Well, I cut off my long hair.
Do I miss my longish hair? Yes.
Do I feel better? Yes.
So, all in all, it's a wash.
Truth be told, my hair has always been an enigma.
I have fine, straight hair that goes in a part inherited by my father.
But about ten years ago, I did the dumbest thing I could do with my head: I cut it all off.
I was going through this scorched earth phase, and getting a buzz felt like the right thing.
I wanted to look like a younger version of Bruce Willis, but my awkward Mellon is also fat. So a buzz cut doesn't look good on me. At least not Bruce Willis, cool.
Lucy even went so far as to say I look like a thumb. She wasn't entirely wrong.
Then, there's this in-between phase while growing my hair back out that I look like a chia pet.
Needless to say, it wasn't my best stylistic choice.
But the buzz cut ushered in a M.A.D.D. hair detente between Lucy and me.
See, because Lucy is always doing crazy things with her hair. I'm okay with most of what she does with her head, except filling it with episodes of Vampire Diaries. She binges on a lot of shows, and that's my least favorite. I like actors but can't stand the show.
Before lumping me in with the evil petty male patriarchy, let me explain: yes, my wife can do anything with her hair, and I'll still love her, but I still have my preferences.
I'd argue all couples do.
I love Lucy's long hair. I love her natural hair color. I love it when she colors in some soft brown, almost blondish color, and it mixes with her darker hair. Especially when she braids her hair with those colors, I think this coloring also fits her skin tone.
I like it when she curls it more than when she straightens it.
And I like it when it's just normal.
But Lucy said, if I ever cut my hair short again, she'll cut her down to a bob.
I hate bobs about as much as I hate short hair on women.
Ugh.
She's gotten close a few times. Close enough to where I was ready to run down to H.E.B. and buy a pair of clippers.
There were other negotiations, and I relented.
Lucy loved my long hair, and I liked feeling her hand run through my hair. It was one of those things that both of us could get lost in for a short while.
So why did I cut it?
I'm still old school when it comes to professionalism.
I know, I know, it's 2022. I've seen all kinds of folks in a professional environment these days, especially in Austin. And it shouldn't matter how a person presents themselves to a certain extent.
But I still believe appearances matter.
I think you got to look the part, and for the jobs, I'm going for, so I needed to look the part.
Plus, I think it affects the psyche a little bit.
I did feel a little more buoyant walking out of my barber's shop, and now ready to take a few interviews when they come.
Funny thing, on my last job, one of the interviewers looked at me and told me I was the first interviewer she had seen wearing a tie. I felt dumb for a second, but hey, you never know.
Still, I heard a story in one interview that the guy showed up and used a pickle filter on the whole interviewer. And he didn't get the job for some reason.
I told my barber about this M.A.D.D. arrangement between my wife and me. She laughed as she cut my hair.
I told her while leaving, if you see my wife in a day or two, call me and put the clippers down and step away from them. I'll be on my way.