Cut Swing Low

I hope everyone had a good first day of October. Mine was a bit interesting. It was my first full day with a shaved head, because the day before yesterday I said goodbye to my thick hair.

Yes it’s so. I am nearly bald, and I love it. I’ve had good feedback about it. I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss my hair, but I have my reasons for literally cutting swing low on it.

1. I’ve had fade haircuts for almost three years, so naturally after having that much hair on my head I might want to see my cranium again. It was time for a change.

1. I grew weary of hearing all the negative opinions about my hair, which include “You look like Bart Simpson”, “It looks uneven in some places” to “You use a sponge to style it?”,

1. Having that much hair on my head meant a lot of lose strands falling from my scalp. I sweep up so much lose hair from my bathroom floor that I think I could donate it to a person going through chemotherapy.

On Sunday, as I sat in that cold leather chair ready to be cut, the reality of what was about to happen sunk in when the barber not so gently grabbed me by my hair and whipped out a hair of scissors. I felt a lump in the back of my throat seeing my dark curls rain upon the floor. As soon as I walked to my car and gazed at my reflection a second time, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had made a mistake, because I didn’t think I looked as good as I did before. What were you thinking? I thought. You look weird. You look like Ghandi. What’s your lady going to think?

I’m so blessed to be with a woman who loves me for me. Though hesitant, I sent Courtni(that’s her name) a picture of me as she requested, and she didn’t have anything negative to say. Regardless of how I look she assured me that in her eyes I was handsome. Her opinion mattered to me because I always want to look good for her. I’m so glad to call her mine.

I was being insecure about cutting my hair because I have been told in the past that my head is shaped weird or that I don’t look as appealing with my hair cut low. My cranium was even once compared to one of those ancient Egyptian statues of the pharaohs. At the end of the day it’s my hair, and it’s on top of my head. Everyone has an opinion, so trying to please them all is not possible.

I take pride in looking good and presentable. You can tell by how many selfies I take. (Side note: my big brother Mike calls me the Selfie King). But this week has been a reminder to me that you shouldn’t dwell too much on your outward shell. What dwells inside that shell is what really counts. It’s how you feel about yourself that matters overall. Even if you’re not feeling yourself, the ones you hold close will be there to remind you how excellent you are. Those are the type of people you keep around.