The Haircut Incident (On impulsivity and taking risks)

Today I cut my hair.

Ok, ok. I realize that’s not big news. Thousands of people get haircuts every day. But this was a little different. My thought process went something like this:

Sure, this was a small, simple act. Yes, hair grows back. But it was thrilling nonetheless. I unearthed a part of myself I’ve missed–the reckless, impulsive part.

When I was a little younger, I’d dream up things and do them. When I lived in Portland, Oregon, I decided I wanted to drive to California one night. It was 9:30 p.m. at night and I was in the middle of the city when I had the impulse. I was having a rough day and a long drive seemed like just the ticket for climbing my way out of melancholy.

I walked over to my car and paused. I had a couple granola bars, a sleeping bag in the trunk, and a road map (this was before the days of GPS in every cell phone). I thought to myself as I opened the map, “I wonder how hard it is to get to California.”

Turns out, not very hard.

I spent the next 24 hours driving along the Cali coast and into the redwood forest. I sang to myself in the car, journaled, and ate gas station food. I returned to Portland with a grin and a revitalized spirit.

Unfortunately, growing up inevitably means shedding some of that impulsivity. There are bills to pay, pets and kids to care for, meetings to attend. It’s difficult for the typical person to hop in a car and drive away for a while.

But that doesn’t mean we have to lose our impulsivity entirely. We don’t have to become increasingly afraid of the unknown and foreign. It’s easy, as an adult, to stay comfortably within our boxes, only socializing with close friends and family, only traveling to “safe” places with plush hotel room beds and chlorinated swimming pools.

I argue that living strictly within the confines of our comfort zone stagnates growth. We miss opportunities to learn, grow, and experience. We miss out on making mistakes and solving problems. We lose our ability to think on our feet.

So, maybe it’s impossible to hop on a plane tomorrow to visit Fiji…but that doesn’t mean you can’t hop on that plane next month.

Here’s to a healthy dose of recklessness and discovering new parts of yourself along the way!

-Kate

I’m liking my impulsive haircut!