When Familiar Becomes a Burden

For years, I went to the same hairdresser. Years.
Same chair. Same mirror. Same outcome.

I told myself it was loyalty.
What it really was—habit.

No changes.
No suggestions.
No curiosity.

It became a burden to even go once a month. Something that should have felt good felt heavy. And I ignored that longer than I should have.

Then I saw a haircut.
It was on Ray.

I knew immediately: That’s it. That’s the cut.

I asked where he went and made the appointment with his lady barber.

I didn’t need a consultation.
I didn’t need a long explanation.

I told her exactly what I wanted. She listened—and then she made it happen on my head.

That’s the difference between a technician and an artist.

She didn’t analyze my bone structure. She didn’t overthink it. She saw the vision and executed it. Clean. Confident. Exact.

When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t just look better.
I looked current. Awake. Lighter.

I looked twenty years younger—not because of the haircut itself, but because I finally stopped settling for “good enough.”

Here’s the truth:
Staying with the familiar too long dulls us.

Being on top of things isn’t about control or perfection.
It’s about recognizing when something no longer fits—and acting on it.

When something becomes a burden, it’s already outdated.

Sometimes all it takes is a clear vision, the courage to act on it, and an artist who knows how to bring it to life.

And that—quietly—changes everything.

BEFORE

AFTER

Lilly Botto -Writer -” House & Garden” Category