Saturday, October 9, 2010

Hair Beautiful Hair!

Hair beautiful hair, gimme head with hair
Long beautiful hair, Shining, Gleaming, Streaming
Flow it, show it, long as God can grow it
Hair beautiful hair
Flow it show it, let it fly in the breeze
Hair beautiful hair

If you are a child of the 60's and 70's you know this song from the musical HAIR.

This is the song that has been in my head since I started seeing those silver and black dust bunny balls of hair all over my house.

I have a long relationship with hair and not just my own.

When I graduated high school back in 1972 I started working at my Dad's barber shop.
My dad came to this country from Italy in 1953 and soon became a barber. He also became a barber teacher so consequently all of his 4 children were taught to the skill of barbering. My father rightly assumed that if we had a trade we would always be able to work. So in my 20's I worked as a barber, cutting hair, doing straight razor shaves, competing and winning in Hair Competitions all over the East Coast and I even went to Royal Albert Hall in England for a world competition in 1981. I also studied and became a hairdresser bringing perms and coloring to my Dad's old fashioned Barber shop in Collingdale. It was there that I met Clint, I cut his hair! to this day I still cut hair~my grand kids, my kids, my husband and my Dad. A barber chair sits in my basement.
In my time I have swept up many a pile of hair in the barber shop.

Sweeping up you own hair is a different story!

My hair is naturally curly, when straight hair was in I ironed my hair or used globs of dippy do and rolled my hair up in orange juices cans or the biggest curlers I could find to make it straight. I finally gave up and let it go natural. I was never sorry. My hair was effortless, wash and go. For years I also colored my hair, hennaed my hair "South Philly Red" Clint called it! I finally decided to let the silver come in and I loved the way it looked!

As you can see I am thinking about my hair a lot these days. No matter~ what it is a difficult thing to lose one's hair. I was lucky the first time around with my chemo, it thinned and the texture changed but I still had hair. These drugs are much stronger and although my doctor did not commit to saying I would loss my hair, it is falling out and shedding with lightening speed.

I try to joke and prepare my grand kids saying that I will look like Pop Pop soon.  That my son in law Rick and I will be twins. The humor works sometimes but I still have a knot in the pit of my stomach for the moment when I wake up and look in the mirror and look like I have Cancer. I think that may be what is bothering me most, that I will LOOK sick. That I will look like I have Cancer. Well no, If I am honest it is the fact that I will be bald and that I hate hats and wigs and scarfs and that I have always always had long hair... Always!

My life has a new reality now. One I can't control. I need to go with the flow, realize after all it is JUST hair and it will grow back and that this is a small price to pay to get better. I know all of those things in my heart but it is still hard.

After my last blog so many of you have sent me notes and e mails and cards showing your support and love and cheering me on, making me laugh and offering suggestions for wigs and scarfs and hoop earrings and I am so grateful for that.
 
This too shall pass. I know this in my heart and I feel the love and support of everyone around me.

Clint even bought me a beautiful pair of dangling gold earrings made in Italy. So I think I will try to find some fun hats or maybe a leopard scarf, I am Italian you know and I love leopard prints!
I will get through this part, maybe with a few tears for my hair but in the end getting better is what matters most. And I do plan to get better!!!

Halloween is right around the corner, I am sure I can find some funky things to put on my head!

Hair Beautiful Hair!

4 comments:

  1. You should definitely get a scarf, big earrings and a crystal ball... your next profession-just work on the "gypsy" accent! All the best to you, Susan. I love your classes and your positive encouragement.

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  2. The Finney family has been thinking of you! You are always so positive and strong!

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  3. The hardest thing about treatment is losing your hair. I went through this myself 15 years ago & I'm still here to talk about it. It was tough, But when it happened I looked at it as a badge of honor. It was evidence of what I was going through. I did the wig thing, not fun but eventually my hair grew back. Embrace everything your dealing with. It makes you stronger. You will always continue to be the beautiful person you are.
    Fondly,

    Anne Lane

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  4. dear susan, I am here in italy with my mom and she sends you her special love vibrations! we think of you, wish we were closer and love you sooo much

    I guess nobody will notice the scarf as long as you keep on hypnotizing them with your irresistable smile! sara mitì e cesidio

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