Priority Shift

It's the summer of 1998. I'm 16 years old and sandwiched between two of my favorite young women leaders in the cab of an old beat-up truck. We're on our way to girls camp and they're listening intently to me as I tell them about my boy problems. I feel safe, loved, secure, and absolutely excited to be spending a few days and nights up in the mountains of Utah with some of the best women I know.

It wasn't until about halfway through the 4-hour drive that I noticed it. Quickly doing a double-take, I confirmed my fear and felt a rush of embarrassment for my leader. She must not know... I figure. Oh, how embarrassing.

Hair. Blond hair, half an inch long and sticking straight out from her bare knee. It looked as if she hadn't shaved in 5 whole days! And, she was wearing shorts! I vowed to not let it affect our conversation and silently imagined her terror once she figured it out.

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It's March 2010. I've had a busy day. I made all the beds, tidied all the rooms, read a sparkly firefly book to my baby, showered, finished washing the dishes, vacuumed my floors, did the laundry, played trains with my son, chopped down a row of bushes outside, raked the leaves, read a few chapters in my book, helped my daughter with her homework, and had a hot dinner on the table when my husband walked in the door at 6:00.

As we sat down to dinner I quickly looked at the clock. One hour before I need to be at the church for Young Womens. After dinner, I had 10 minutes to get ready before heading out the door. I glanced in the mirror and did a quick assessment. No makeup; mud-stained T-shirt and jeans...from chopping down the bushes, no doubt; and hair falling out of a loose pony tail. Oh dear. Well, I thought, I've gotta pee, I should put some fresh clothes on, and hopefully I'll have time to throw on some mascara. I finished my priority list, and even had a minute left over to attempt to cover up the dark circles under my eyes. As for my hair - - - well, that was just going to have to be ignored.

Taking one last look in the mirror, I smiled to myself as I remembered my own Young Women leader 11 years ago. You know, she probably did know that her legs weren't as smooth as silk.

I bet she didn't care.

(I took the first picture off of my parents back deck in 2004. I'm pretty sure it was the first picture I ever kept that didn't have a person in it! The second picture was taken last month off the same deck.)