C Gets a Haircut

    C has had long hair for as long as we've been married. It was above his shoulders in our wedding pictures. When it grew longer he took to wearing it in a small ponytail. Think Founding Fathers type of ponytail. I kind of liked the long hair. You don't see many men his age with long hair and being a musician, I felt it was appropriate.
  He's been thinking about cutting it for the last year or so. He vacillated. Sometimes he would get annoyed with his hair and mumble something about cutting it. Sometimes he would admire it and want to leave it as is.
  Sometimes he would ask me what I thought. I would always tell him that it is his hair and he can do what he likes.  He's the one who has to live with it. In truth, I did not want him to cut it. Part of my reason is that I didn't want him to fit the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint stereotype. When you think of male LDS members, you generally tend to think short conservatively cut hair, white starched shirt, dark pants and a red small print tie. It can be a little intimidating. I wanted those who visit our church to see that all kinds are welcome.
  Lately, he had talked about cutting it more often. I still stuck to my stand that he should do what he wants. When he pressed me I confessed to him that I didn't want him to, but would love him no matter what he chose. It was probably the wrong things to say.
  A couple of weeks ago, he decided to cut it. It was time. He wanted to make a new start. I told him that I was still fine with whatever he chose, but that he needed to find a good salon. I did not want him to have a bad experience. I offered to call the salon where I get my hair done. Although mostly women go there, I have seen a few men. It's an Aveda salon and Aveda has pretty high standards for stylists. I was sure that there would be someone who would do a good job. After a little waffling, he let me call. I got an appointment with their best men's stylist.
  He still acted like he wasn't quite sure. I decided to be encouraging. I told him that he'd like having short hair. It would be easier to take care of. His caps would fit better. He'd look handsome.
  It must have helped. He started looking forward to his appointment. He also decided that this was going to make the start of a new life for himself. There are several changes he wants to make. Getting a haircut would be a good start.
 The day of the appointment, we went in together. I went with my stylist to have my hair done and he went with his. It was quiet in the salon so I could hear him talk to the stylist. I heard him tell her and show her the pictures he'd found on the internet. It sounded like it was going well so I didn't worry.
   He was waiting in the lobby when I got done. His hair was short and curly. I didn't know his hair would be curly. I knew the end of his ponytail had curls in it but didn't think the rest of his hair had a curl. He looked handsome. I was pleased. I was even more pleased when he told me that he had donated his ponytail to Locks of Love. Locks of Love is an organization that makes hairpieces for children who have lost their hair from various medical conditions. I didn't know that C's hair was long enough. I was pleased that he did this.
  To celebrate his new 'do and the start of his new life, I took him out to lunch. We had a lovely time. He looked happy. He had posted a picture of his cut off ponytail on Facebook. People started commenting right away. All the comments were positive. I especially liked the comment of one elderly friend from South Carolina who wrote, "About Time!" Many of his cousins and his sister, Mertis, had positive comments. That made me feel good.
   I'm excited for him. He wants to start exercising again and change his diet. He wants to get serious about writing music. He wants to set some goals and make things happen.
   I look forward to seeing what he will do.