Me with hair… a lot of it

This morning my wife asked me if had been it had been 10 years since I first shaved my head. I had to think about it for a minute. Yep, 10 years!

Since this is the diamond anniversary of my relationship with baldness, I believe it is time to reflect on the experience. What have I learned from being bald? Are there any hidden gems of wisdom to be discovered, polished and shared? I believe there are a few.

First, let me provide some history that lead to what I call ‘The Zen of Baldness’. As a kid, I had a full head white hair. During college, my hair grew down to my shoulders. I was cool and unstoppable. Then a funny thing began to occur in my early 20s. I noticed my scalp would get sun burned. Interesting, I thought God gave me hair to protect against that. However, upon closer examination, I came to the terrifying conclusion that I was losing my hair. Denial took over.

I tried several new-fangled hair care products, stood on my head, and rocked some really cool short haircuts (emphasis added). At one point, I had platinum hair (It’s okay to laugh). None of these tricks hid the reality that I was going bald. I knew it, my wife knew it and my friends got a kick out of watching me try to avoid the inevitable.

One faithful 100-plus degree Austin, Texas afternoon while working for Centex attempting to sell lawn care, one of my co-workers named Lance (funny enough) came in the door of the boiler room with a six pack of beer and clippers. The time had arrived.

As I took a sip of that ice cold brew, I heard the snap of the clippers and proceeded to watch my hair fall like rain into my lap. The rest is history.

Zen of Baldness Wisdom: What did I learn?

• Some things cannot be changed. Therefore, we must change or adapt. I am bald. Nothing can change that fact.
• Some things can and should be changed. Therefore, we must do everything in our power to change those things. I am bald. I can either complain about something out of my control or embrace it’s uniqueness (and convenience).
• Some things should NOT be changed. Therefore, just because we can, does not mean we should. I am bald. I should not pump a bunch of dangerous medications and hormones into my body in the attempt to grow hair.

Knowing how to discern between these 3 has brought me peace.