Last week’s Serenity Sunday was about the stuff we should leave behind in 2019. Well, I ended up leaving behind about 10 inches of hair!

The bob style has always been my haircut of choice out of safety and familiarity. This time I went shorter… big chop (BC) shorter.

Not only was I was ready to re-enter the natural hair world, I also wanted to begin this new decade feeling liberated.

The BC was a strong reminder that in the grand scheme of life, God is in control, but we are in charge of everything we do, think and feel.

Agency used righteously allows light to dispel the darkness and enables us to live with joy and happiness. -Robert D. Hales

I remember looking at all the inches on the salon floor considering how we have the capability, at any given moment, to cut off unhealthy habits, people, patterns, feelings and emotions. Like my 10 inches on the concrete floor, it’s the kind of cut that liberates!

Since the BC, I’m already beginning to feel a stronger sense of agency over my life. Note: this doesn’t mean I don’t feel the speed and pressure of life picking up in this very moment; but because of the agency developing within, I feel less anxious in the face of it all and more ready to advocate for my peace in 2020.

Here’s to (1) speaking love and life into people and situations– ensuring that we aren’t the ones who deserve to be cut off, (2) achieving emotional and mental balance– becoming more aware of the inner thoughts that can impair our judgement or cause us to lose our peace, and (3) no longer being so overwhelmed by life that we forget the gift and blessing of agency.

Clinnesha is a writer, wife, mom, meta-artist, and social entrepreneur who feels most accountable to southern, black citizen-artists, elders, children, and families. Her work is at the intersection of arts, culture, innovation, and community.