Joan - Jems of A Natural #1

I recall holding a pen ever so tightly and forming squiggles and swirls across a sheet of paper.I felt ever so excited and proud and ran around showing everyone in the vicinity what I had done. What was all the excitement for? Well, I was excited that I could write, had written, and to top it all I had written words (not). Those squiggles and swirls were the expressions of a little me with a big me's mind and heart.When in the zone, writing comes natural to me. BUT, what deters me the most is life and ALL the other things (procrastination's perhaps) that happen taking away my focus and deterring my desire to write more and share more and just be more.

Now without coming across as having too many excuses, I do indeed want to post on here more but am not getting to it. Bear with me I say, bear with me I ask, bear with me and you will find more to be motivated by, more to know, more to pass on, more to adapt, more to apply and a whole lot more to read (big grin).

Focusing on one aspect about me being my hair journey, I have always been about hair. I wouldn't class myself as having 'good hair'as seeing me in the morn would make any scarecrow or mop my twin - hey, only in the hair department - and I have seen and still see many a 'bad hair days'.I would class my hair as adaptable, in need of loads of TLC, in need of good maintenance, vulnerable (breaks), needs continuous watering (can be dry), naturally curly and yet permanently colored (yes I use color), grows, is willing to walk the straight and narrow (curls will straighten out), needs trimming and always lets me know what it likes and what it doesn't. I love my hair and on good days, it loves me back. My hair has been through the mill of hairstyles, relaxer and hair dye and through it all, its still my crowning glory. When I treat it well, it treats me well too. As I age, my follicles keep giving and the more I train it (train it to be curly lol) the curlier it gets.

I have been natural, as in I stopped using relaxer about 6 years ago. I have had Big Chops (BC) a number of times through those 6 years with my most recent in December 2012 and at that point I decided that I will grow my hair to its full potential. (so I say, a fan of #teamshorthair). Being natural has not been easy. I am still perfecting hair maintenance regimes and still searching for the perfect products (go #productjunkie). I am always reading others methods and techniques and always researching about natural hair and the care thereof. I am always being asked about my hair and always trying to tell people EVERYTHING in those few moments but one sitting is never enough to divulge everything, neither is it enough to properly assist someone interested in starting their own hair journey.

And so, here I am. And here you are. Welcome (waves)