2024 - it’s been a year
I don’t do the Spotify Wrapped thing or the Instagram Top 10 or whatever it is, anymore. But, I will share this wallop of a year with you, if only to get the huge, life-changing events that occurred this year out of my brain, into black and white, in a condensed version because honestly — the thought of truly diving in and reliving one of these events is…blech — so, let’s spit them out so I can move on to 2025 with a clean slate.
Sit back, relax and maybe even (hopefully, as always) relate.
JANUARY: we visited England for the first time, to find a place to live, a school for our son and to explore the area we would soon be calling our home. Overwhelming? Yes. Exciting? Yes. Scary? Yes. Amazing? Yes. Did we love it when we visited? Yes. Was there a lot (a lot) of work to do for the move? Uhhh, ya. But, we chose an awesome house, amazing school and were as ready as we could be.
FEBRUARY: Got out of the shower, and my long - and honestly beloved - hair was all over my back, and coming out in fistfuls. *$%^. Called dermatologist and GP. Appointments/bloodwork/biopsy did not confirm one specific reason, but several possible things — hormonal changes, stress, borderline vitamin deficiency, COVID, a possible early scarring alopecia diagnosis per scalp biopsy…the list seemed to go on. And, so did an international move. Is this what the Brits mean when they say, “Keep calm and carry on”?
We also chose a relocation date to be mid-July, so our son could finish school in NY, and we had time to get out to England without anything falling through the cracks. My husband was going back and forth from NY to London, so I was on single parent duty quite a bit on top of everything else happening to my body.
MARCH — MAYish: Hair kept falling, kept getting cut shorter (length went from down my back to a chin-length bob). No real solid answers, but mental health was in the toilet due to this, and moving stress. Dove into reconnecting with meditation, strengthening my faith and improving sleep quality and mental health…all while still planning an international move and exploring alternative hair options.
(SN: A major shout out to Jessica, the owner of The Shop in Latham, NY for her hair loss/wig expertise. I cannot stress seeing her enough if you find yourself in a similar situation. Jess prepared me for the uncertainty by helping me select (insanely realistic human hair) wigs in case I needed them. Moving to a new country without knowing what I would possibly need added to my stress, which I did not need. Jess is also an incredibly talented hair stylist and can cut a pixie like no one’s business.)
JUNE — JULY: The move progressed, and we were coming down to the wire. So, I went to see Jess for a pixie cut. I felt liberated by moving to London with a “new me” and tried my best to embrace the uncertainty, taking the “it’s just hair” approach. But, in reality - I have to admit, it was more than that. It was a huge part of my identity, and the uncertainty of why this was happening was a daily frustration. It became a journey of health — physical, hormonal and mental. It was exhausting. I felt angry, overwhelmed, and depressed — but I didn’t have time to be depressed. My dermatologist (Dr. Menon at Magnolia Dermatology — so positive, thorough, brilliant) told me she doubted the early scarring alopecia biopsy result very much, which took a weight off a bit.
Sigh. Because I’m sick of writing/reliving it — my hair journey has balanced out a bit after seeing a dermatologist here in London as well (with whom Dr. Menon agrees with regarding my treatment plan). I’m seeing regrowth, trying not to stress, embracing life/body changes and MOST importantly — enjoying life and finding joy. So, moving on…
AUGUST: Getting settled in our new home in London was fun, a process (but we’ve done this many times before), and we had so much fun exploring our new town. Our son was about to start school, so we made a couple friends who live locally to us, which also gave me some tips/insight to living in our area. We visited the National History Museum in London and took in the sights of our new city.
SEPTEMBER: School started and our son took two whole days to get settled in and learn that he absolutely loves his school. It took me a little bit longer, but I also found my place.
OCTOBER — DECEMBER: A long-awaited trip to Paris, Halloween, settling in even more, the US election and a trip back to NY for a week before celebrating a quiet Christmas here in London.
Whew. It’s been a year. I feel like I’m missing a bunch of little things that I could turn into big, insightful things…but there’s always 2025 for that.
My new year resolution is to write more…and often. And, explore even more! Explore, write, explore, write. Hopefully there’s enough time in the days.