A tale that will curl your hair…. <3

I work on Fridays and this is the first one in a long while when it hasn’t been spitting rain as I got ready to head out to the car. Since I have a bit of a walk to get from my parking spot to the store, this is always discouraging because I do not have hair that loves humidity. Often by the time I get through the damp wind and unlock the door, I look much like I have done nothing to fix these fine thin strands. 

And believe me, I work hard to look like I have some hair. Besides just fighting to get some body into it, I also have a curling iron forged in the pits of some evil designer. The dial that controls the temperature is placed exactly where my thumb needs to rest to maintain control of this necessary styling device. 

Every other curl, my thumb spins the dial up to a dangerous level of heat and I have to stop what I am doing and dial it back down. I can’t wait for the thing to wear out so I can replace it. 

But therein lies the irony of this tale of woe. 

I bought it not too long ago as a replacement for my worn out previous curling iron which just happens to be the exact same frustrating style. I had waited anxiously for that one to burn out and was delighted when it no longer heated up one day. Of course, have no fear, I had a spare flat iron for that day and once I was presentable I headed to Target. As I was debating the various features and sizes and prices, I saw an orange clearance sticker on one for $9.99. 

Since sales draw me like a moth to a flame, I pulled that one off and sure enough…it was the last one of the same style I had just pitched with great joy into our trash can hours before. I figured the company had enough complaints that they discontinued it and Target was getting rid of the last sorry lot of them. 

The dreaded barrel with the poorly positioned dial was the last thing I wanted to tote home, but the siren song of $9.99 drowned out my bad feelings about it. 

After all, I knew what I was getting. No surprises. It curled fine, just in an annoying way every single morning as I would hear the dial spin at least once if not a half dozen times. 

Well, I bought it. And every morning I grumble under my breath as I turn that errant wheel back to 20 and try like everything to find a way to hold it so that stays put where I set it. 

So as I ponder what lesson this might teach me, I think of several. 

The first is compromise. I compromised because I sacrificed quality for saving some money that in reality I didn’t use for any noble cause. It’s not like I am thrifty so I can donate more or save. I save because I have this idea in my head that there is something virtuous in buying the least expensive item. It’s a false pride and a kind of greed as I then use my “savings” to purchase more things on sale. 

I also am thinking that we as humans are prone to compromise in similar ways. We go with what we know, what’s safe, what seems to be the cheapest, quickest way to solve a problem. We know the same decisions before didn’t pan out well, but at least we know what we are getting. As the good book says, we sow what we reap but we just keep sowing the same old bad  seed. 

Maybe the Lord will lead you to a different assessment of my story today and if so, that is a gift from Him as He has something He wants you to hear. 

As for me, I am just biding my time…one irritating twist of the dial at a time…until I can take this lesson learned and apply it to a new and better way.

Hugs to all and have a blessed weekend <3