A Hairy Mess

Having only the use of my left hand is proving to be quite a challenge, although perhaps this experience is helping me to prepare for the rigors of pregnancy, labor, and child-rearing (at least I keep telling myself that!). Here is a short list of what I've learned during this first week of life with one hand: patience, my limitations, what is absolutely necessary, to ask for help when I need it, to prepare things in advance, to let things go. And, more concretely, I quickly realized that there was no way my hair would survive this experience!

One day I spent two hours trying to brush out my tangled hair and ended up ripping out what seemed like half of it. Then I had to wait for my dad to wake up to ask him to braid it for me so it wouldn't immediately become a tangled mess again. Of course a night of sleeping on my braid turned it back into a rat's nest (unfortunately my hair's natural texture combined with the dry winter air makes this inevitable at this time of year). Plus, because I can't get my splint wet, it hadn't been washed in a week. My hair also hadn't been cut since last Christmas and was riddled with split ends and starting to look scraggly, so when SH offered to take me downstairs to their gay hairdresser, Martino, (who illegally styles hair out of his apartment...shhh, don't tell!) for a wash and a trim, I readily agreed.

It was so nice to be able to just walk down one flight of stairs in my slippers to get my hair done. I also loved that there was no smell of harsh chemicals in the air. Instead there was soothing classical music, a box of Sea's chocolates, and Martino's amiable chatter. He ended up taking eight inches off, so now my hair ends at my shoulder blades. I was a bit nervous when I saw my long tail of hair lying on the floor, but actually I like my new look. My hair looks a lot thicker, healthier, and darker and seems much easier to manage. And anything that makes my life easier at the moment is more than welcome!