HER Lifestyle: The Beginning of the Journey
I remember it as if it were yesterday, the beginning. My life, I would say, lacked meaning… a purpose. I lived life not planning for the future; no hopes nor dreams. I was living day to day, paycheck to paycheck with constant over-withdrawal statements mailed to my home.
I was embarrassed of the woman I was becoming.
My father, originally from Mexico, came illegally to the United States. He suffered greatly but had high hopes and wanted only the best for me.
He dreamt of me becoming either a nurse or a teacher. An educated woman in a “Womanly Field” were the desires of his heart.
Later in life, I have the pleasure of fulfilling his dream, just in a slightly different field.
My brother was the one who planted the seed. His words exactly, “What are you doing with your life? Why don’t you do hair or something?”
My mind swirled with questions:
How much does beauty school cost?
Will I be any good at it? I guess I can do it… I mean, if cutting my Barbie’s hair and coloring it with a blue marker counts then I’m all in!!
Lastly, what will my father say?
The time came to get answers. May God be with me.
Finding the Education
There I was, standing in front of LuRoss Academy, in Ventura, California. As I stood there; fear, excitement, and nervousness were exactly what I was feeling. In a strange way it was as if I was staring right at my future in the face. It was so close; it was right at the tip of my fingers. I could just grab it.
I sat with the person in charge of the Academy and found out that beauty school is a pretty penny, $8,000 to be exact.
There were three given options for payment:
Pay in full.
Finance it.
Give a down payment of $1020 and pay monthly payments until I graduate.
I was 19 at the time and I didn’t have $8,000, nor credit, nor the down payment. What do I do? To my father it is.
The look of disappointment on my father’s face when I told him I wanted to be a hair stylist hurt so deep. I begged and cried for him to help but of course his answer was a flat-out NO.
An ounce of hope and a small dream…gone, dissipated right before my eyes.
Do I blame my father? Not at all. My father is from a small ranch in Mexico. The average hair stylist there makes 2 to 3 pesos a haircut, which is equivalent to 10 to 15 cents in the United States.
In his eyes, it was a life of suffering. Was I angry at him? I can admit, that at first, I was. But as I matured, I realized it was something that he had to do for me.
And it taught me that The Impossible Can Be Possible if you just Trust and Believe in yourself.
Call It an Absolute Sign?
For quite some time, I have been working full time at Claire’s, a shop in the mall, as an Assistant Manager. Tax season came around and it was the first year my parents couldn’t claim me as a dependent because according to Uncle Sam; I made just enough to file on my own. My life was soon to change.
“Your getting back $1020,” the tax man said. “What?” I replied. “$1020 you’re getting back, from the taxes you’ve paid. It’ll take a few weeks to arrive, what address do you want it mailed to?”
You could only imagine the look on my face. I wanted to scream, cry and leap for joy, but had to contain myself as I was in front of my tax guy. I couldn’t believe it, I was shocked, the exact amount I received from taxes was the exact amount I needed to get my foot in the door to begin beauty school.
The day the check arrived at my home, I jumped and screamed for joy. There it was, $1020 exactly. I stared at it for a good minute or so still in awe and in shock. Immediately, I rushed and took it to a liquor store to cash it.
Why a liquor store? My bank account was over-withdrawn, and I needed every penny, every dollar from that check. If I deposited in my bank account, they’d take their fees and put a hold on the check. I needed that money asap so a liquor store it was.
The feeling of being able to give a down payment to my future was a feeling I would hold onto forever. It felt SOOO good handing over that money and signing the contract with LuRoss Academy. My dream never looked so clear and I never looked back.
Taking that First Step
Siempre Adelante!! Always moving forward!! This became my motto.
Some may say receiving that check and it being the exact amount I needed was a coincidence or that it was the universe. I don’t discredit either one, but I would say it was an Act of God. He presented Himself at the perfect time.
Never late, never early but always on time!! It was the first step in becoming HER.
Has there ever been a moment in your life where a hope or a dream was just at the tip of your fingers only to watch it just slip away? Have you ever wanted the support of loved ones, family and friends only to find out they don’t support you?
If so, I’d love to hear your journey so please share with me in the comments below. Looking forward to hearing from you!!!
