Thelma, Louise and Me

The day God taught me how to take a bad thing and use it to rearrage my destiny

Dear Friends,

 

Douglas Noel Adams said, "I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be." I know exactly what he means. It happened to me when my Oncologist said, "Be prepared to lose your hair." He said this with such conviction that I paid attention and went on a mission to find spare hair.

 

The denial that comes with any disease is a common thing, but I’d never thought of going bald at all. The truth is, I’d never worn a wig and I had no clue of where to begin to look for them. There were no wigs to be found in my town, so I gave the internet a try and found a shop in a city close by. Traveling there, I was unaware of how far away from my comfort zone I’d have to go, until I arrived and realized the store was in a rough side of town. It was obvious to me when I noted the bars on the windows and doors. Sitting there in the parking lot of the only wig store around, I asked myself, "What am I doing in this side of town?"

 

I closed my eyes and tried to visualize being at peace, baldly, but the picture wasn’t pretty at all. Instead, the vision gave me a determined will that simply refused to go bald. I made a command, right then and there, "I will not go home without hair to spare." Waiting a moment or two until the time seemed right, that same determined will whispered in my ear, "Get out of the car and go inside." Determination can be a nagging thing sometimes, but I took a deep breath and told myself, "Get over the bars on the windows and doors." Locking my car , I slammed the door and boldly walked into the store.

 

Still, as bold as I’d been the moment before, immediately upon entering, my determination was replaced with what I’m sure was a pathetic look on my face. Every eye stared at me as if to ask, "Why is she in this place," but the store clerk seemed the most surprised when I walked inside. With a ring in his nose and another on his brow, tattoos covered his bare arms and who knows what else. To me, he appeared to be more of a criminal, than anyone I’d ever ask for help. Avoiding his eyes, I smiled to hide the anxiety going through my mind.

 

The shop seemed to be haunted to me and the rows of heads were creepy. I strolled up and down the isles for a while, as if I knew what I was doing, but as hard as I tried to be dignified, a lump began to form in my throat. Saying a silent prayer, I begged God , "Please, don’t let me cry in here."

 

With an overwhelming need to flee, I turned around and almost ran into the tattooed man. To my surprise, he’d been by my side all that time. He looked me straight in the eye, so I couldn’t escape down the isle.

 

"Do you need me to help," he asked?

 

I replied that I was just browsing around, but the guy refused to leave. With no place to hide, I began to cry like a baby. Buckets of tears began to pour down my face and onto the floor. Needless to say, I was mortified, but the nose pierced guy only smiled and offered a tissue to me. After finding a chair, he kindly suggested, "Why don’t you sit here and allow me to help."

 

Dabbing my eyes, I apologized. "I’m sorry," I sobbed to the guy.

 

"I don’t know what I’m doing," I cried.

 

As I sniffled and blew my nose, he shrugged his shoulders and replied "I know what you mean, and besides, I feel that way every day."

 

It’s mysterious to me how quickly his appearance changed from a body pierced, tattooed criminal into a heaven-sent friend, and even though I felt better by then, I began to cry again.

 

"I have cancer." I slobbered all over that man who seemed to understand.

 

With mascara running down my cheeks, I confessed that I’d soon be bald. "Maybe I do need some help after all, and I need spare hair right away," I exclaimed.

 

He looked around the room and asked me to look around too. "Apparently, you’ve come to the right place," he said with a grin on his face.

 

Suddenly, it was obvious to me that I’d ended up where God meant for me to be. Hair was everywhere, obviously.

 

"I know exactly what you need," the man told me.

 

Leaving me there, he began to search for the perfect head of hair, but the next thing I knew, he’d come back with two.

 

"Meet Thelma and Louise," he announced to me. Thelma was a mysterious brunette and Louise was a voluptuous blonde. He thought she could be just for fun.

 

"Synthetic wigs are what you need," he explained. The style would always remain in place, and since they’d gone on sale that very day, I could buy two for the price of one. With abundance in mind, I eagerly tried them on. "You look gorgeous in each," he said to me, and oddly enough, I agreed.

 

I couldn’t remember having more fun, and I began to feel mysteriously glamorous. It’s strange how quickly everything changed and my fearful thoughts were rearranged.
By the time I walked out the door of the store, I had more hair than I’d ever had before. The tattooed man watched out for me through the bars until I got to my car. Carefully, I placed Thelma and Louise in the passenger’s seat and waved good bye to the guy who became an angel in disguise.

 

With peace of mind and completely at ease, I rolled the windows down as I fearlessly roared through that rough side of town. "I’ll never be bald," I shouted gleefully. I've never felt so powerfully free as I did that day with Thelma and Louise. The wind blew our hair as the radio blared, and we must have been a sight to see.

 

Somewhere along the way I believe I heard God say, "I’ve given you the power to choose your destiny." The only reply I could find in my mind was to answer him, "Amen." And so it is and has to be when we believe.

 

The months went by, and to my Oncologist surprise, I never lost one hair on my head. Not only did I keep all my hair, but with Thelma and Louise, I had hair to spare. "You must have hair follicles of super strength, he scratched his bald head and said. Even so, I knew and believed that I’d never be bald unless I chose to be.

 

Still the angel in the wig store was right. Thelma and Louise were fun for a while, but they only reminded me that God provides abundantly, even in the midst of a deadly disease. I always have more than enough of what I need.

 

God’s greatest gifts are often found in the strangest places, and even within the most unlikely faces, but if we follow his lead, we always end up where he intends us to be, and today I remain cancer free. That’s why I tell everyone I meet the story of Thelma, Louise and Me.

 

Sincerely, Vicki Phipps

Author's Note

A reminder to you, who might need to find the power God gave to you. Like me, maybe Thelma and Louise will lead you to where God intends you to be. That's the only reason why I share this true story of Thelma, Louise and Me.

Reviews

[TamiViolet]

What an inspirational piece, Vicki. Yes, destiny takes us where we are intended to be,
and many times, catches us by surprise. We find angels when we least expect them
as you did in the wig store. He freed you in a sense...radio blasting...wind blowing...
you regained your strength and power... The ironies and blesssings in life...you never
lost your hair although you were ready....ready to take on life..
*hugs*

[pinpen]

Wow toally inspired by this. Veyr inspirational.
I enjoyed this.

[Brenda Sue]

Oh Vicki, this is beautifully written and a wonderful story. It is so encouraging and uplifting. Thank you for sharing this with us. This is going into my favorites.