. It means taking risks and chances—and that also means being willing to make a mistake. The opposite is being stagnant and full of fear. It means living in a shell of timidity.

Living in Truth allows a person to break out of the shell. It allows a person to embrace life and all the joy it offers. It allows people to rejoice in each new day. Living in Truth is living in joy, and fear is never the pathway to joy.