My hair's been bothering me for a few months now. It's been way too long. It was so long that it was getting caught in the door of the car when I'd get in. I'd pull on it every time I carried a bag over my shoulder. It was generally a tangled mess. So, when I started thinking about my trip a couple of weeks ago, I started dreading getting on a plane with all that hair. And, what about carrying a heavy bag? That would really pull at the hair. So, I went in to get it chopped off. I figured I could get enough cut off that I could donate it to Locks of Love and still have what was left fall below my shoulders. So, that's what I told the stylist I wanted to do. "Oh," she commented, "they require 10 inches if you want to donate it." I was pretty sure I had more than enough to do what I wanted but told her to go ahead and cut off a little more if she needed to do so in order to get 10 inches. And, so she set about her job. She made a pony tail, whacked it off, and set it on the counter in front of us. It looked like quite a bit more than 10 inches to me but...whatever. So, she went about straightening things up and when she was done, my hair was very short. It bobbed around above my shoulders. Hmmmm...

But, it was okay. Shorter than I wanted. I couldn't make a pony tail with it anymore. But, it would grow. So, she put the pony tail in a bag for me and away I went. When, I got home, though, I had to measure. I had to see. 'Cause, clearly, it was more than 10 inches. And, lo:

Yep. 18 inches. She cut off almost twice as much as she needed to cut! What do you think? Should I take a ruler to the woman so she can figure out just how long 10 inches is? Nah, probably not. I'm over it. And, in another month or two, my hair will be as long as I wanted it when I went in. It does grow, doncha know? Heh.

It's funny. It startles some people. And others, mostly of the male persuasion, don't seem to notice at all. And, let me tell you, it's a big change. I don't think I've had hair this short in nearly 20 years. Most people that notice ask if I donated the hair. Which strikes me as kind of odd. That's a rather personal question, doncha think? But, then, I'm not one for asking questions like that. I never presume to touch someone's belly when I see a pregnant woman. But, you see (and hear about) that sort of behavior all the time. So, who am I to say what's personal and what's not? The times, they are a-changin' and I'm (apparently) just an old-fashioned kinda gal when it comes to that sort of thing.

Posted on March 18, 2007 by Joanna