Torn Between Two Women

Getting a haircut is a very personal decision for me as this entry from January 17, 2011 shows!
I returned to her Saturday. After eighteen months away, I just walked back into her life ... and she let me. Not only did she let me, she welcomed me with no reservations. No questions about the other woman, only joy that I had come back to her. She even had a gift prepared, put aside with her hope that I might walk through that door once again. I could tell she had the present for a long time as it was dusty, a souvenir of her birthplace overseas. We had been together eleven years, almost from the first week I moved to Houston. But she left the country without warning, not telling me she was leaving or when she would return. I held out, I really did, but after several weeks, I turned to another. There were similarities; both were immigrants from Asia but the new lady was younger, more exciting, and well, it was, additionally, a matter of convenience. And I stayed with my new lady, even when I heard the first woman was back in our country after an extended journey to her homeland. The ex sent messages through a common acquaintance but I was not swayed. That is, until three days ago when I made the pivotal decision and came back to her. As it often does, there was one overriding factor driving my choice, the same factor that wreaks havoc with so many lives: money. Our language barrier excluded that confession but I would not hurt her with that word anyway. It's better she thinks it was simply her. I think this time it's for good.

Whew- I'm glad to finally get all that out in the open. And who would think it would have taken so many words to explain why I went back to the lady who used to cut my hair? Unexpectedly, about a year and a half ago, she took a trip to Vietnam. When I went in to get my $3.00 haircut, she was gone. I went back again but she hadn't returned. I was getting shaggy so I visited the shop close to the school which many of our male teachers frequent. This lady, who is Korean, is excellent! She is an terrific conversationalist and finishes each cut by pummeling your back with her fists which feels really good! Unfortunately, it costs me $12.00 extra each time the new woman cuts it, a difference of about $110.00 over the course of the year, including gratuity. Since my fitness club closed, I had to join a new one, finding the cash somewhere in my budget. The easiest place for me to cut, forgiving the pun, was in the grooming department. So, I went back to my Vietnamese lady, who had returned and according to the grapevine, was missing me. I found a warm welcome home.

Our life choices are not always totally rational, are they? My decision making process has sharpened some over the years- it couldn't stay at that same level of immaturity. I once broke up with a girl I really liked over her perfume. Another time, I switched congregations because of a high school baseball game. Maybe hair isn't so insignificant, after all! The Biblical Nazirites never cut theirs and Samson met his unfortunate end, due in part, to his flowing locks. You know, Samson had problems with women cutting his hair, too. Maybe I'll just shave my head next time; think of all the money I can save on shampoo!

Applicable quote of the day:
"Hair brings one's self-image into focus; it is vanity's proving ground. Hair is terribly personal, a tangle of mysterious prejudices."
Shana Alexander

God bless,
Steve,
Luke 18:1
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E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com