Another momentous occasion

Once again I have had a haircut. I hate haircuts. Always have hated haircuts. I remember being placed, kicking and screaming, on the padded plank that barbers would rest on the arms of their barbers chair,  just for little customers like me. When I was old enough to go to the barber by myself, that was probably when I was 7 or 8 years old. I would resist as long as I could. Finally, my mother would declare that I would go or she would take me there herself! Okay...I would go, but reluctantly. I would usually sit in that shop  for half an hour or more before it was my turn. Now this was time that I actually enjoyed because I could listen to a variety of adults in conversation with one or two of the barbers. Most customers didn't even notice me sitting there so I learned some new and interesting language. Also, they had copies of the 'National Police Gazette' to read along with Mechanics Illustrated or other how-to magazines. This must have been the final years for the National Police Gazette magazine. I have just learned that there is an archive on-line of the magazine and I may go see just what interested me so much in 1947. Even with the distraction of the magazines, I hated every minute of my time under the hands of the barber. And they were rough hands, pushing and pulling my head to suit him. Also, haircuts took a long time back then; at least half an hour or more.

This mother/son struggle with haircuts continued until I was 19 and I joined the Navy. There was no arguing about hair length anymore. It seemed like the Navy was more concerned about hair length than they were about guns and anchors. I soon abandoned all attempts to let my hair grow 'just' a little bit longer. That was for 6 years and then I found that the Navy had altered my brain in some way and I continued to have haircuts on a regular basis, though I still hated them. Not enough to kick and scream but it was hatred.none the less (I also learned that there had always been something a little 'off' in my brain and had been since birth. I have ASD, or Autism Spectrum Disorder. I'm on the spectrum but I think it's minor because I had learned to cope with the societal distress in most cases)

Then I retired and I refused to go to the barber again. It was heaven! My hair grew long and luxurious. I gathered it up in a pony tail each morning and then let it fall open in the afternoon. I also found a dentist that would put me to 'sleep' for all procedures. No barbers and no dentists to irritate me by constantly touching my head! My ASD was in heaven...

That went on for a few years and then I started to see some disadvantages to having long hair. Disadvantages that every woman knows about. Hair in your face and hair in your food and hair everywhere. You would bend down to sign a document and there was your hair, right in the way. You would wake up in the morning with hair in your mouth. And long hair demanded constant attention. You had to wash and condition it constantly. So I made the decision to go to the polar opposite and I shaved it all off.

I looked in the mirror and I liked the look! And I could wash my non-hair with a wash cloth while taking a shower. The same for keeping it short; a few strokes with the razor while in the shower and my haircut was all over with.But of course there is a downside to being bald. Everything seems to have a downside. My head needed to be covered with a hat if I wanted to go outside. I hadn't thought about that and after a year I decided to let it grow out despite the fact that I was quite handsome; or my head was handsome.

Now with conventional length hair and an old fashioned style I have found Super Cuts. A haircut in 10 minutes. I can handle that. Even though an old family friend does hair cutting  not a 1/4 of a mile away, I prefer the 10 minute haircut. I've had lots of haircuts from this friend when we lived in Susanville and so did she. But her haircuts took about an hour; she was so interesting to talk to that I could usually forget my ASD for the first half. Plus she was the only 'barber' in town. Their were others but they reminded me too much of my boyhood barbers.

I've been tempted, at times, to do the long hair/no hair once again. But, at my age, just the thought of caring for all that hair makes me tired. So I go to Super Cuts once my wife tells me, in no uncertain terms, to get a haircut!