Off With Her Hair!

Today, I got my hair cut off again. Short, short.

My friends and family know that this is not the first time I've had short hair. As a general rule, I cut my hair short every 5-7 years and then grow it out again. As I told the guy who cuts my hair, I know that once I'm in my mid-50s or so, I'll go short for probably the rest of my life. So until then (another 10 years or so), I'll probably yo-yo back and forth between short and long.

Of course, long is a relative term when it comes to my hair. When I went to get it cut today, my hair was probably as long as it's been in the past 10 years. And it still wasn't down to my shoulders. I haven't had hair past my shoulders since I was in college. Even then, it wasn't really attractive. I just think I look better with shorter hair.

But here's the rub. I also have gray hair. Again, this is not a surprise to my friends and family. I was prematurely gray. I started going gray at 17. By the time I was in the middle of college, I had enough gray hair for it to be noticeable. At 20, I started coloring my hair. I colored it some form of blonde for the next 22 years. Mostly, a golden blonde. I did it myself. From a box. I think it worked.

In my early 40s, I decided to let the gray come in. By the time I got my EMBA in 2005, I had a fully head of gray hair. By then, I had also grown in my hair from the short hair I'd had until 2004.

So this is the first time in my life that I've had both gray hair and short hair. Today, right now, I love it. Tomorrow when I wash it, I'm sure it will be a shock. And of course, tomorrow I'll have to style it myself. But I am confident that it will work. And I'm looking forward to the reactions from family and friends - who have seen me with short hair and have seen me with gray hair - but now will see me with both!