Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
My hair is thick, and it grows rather quick. I understand it comes from my grandmother on my mothers side, Irish-American from Aroostook County Maine. I was born with a full head of dark brown hair, which incidentally all fell out in my first few months on earth. Of course it all grew back, with a vengeance. During my formative years, my parents would get me a haircut about once a month at Haircutters LTD on DW Highway in Merrimack. Inspired by the likes of Scottie Pippen, Kendall Gill, Chris Mullen and other superstars of the NBA, I was likely the first white male in New Hampshire to have his hair cut with the assistance of a styling tool called "The Flat-Topper". This was essentially a large hair-pick with a tubular spirit level between the comb and the handle. With a little guidance, "Kim" got my style down pat, and would freshen me up once a month. In a time before I would entertain using hair gel or other styling products, the thickness of my hair combined with the speed of growth created somewhat of a fuzzy, straight-haired "afro" a few weeks after each cut. Towards the end of middle school, like many of us, I became increasingly more image conscious.
During the summer of 1994, as I prepared to enter high school, I bought my first pair of hair clippers, and shaved my head.
One of the many highlights enjoyed at Merrimack High School is the freedom to wear a hat if one so chooses. Baseball hats were the style then just as much as they are today. Though I only fully shaved my head that one time, a page had been turned. There would be no more concerns about an afro-puff look as haircuts had become abundant and free of charge. I had time to develop a style and technique with the ability to "cover up" with a cap at school. Still inspired by the NBA, I began to develop a fade technique. In order to see the sides and back of my head I knew I'd need a proper mirror setup. I went to Home Depot and bought a box of 12" x 12" mirrors and a roll of duct tape. I taped the edges of 3 mirrors then attached them, protecting the edges and creating a flexible 3-way mirror with 360 degree views of my scalp.
Starting at age 14, I'd cut my hair almost every week. It's an interesting process learning the contours of your skull and all of the directions in which your hair grows. At the same time, you have a close inspection of your face. I'm sure many girls around this age get a similar experience when they begin to use makeup, but I imagine there is a small percentage of us males who have a similar familiarity with our faces. I had a close-up view as facial hair began to grow in as I progressed through high school. After college, I reduced my cuts to about once every two weeks. Exposure to the California sun also expedited the formation of wrinkle lines, mainly around the eyes and on my forehead. Fifteen years of cuts before I noticed my first gray hair. I was at Wrigley Field just a few years back when my young nephew pointed out that I had 3 colors of hair in my beard. The brown and gray had been identified but the sunlight in the northside ballpark highlighted the red, which I also inherited from my grandmother.
I remember around this same time my friend Kevin telling me how his girlfriend would pull them out whenever she found one sprouted from his head. Only during the past year or two have I noticed a significant increase in the number of grey and white colored hairs on my head, and in my beard. These days, I wait approximately 3 weeks between cuts, the light-colored hairs are more visible as they grow in length. More than ever I've been reflecting on the 20 plus years I've been looking so closely at myself . . .
Where I've been, what I've done, people I've known, where I'm going . .
Who I am.
I am a good distance from where I thought I'd be when I began cutting my own hair two decades ago, yet I feel each gray hair tells a story. So many miles, so many adventures, so many friends, so many discoveries. Our appearance along with our expressions tell a great deal to those able to read them. Life is for all of us a journey of highs and lows, ebbs and flows. We have control of our outlook and are the spark required to ignite action and change.
Look into you own eyes. Reflect on who you are, and where you've been. Explore you mind's eye, unearth your potential, meditate on your future, your position, your location . .
Hair turns gray.
Become what you think about.
Progress is
impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot
change anything. GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
