BETWEEN THE LINES: UNEXPECTED CHANGES BRING APPRECIATION OF ORDER IN LIFE

Change has always posed problems for me.

Unlike my dear friend Marc, I prefer stability and order over chaos and anarchy. He tends to be a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of guy. He rarely makes commitments or long-term plans (except when a job and salaries are involved). I like to know what's happening an entire week ahead, if possible.

Lately, I've been dealing with the changes as they come, and they often do in the news business. Only a few tend to rock my world's delicate balance anymore.

About a week or so ago, I made what would seem like a vast change in my life. I got a haircut, as you can see by my latest column photo.

Despite my love for balance in my life, I frequently deny that need by making snap decisions about my appearance. More often than not, it leads to some chaotic moments when I realize what I've done.

Nearly two weeks ago, I went to the hairdresser's hoping for a trim but ended up leaving with a completely different style.

It was certainly not a planned change of appearance, but it's been a welcome one. (I especially like getting compliments again.)

I had to wait for the hair stylist to finish with her previous appointment, so I started looking through the magazines and hair style books on the rack next to my seat. Of course I found something and decided to take the risk.

At first I was shocked by the loss of my locks, but after a week or so I'm adjusting.

It was hard to explain this need for change to anyone else. I didn't plan on changing my hair style, in fact I didn't think about it until the words came out of my mouth.

Sometimes I shock myself.

And sometimes life's events shock me, but eventually I learn to adjust.

OK, maybe I haven't always done so well with change. But I'm working on it.

I remember as a child asking my mother to put the furniture in our living room back to its normal arrangement because I didn't like how she'd moved things around.

I have always liked knowing where things are and how to find them. My brother seems to think I'm a control freak.

But watching lockets of my hair fall to the floor, I realized I wasn't too much of a control fanatic.

While the hair stylist snipped my locks and styled my hair, I realized how much trust I had placed in her hands. Sure she's had training and does this for eight hours a day, but we're talking about MY self image here.

With a few snips of the scissors she can change how people, especially women, feel about themselves. Humans put a lot of importance on their appearances. For many women that means a need for "good hair days." And lots of them.

We all want to look beautiful and routinely depend on the work of a hair stylist to make us feel that way. When we don't get what we'd expected, things can often turn ugly.

As I was leaving, I realized what I'd done.

I had showed this hair stylist a picture of a model and expected her to make me look the same. It was a task she really couldn't perform.

Besides, finding an exact match isn't easy, unless you're playing children's games like "Go fish" or "Old Maid."

I settled for a close second. After all, a new hair style can't be all that bad if it brings compliments with it.

~Laura Johnston is a copy editor for the Southeast Missourian.