Am I Going Bald...or Is My Head Getting Bigger?

I recently visited the hair salon, and my longtime stylist ran her fingers critically through my hair. I could see the wheels turning, the furrowed brow, the thoughtful pause. She was clearly searching for the right words, trying to say something honest without sending me running for the nearest wig shop.

Finally, she looked up at my reflection in the mirror and delicately said,

“I think your follicles are growing farther apart.”

I couldn’t help it. I laughed out loud.

The poor woman had tried valiantly to cloak what I already knew in politically correct language. My hair was thinning.

I used to break brushes in my thick mane, and I spent years fighting with curls that refused to behave. Now, every morning, the mirror shows a little more scalp and a little more silver.

Do I worry about it? Nope.

That’s one of the unexpected gifts of age, you start to prioritize what’s actually worth worrying about.

Years ago, when I went through cancer treatment, my hair fell out in clumps. Showers became battlefield cleanups, and I grew quite fond of scarves and hats.

Eventually, it grew back. Not quite the same, but it came back, and I’m grateful.

Grateful for the lifesaving treatment.

Grateful for the hair that returned, however wispy or white.

It’s grey. It’s thin.

And that, my friends, is why God created hats.