Default hair

You know when you reach that stage where your hair is in need of a cut and style and just sort of hangs there all at a loss as to where to go or what to do? I call that my default hair, and I'm experiencing it now. In the absence of a good style, my hair just defaults to a state somewhere between apathy and desperation. Many a photograph has captured my default hair over the years. In fact, you could look at photos of me at various points in junior high, high school, university and adulthood and think I'd never changed my hairstyle. Sure, the length varied somewhat, but in that space between cuts and styles, my hair assumed the same comfortable (though unattractive) default state that said, "I just can't be bothered." I was just thinking today that my hair is in dire need of a cut and style, having defaulted to blah. I went to see a friend I hadn't seen in a while and she said, "I love your hair." Seriously? It's in default mode. It's not good. Please, don't encourage it.

I remember several years ago when one of my nephews was about four I had just freshly gotten my hair cut and styled when he saw me. "Your hair looks nice," he said. "Awww..." I thought. How sweet of him to notice. "It usually doesn't," he continued matter-of-factly. Someday, if he hasn't already, he'll learn about default hair, and he'll understand. In the meantime, my wish for him - and for all of us - is that our hair be plentiful and our default days few.