just do it

i haven’t cut my hair in over a year. just slightly over a year. October 8, 2005 to be exact. the occasion was that my entire family was in the same state, in the same town, at the same time in something like seven years. there had been a marriage, and four children born in those seven years. we gathered together, the twelve of us, to commemorate the event with an informal family portrait. i left work early that Friday to get a hair cut. Great Clips. just cut it so i can still put it in a ponytail. i lost several inches, i was still able to pull my hair back into a ponytail, and probably most importantly, i did not end up with an embarrassing “do” in the family photo, but it was nothing to write home about.

over a year later, and i am still wearing my hair in a pony tail. i could braid it, if i had an extra fifteen minutes and the patience to do so. i think i can count on one hand the number of times i have worn my hair down in the past year. but i still want to be able to get it out of my face. and i still remember the days a hundred years ago when my age was in single digits, and the hairstyle my parents approved of invoked “Sonny, this is the Ladies Room” when i entered a public restroom. cruel, and obviously it made an impression on me.

i really want to cut it. i want to have an easy, carefree hairstyle. i don’t want to spend any more time on chick maintenance. i gave up the hair dryer when i was in high school. i gave up coloring the grey when i was in my 20’s. i want smart, sassy mom hair that does not scream “OVER 40!” and i don’t want my face to look fat.

El Jefe’ has offered to be a guest stylist at the Klampett Family Salon, but the attachments just don’t go that high for my taste, and knowing my luck i have big dents in my unknowingly misshapen head.

ugh. vanity.