Reinvention

College presents a unique opportunity that high school and junior high didn’t have. College is a new school, more than likely in a new town and with new people. The newness means no one knows you and you can reinvent yourself. New things are waiting to be tried and adventures are begging to be had. College is about discovering yourself after all, why not take advantage of it?

I had a moment of reinvention. Mine was through my hair. I was born with light brown hair, but the saying “blondes have more fun” peaked my curiosity. I wanted to be a blonde more than anything. My desire to play with peroxide started in high school. By the end of senior year, I was telling people I was going to go blonde. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college that I actually did it.

The hair dye aisle in Wal-Mart is a bit daunting when you don’t know what you’re doing. My hair had seen dye once before in an ill-advised roommate bonding night, but I had never purchased Nice ‘n Easy on my own. Blonde is a scary color to play with. I didn’t want to go beach blonde and fake. I wanted honey blonde, but there isn’t a box labeled that. The first try was bad. No I didn’t turn orange or green or any other color. At all. Nothing. I dyed my hair the same color it already was. Thankfully the 2^nd box did the trick. I loved being blonde!

There’s something about college that begs for trial and exploration. They don’t have to be huge, radical things. The best tend to be the small ones you never thought you would do. Embrace the urge and you might just like it.

If you’re looking for inspiration, here’s a few of the things I’ve done:

Dyed my hair (dark brown and blonde)

Made it to the center of a mosh pit at the Homecoming Paint Dance (claustrophobia nightmare)

Got a tattoo (okay so it was just henna)

Gave a guy my number (choose the guy wisely)

Tried a new church (Alpine Church. Not a bad experience)

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