I thought I would write a long-winded post about every detail of Saturday’s St. Baldrick’s event, but I find that none of the minute details really matter. What matters is that the event goal of $100,000 was raised (plus some and still going up), and Lin and I had a incredibly moving and wonderful day full of love surrounded by friends, family and supportive strangers.

The love in the air was palpable! The whole thing was a tremendously moving experience, but what I wasn’t at all prepared for was the amount of love and affection (and attention) focused on my head while I was sitting in that chair having my hair buzzed off. I’m certain I have never had that many people taking photos and videos of me all at once … and looking at me with big old smiles on their faces. Meanwhile, I was sitting in that chair having a great many thoughts flying through my head. No regrets, but when the large chunks of hair started landing in my lap, there was some contemplation of the years that hair had been there, all that hair had been witness to, and how I was just letting that all go.

There wasn’t any actual bravery required at that point. By the time Lin and I got into the chairs, I’d had a while to get totally fired up and excited and energized by the atmosphere of joy I was swimming in. My one huge fear –the one I’d had all along– was that my head was going to be some sort of weirdo mutant head or have a bunch of scars or who knows what under all that hair. That fear was quelled about a minute into the actual head buzzing by the chick taking off my hair. “You’re head is perfect! It’s perfect for this! Such an awesome round, smooth head!” I wasn’t sure if she was just saying that or if it was true, but it was what I needed to hear, so I was glad to hear it.

I didn’t actually get a look at myself until we were leaving a passed a sheet glass window. I determined I didn’t look like a mutant, and we went on to have some fun at Papasito’s (best mango margaritas on the planet), and when Mike and Donna went back home, we ran around town a while with Gen (and ended up at P. Terry’s for burgers).^† I didn’t really get a proper look at myself in a well-lit mirror until everyone had gone home. And you know I then gave it a good looking over!

It’ll take a while to get used to my new reflection, but I like what I see in the mirror. I think I look pretty damn kick-ass. I did find a small birthmark on my head I never knew existed, and there is one small and fading scar from when I rammed my skull into a kitchen cabinet door the first month we lived in the house. A careful inspection of the stubble leaves me still somewhat clueless as to what color I can expect my hair to be when it starts growing back. It looks like a nice mix of something dark and silver. And who knows what the natural texture of it will be, but I think we’ll all be surprised to see if it’s really straight (no, it’s not terribly straight) or more like the hair of every other woman in my family (kinky and wavy). I do like how I look though, and it’s entirely possible I will be keeping it somewhat closely buzzed down for a while … at least through summer.

I do want to talk about the bravery required to be out in the world as a woman with no appreciable amount of hair. It was easy being brave on Saturday, because I was surrounded by people who love me (and who I love), and so the rest of the world didn’t really exist. I wouldn’t have noticed had anyone been looking at me, because when my loved ones are around, no one else really matters. Gen remarked after we’d been there a bit that no one was even batting an eye at the bald people, and well … it is Austin. Bald people is hardly the weirdest thing a person might see. And at P. Terry’s? Lin and I looked like total squares compared to the rest of the patrons (as we always do). There were at least three people sporting mohawks that came in while we were there and a full rainbow of unnatural hair colors. That’s Austin for ya!

It was also easy to be brave on Sunday while we lounged around the house not doing the things we should have been doing (plowing and planting). Yes, it’s easy being bald when you don’t leave your house! Today though, I actually have to go out into the world all by my lonesome, and I will admit to feeling a few little pangs of “OMG! I feel totally weird! People are going to look at me like I’m a weirdo!” I’m sure it won’t happen a lot, due to Austin’s live and let live attitude and the amount of true weirdness that exists here, but there are sure to be a few looks and maybe some comments, most likely in my own somewhat more conservative neighborhood. Therefore, I’m going to go to Tech Ridge to do today’s grocery shopping. It feels like a good place to ease into being out in the world minus my hair.

Now what’s the reality of not having a ton of hair on my head really like? Pure awesome! With the longest part of my bathing process gone, I can now take five minute showers, and I am totally wash-and-go too. I haven’t had to brush my hair ten thousand times a day to keep it from becoming a bird’s nest of tangles. I don’t have hair getting in my face every five seconds. Washing my face is no longer a drawn out process requiring putting my hair up first. I no longer have to be semi-conscious of where my hair is while I am sleeping.^†† In general, my hair is just simply not in my way every minute of every day anymore, and that’s been really, really nice.

So a great day was had on Saturday, and it was everything I wanted (needed) it to be and more, and I’m still feeling fabulous about the whole event. It is going to take some getting used to, because who knew I tucked my hair behind my ears a million times a day … or reached for the hair brush every time I entered the bathroom … or brushed my hair out of my face every two minutes. You see, the hair may be gone, but the habitual movements are very much still there. Nothing funnier than trying to move around non-existent hair. LOL!

There will be photos and videos from Saturday trickling in as I get them from our friends and find others online, for now … here’s the first video from Donna (a member of my “entourage” hee hee):

And … me and my fuzzy head…

In closing, I just want to once again thank everyone for the donations, love, and support! I’ve got the best friends and family a girl could ask for. You guys ROCK!

1. † While we were at Papasito’s, other shavees and barbers from the Saint Baldrick’s event kept trickling in, which made us all giggle. [↩]
2. †† Seriously, if you have never had long hair, you cannot know what it’s like sleeping while having long hair. I was never able to sleep with it in braids or anything, so I was always getting it wrapped around me or under my or Lin’s body parts and getting it pulled and generally always had to move it when I rolled over –the ten thousand times a night I rolled over. I’ve gotten some of the best sleep ever the last two nights, though the sensation of head on pillow is a little weird. It tickles. Beats having my hair pulled in my sleep though. [↩]