new thread
As of this Sunday, it will be 1 year since I last cut my hair.
First off, I'd like to thank (sounds like the Oscars doesn't it) the founders and members of this community. If it wasn't for all of you, I may well have given up several times. Not that I've specifically asked for support, it's just that I felt the support of being a member of this community.
There are just a couple of things I'd like to share. I started on this journey mainly as part of an effort to save money. I'd had inspiration in the past from a dear friend who is gone from my life for the past 20 years as well as from a great-uncle who passed away several years ago. Neither of these people were famous, or accomplished anything special, but were just truly nice people who coincidentally had made a personal commitment to not cut their hair. It may sound weird, but since I've been growing my hair out, I've found that my own satisfaction with my life has improved greatly. Also, I’ve taken more control of my life and many of the problems that I had last year are now either gone, or much reduced.
At this point, I'm still unsure about how long I will grow and am being content to just go along with the process until I decide to stop.
I've received support from unlikely sources; old friends make jokes (in good spirit), colleagues have been curious, and managers that I report to have been down-right supportive. My family on the other hand are having a bit harder time. My wife, who has never made it through the awkward stage, goes through times when my hair frustrates her. My daughter (15) who is embarrassed by almost anything I do, is embarrassed by this as well although I have heard her tell her friends that she thinks I’m “cool” but that may be because we’re interested in many of the same things. She remarked to me the other day that I now remind her of a wookie that’s been strategically shaved :-D . My son (13) doesn’t seem to care one way or another – I’m still “Dad”.
When I started, I was planning on trying to keep the same “look” at work as I had with short hair for which I figured a ponytail would be the way to go. I had no idea at the time how long it would take to reach that stage. I managed to wear my first “tail” at work for a full day yesterday although it needed repair several times. Interestingly, I’ve actually grown to like the way my hair looks down so will probably do that for most of the time.
One of the biggest challenges I’ve had managing my hair surprisingly has been in my workshop. The hair in my eyes wasn’t too bad, but dangling hair around power tools is quite dangerous. I’ve tried using a bandana which works pretty well although I’ve had a few wardrobe malfunctions mid job. What I’ve found works best for me is almost like a “top tail” where I gather any hair that might fall into my eyes and make a tail at the top of my head. The women in my life find this horribly embarrassing and have asked that I don’t go out in public like that, but it keeps me safe in the workshop and helps keep my hair under my straw hat when I'm working around the yard.
I’ve posted a few pictures if anyone is interested. This includes a single “before” picture as well as a few pictures along the way. If you can’t access the web site, please note that it’s a personal server that is generally turned off from midnight to early morning GMT-4 (Toronto, Ontario, Canada time).
Thanks again everyone.
Sorry - I typed my message in Word first and then pasted here (spelling counts after all) and it messed up my links.
grumble ...
My Hair Pix
Hey man: Congrats on your 1st year. May you have many more! I esp. liked your vid clip. Your hair looks great. The varied reactions you are getting from friends, family and colleagues sound quite normal: you win some...you loose some...and some get rained out. In the end it's what matters to you that counts and as you said, since letting it grow other things in your life have seemed to fall into place. That's awesome and I hope it continues along with your future hair growth! Hang in there - Bruce'ster
What a difference between the 2000 pic and the current ones. Hair looks good. The one where you have it hanging down over your face reminds me of 'Cousin It' of the Adam's Family fame.
Carol
This is a very nice write up of your progress indeed, thanks for the insight on how your long hair has affected your life. I must say it surprises me that your managers have supported you, as from what I read around here and the LHC, it's usually the opposite. Maybe changes are slowly occuring for the better? Who knows.
I find that having what you call a top tail is very convenient when i'm doing anything that requires hanging my head down, or while doing exercise like pushups. Otherwise the hair cleans your floor real fast :P
In fact, I've worn a top tail to school for at least two weeks in a row a few months back, and didn't seem to have any negative feedback at all. I use a thin black hairband so that you almost can't see it, so it doesn't stand out too much.
Anyway, very nice progress compared to the before picture. And although the ponytail suits you well, the most obvious aesthetic improvement to me is simply wearing your hair down and slightly brushed back, as opposed to the before picture. Keep your hair growing and thanks for the update :)
Excellent update Andrew your hair is great and I think the family will get used to it in time. how many teen girls have fathers with long hair that should be really cool.
Kevin
Hi Andrew,
I have had a chance to look at your pictures in your link below, and just wanted to say that you are making remarkable progress. Your hair is in fantastic condition and looks great, and can only get better the longer you grow it.
Keep it growing,
David
Thank you everyone for your positive and supportive comments.