I LOVE being bald. Yes, I know, pretty weird thing for someone blessed with a thick mass of untameable curls that she used to hate but grew to love, but honestly I really like this new look. And Ill tell you something having no hair makes getting up and out of the house a breeze. I actually take quicker showers than my husband!
Peter, godblesshim, having become an instant parent to four teenagers some years ago, came up with a bizarre rule called The Two Minute Shower. His attempts to turn the entire household into TTMS followers met with dismal failure. My three girls would simply give him The Look as they trailed steam and wet towels. My son, who should have been more receptive to the concept being of the same species as Peter, just grunted and tried to wrestle him to the ground. As the wife, I paid no attention to Ps quaint little quirks. But these days Im not only a convert to TTMS, I'm its best practitioner. With no hair to wash and condition or legs to shave, two minutes is longer than I need.
After Id shaved my head and become a regular in the infusion room at Norwalk Hospital, I discovered that walking around au naturel was not the norm at all. In fact, I was the only one without a wig or scarf! Mind you, Id started off wearing hats and scarves, mainly to keep my head warm but also because I didnt want to make onlookers uncomfortable. But there came a day when keeping my head warm was the last thing I wanted, and I didnt give a hoot what anyone thought.
My step-daughter Rony was visiting from Australia and I decided to take her to Stew Leonards. It was the middle of the afternoon and the temperature was hovering around 105 degrees. (Do you remember Robin Williams in "Good Morning, Vietnam?" Its hot! Damn hot. Real hot!) As we set off across the parking lot I realized Id left my Panama hat in the car. Ooof! We were nearly at the air-conditioning. Did I want to go back for the hat? No way.
Now that I think back to my pre-cancer days, I dont remember seeing a lot of bald women walking around and Im the sort that notices that sort of thing. So I was absolutely gob-smacked that no-one stared at me in Stews. Actually, not quite true. Little kids stared open-mouthed, then tugged at their mothers, but nobody pointed or said anything out loud. Quite amazing. After that, I ditched the hats altogether except as sun protection. Incredibly liberating.
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