Spring Shearing

Spring usually brings lots of changes. The butterflies emerge from their cocoons, it's lambing season (I can say that I have seen lambing season in Tasmania and there is nothing cuter than baby lambs hopping arouund - I can't eat lamb now, I just see those little guys), leaves emerge on the trees, and flowers bloom after winter's hiberation. But, something else, something ... curious happens:

I get the urge to chop all of my hair off.

image: Dunstan Orchard
Every year for the past few years, I have had this urge. It usually strikes in February or so, but it's a little late this year, no doubt due to the rather exciting February I had. So, now I'm feeling it and it gets worse everyday - bangs in my eyes, neck hair itching, it drives me batty. And, once I've made the decision, I have to stop myself from grabbing scissors and just going to town. (Don't worry - I'm too vain to consider actually doing that. I have an appointment with an excellent stylist on Saturday).

For some reason today, though, I asked myself for the very first time, "why do I get this urge every spring?" I began my journey of hair self-discovery by asking my parents why I always had short hair when I was a kid. I figured maybe if I knew the answer to that question, I could get to what I was certain was a deep psychological need for short hair.

My father chimed in first with his theory that it was because that was what all of the kids had at the time. I'm pretty certain this isn't the case - except for the boys with the "8 Is Enough" haircut and I know even back then that I wouldn't want to look like the boys on purpose. And, I have enough memories of elementary school to remember that most of the girls had long hair.

My mom thought that it was probably a practicality thing, to give them one less thing to deal with. Getting interested in the topic, she also rolled out the subconcious theory. Maybe she was really just trying to spare me the horrors that she had as a young kid growing up with long hair. What horrors? It seems that one day my grandmother got so tired of dealing with this long hair that she took my mother to a barber and had him cut of her pigtail braids - while they were still braided. Or, there was the time that her cousins decided they wanted to "style" her hair and she endured some pretty painful hours while they brushed and brushed.

I shared with them why I was asking the question and my dad gave what was the most boring, but also the most likely reason: it's about to get hot and I want something that is cool and breathes well. Typical that the answer to my deep-seated question would be so damn practical. Personally, I think he's right but not entirely. I think it's mostly sheer (or maybe "shear?") boredom. There are so many constants in my life now - Sweetie, the kitties, our house, my job. And, I don't want to change any of these. But, that doesn't leave a whole lot that I can change around, rearrange, and just plain shake up for variety's sake. I'm pretty much left with two outlets: my hair and my clothes. I did clothes a few weeks ago. Now it's the hair's turn.

In any case, I will probably be going for the pixie cut which I've tried before, but for whatever reason, it didn't work. My current hairdresser has a knack for cutting my hair so maybe she can pull it off. I have learned that the key for me is the piecey bangs.

One of these days, though, I still may just shave it all off.