The Haircut

Hair. . . most people worry about it, spend tons of money on it, and many are defined by it. Shirley Temple, Cher, Lady Gaga, over the years we have identified people by their hair. If you are not into celebrities - what about Albert Einstein, Anne of Green Gables, Stalin, Mao or Bob Marley. All recognizable primarily because of what's on top. 

When my son turned 8 years old he went from long curly locks to short wavy hair. It was a huge deal. Everywhere we went he was touched, petted and complimented on his ringlets. Sure there was the odd comment like "what would she like" or "your daughter has beautiful hair." But pretty secure in who he is, he didn't mind - the positive outweighed the negative. 

Don't get me wrong, I understand the importance of hair, I used to pay people in university to brush my hair. While my dad was in the hospital, he wanted his hair brushed and he wanted to look good, no matter how sick he was, his wavy white hair provided him with a certain dignity. 

Sure we can say to worry about our outward appearance is shallow. An industry that generates 7.5 billion dollars a year, shouldn't define us. My son learned that week that his hair did not define him, his quirky personality, smile and warmth are who he really is. After all hairless has its own category of celebrity - Kojak, songstress Sinead O'Connor and model Eve Salvail. 

Our family learned how freeing it can be to let go of something that you may think defines you and how little the outer layer is really important. That being said I just spent 45 minutes on my own hair. Alas back to "all things in moderation and moderation in all things".