I've had two in the past 9.5 years. That photo was taken this past Sunday.
It has not always been long and it matches my time teaching horticulture.
before we moved to Lansdale I walked to a barber and paid minimum wage rates and the jobs were done better than what I ended up paying here in Lansdale.
My students assume I do drugs. I tell them, "not since my hair was short." They shake their heads.
I say to Mosaic Woman, "I am not going to get a hair cut this summer." Years later I donate 10 inches to Locks of Love. If you don't have hair, I am sure they are willing to take cash. They do good work.
Years later another ten inches are donated. I say, "I doubt if I will grow it out again." I was wrong. It is longer than ever before.
This summer those good folk in the ed office and my ex-supervisor ponder out loud... "Why have such long hair if it is always braided?" Hmmm. "I say you will see it soon, when my wife is out of town." I don't like the knots that form.
A friend from church recently asked if she would ever see it unbraided. I say, "Maybe." Later I realize that when I get back from the Walking With God retreat, my hair will be loose and I can get to the meeting at church. She sees my hair.
How much water is wasted in taking longer showers?
A good friend in the ed office says, "Consider cutting it short." I say, "Hmmm." Maybe if we have a drought.
At Walking with God a woman approaches me and asks about how long my hair has been free to grow. She cuts hair. The next day I ask her where she works. Kutztown is a distance from Lansdale. I say, "well, if I only get it cut once every so many years...." In silence at the Jesuit Center that conversation would not have happened, except the first dinner and the last breakfast when we eat in noisiness. I envision a spiritual haircut. The stars begin to align.
In the ed office they say, "the stars?" I say, "Well I was headed out to the gym last night so when I locked myself out, I had nothing better to do than stare at the full moon and such till my wife got home." They continue to shake their heads at my goofiness.
I have said on many occasions, "If I cut it short, I will not grow it out again." A staff ID showing the stage when it was not quite long enough to pull back reminds me why. But I have incorrectly predicted the future before.
I like my hair.
Mosaic Woman braids my hair every morning and then lets it flop with gravity. I claim serious spinal cord damage. She also reacts to my goofiness. Then she dries her hands on my clothing. My life is hard.
I can't remember when exactly those two hair cuts took place. My memory is not as amazing as my hair.
I used to be self conscious about my long hair. Now it is a part of me. I have thus considered getting it cut short. It won't happen. For now.
Ten years in the Navy has had me with my head not "shaved", but close to it just about all my life. In fact, before I married and my wife took over the job, I saw no sense in waiting in line at the barbers on base, bought my own set of shears and simply run the thing over my own head using the attachment that took it the closest without shaving it all off. I can not imagine having hair as long as yours. I can't even grow a decent beard. To each their own, my friend...
ReplyDeleteJim--- Your approach is the second way to do it! A very good friend does the same thing. No hair cuts, buzz our own... some times the extremes are the best!!!!
ReplyDeleteI had long hair more than thirty years ago and found it to be too much work. My directions to everyone who cuts my hair begin with "I will wash it and comb it. Maybe - if I'm not busy that day, which is unlikely - I'll comb it again while it's drying. It has to do the rest of it alone - no hair dryers, fancy hair products, curling devices -just my fingers and a comb, but only if I happen to hit a red light.
ReplyDeleteLocks of Love is great. I'd bet on you growing it out again.
Kathryn--- sounds like my old philosophy, except throw out the comb and use the hands from beginning.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of it until my hair was long, then you hear about such things.
I've always liked people who go their own way...
ReplyDeletehey wayne! i was also part of the long hair clan: for many years, i had hair that hit my waist. "back in the day", there was no locks of love so there was no "recycling" of it. one of the last times i had longish hair and had it cut, drew asked the sytlist to save it in a braid, which is now somewhere "up attic"
ReplyDeletelocks of love has been a part of life here with both mariel and larissa growing their hair longer specifically to donate. for me as a parent, the best part was that each of them brought it to us as something they wanted to do to help others.
as for "some times the extremes are the best!!!!" -- welcome to my world! be careful or you may find yourself creeping into being an extrovert! i find it interesting that society makes certain assumptions based on a man's hair (rarely does the same happen to women.) hence, the title song from the music "hair": "my hair like jesus wore it/alleluia, i adore it . . ."
i have a personal motto that i use on one of my racing sites: red. it's as much a state of mind as a hair color.
kathryn j: i am also a fan of "do nothing hair." in fact, there's many a sunday when i appear at church with my hair still wet from the shower. i simply don't possess the patience to wrangle my hair on a daily basis.
Diane-- who knows which way I have traveled
ReplyDeleteCS-- me an extrovert. NEVER, I know what introverts think about them. ;')