cool hair

Dear Augosto,

This picture made me think about something that has been a constant issue for me ever since I was old enough to look in a mirror--Hair.

When I was a kid, I hated my hair. HAY with a capital T-E-D.

It wasn't anything like the hair I saw on TV. Not on the Brady Bunch or Family Ties or Growing Pains or even the Vidal Sassoon commercials.

It wasn't what I saw on the silver screen. Not like Rambo's or The Karate Kid's or Gizmo's(the Mogwai in Gremlins whose fur looked nice & soft like baby hair).

Most importantly, my hair wasn't even close to what was on top of my friends' heads. They had cool hair. Hair that dreams are made of. Hair that bald rich people would pay top dollar for.

My good friend Joe had a pampadour like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. It was soooooo perfect that it looked like a hair helmet and it never looked out of place even if he was just crawling out of bed. My buddy Hugo had hair like the guys in Metallica. It was straight, long, and shiny(even girls envied it). Kind of like a horse tail. I think this was due to his Aztec indio roots.

And then there was my hair. It was thick and course like an overused broom. Fluffy like a big bush. Unmanageable like an old wire brush. It was kind of like a Mexican afro. And when I would get it wet, it would repel water. No gel, no mousse, no relaxer could tame it.

Long story short, I continued to wish/hope/pray to go prematurely bald all the way up to high school.

Then, I took a job working for my Tio Samuel, or more commonly known as Uncle Sam. He helped me realize that it wasn't that I had bad hair. I just had bad haircuts.

I tell you all this in case you ever start to feel your hair has a curse on it.

We all aren't lucky enough to get the hair that we want(If you ask around, you will see that many people feel this way about their hair). But if you keep an open mind and try different styles, especially ones that are not commonly seen on the screen or on your friends, you will eventually find one that works for you.

But just a word of caution. You're mother isn't too keen on mohawks. I've asked her.

Have a great night,

Dad.