10 years. 10 inches.
... of hair that is.
my sister and I recently donated our hair to Locks of Love, a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss.
my sister's decision came quickly -- most likely because she is a very giving and spontaneous person. Mine crept up like a cold. Small and subtle in the beginning and then full blown "get this hair off me".
by the time i arrived at the salon my sister's hair transformation was in full swing. all i could think was ... "you are next". i got all flushed on my chest and my face felt like it was on fire. i think i was sweating. the hair dresser pulled my long hair back into a braid, pulled it away from my nape and began to cut.. well, hack really. she realized that her shears were no match for my massive mane so she called one of the other girls over and said "bring the big shears with you!". gulp.
finally i felt the braid break free from my skull.
relief.
and closure for so many things, so many memories culminated within that 10 inches i carried for at least a decade. and although i feel a bit selfish for believing my own personal relief was the motivation for my hair disconnection -- it made me smile to think that maybe that hair will go on to love someone else as i loved it.
it was hard to see it go. i loved that long hair... and the memories it held.
but now, onto new things, new hair, new memories..
