I have wanted to grow dreads my entire life (well, as long as I can remember), however i've never done so because I have always cared so much about others' opinions. My hair was finally long enough this summer to start growing dreads, but I didn't have the patience - or the understanding - of how to do it naturally. Here in lies my mistake - I went to a salon and they gave me dreads. 5 hours of pain = I have crocheted dreads, which tbh looked amazing.......... for about 2 days. After 2 days, I'm looking to buy my own crochet hook to maintain them because well - I can't spend X dollars at a salon every saturday having them re-crochet my dreads. Then I do some research and finally find myself here hoping for support and guidance on a journey that will result in the beautiful dreads i've always wanted.
Next - I'm a teacher. I teach high school science which provides its own unique hurdles in growing and maintaing dreads. The students' and parents perceptions' that I'm just a pot head hippie(never smoked weed in my life), the administrations' perceptions of what 'image' i'm sending to the students, and finally my self confidence of what I look like in front of 150+ high schoolers everyday (yes, teachers are subject to the same judgmental bullshit that happens in high school that students are).
So here I am, hair full of frizz (recovering from the crochet visit to the salon), heading back to teach in 2 weeks, trying to embrace the journey of growing dreads rather than just the end product, and waiting for the expected judgement of my colleagues, administration, and students (least worried about the students - they mostly will just think it's really cool). How difficult could this be really, I ask myself?? well, we'll see.
I leave this rant with this. I'm hoping to continue on this journey of growing and loving my dreads. However, Im not expecting an easy one, which is why I'm sure that (if I continue) I'll be here often looking for encouragement and support as i go through the changes of my babies until they mature into something magical. I plan on taking the good, taking the bad, and taking all that comes with it as they grow, but a community that is supportive will be very important!
peace all. thanks for reading and any words of support/encouragement.
updated by @felicity-day: 01/13/15 09:56:09PM
