When I was four years old, my mother would take me to my grandmother’s house every morning while she went to work. Now this was my mom’s mother, and she was one of those “no-nonsense, strong-willed, ’Homey don’t play that” type of woman. I’m talking about the kind of woman whose presence was so dominant that her silence commanded respect. On this particular day, my mother dropped me off as usual, and she asked my grandmother to make sure she picked my hair. My mother had this crazy obsession with my hair. She would take extra care and attention into making sure that I had a big, perfectly manicured afro. But my grandmother hated to see all of that hair on a young boy, especially in the scorching Mississippi summer heat. As soon as my mother left, my grandmother sat me down between her legs, and instead of getting a pick, she got a pair of clippers. Within five minutes, I went from looking like young Michael Jackson to looking like young Gary Coleman.
When my mother came to pick me up and saw I was bald, she broke down and cried like she was at a funeral. My grandmother didn’t try to console her or even offer an explanation. She just simply said, “It always hurt when you try to hold on to things you need to let go.”
That memory is forever ingrained in my heart. But my grandmother’s statement is so applicable to my life today. I found that in health, in fitness, and in life, we all tend to hold to stuff that may be holding us back. Today, I challenge you to “Let go of your ‘Fro!” Whatever that “fro” in your life, your career, or your health is or may be, I challenge you to make the decision to let it go.
The motto for the week is… “Let Go of the Fro.” Serving to Heal! Honored to Serve! I challenge you to let go of:
1. Searching for the closest parking spot at work and at shopping centers.
2. Eating more than you need and eating anything you want.
3. Making excuses for why you can’t exercise, walk, jog, or get active.
Read more motivational messages by Hundley at www.health.mil.
