One All Around

The electric clippers whir as I watch the hair tumble from my head. Strands of black and gray reflect the challenges of the recent past. And the man in the mirror - freshly-shaven - remembers.


As the last five springs made way for scorching Nor Cal sunshine, I would always prepare myself for the inevitable comments and questions. Friends and students have always wondered why I buzzed my hair. Sometimes, it's easier to spare folks the long version and tell them "it's my summer cut." In actuality, it's become a custom of mine since the earlier stages of Replacing Nemo.

05.26.2011 - Pre-Op Fresh Buzz

In the days prior to my life-preserving operation, I predicted that personal grooming would take a big backseat to recovery. The last thing I'd want to do with a six-inch mail slot in my chest is lean over the bathroom sink and fuss with styling and trimming my hair. In anticipation of this, I headed to my local barber and asked for the shortest haircut I could get. Minutes later, I was the grinning recipient of a fresh buzz cut: #1 all around my noggin.

While that decision proved to make things more convenient for a recovering heart patient five years ago, the tradition it birthed has become more than just a reunion with a previous fashion choice. It's now a reminder of the strength I found in my loved ones, the triumph of recovery, the tragedy that could've been, and the gift that is today...and beyond.

C.S. Lewis said, "hardship often prepares an ordinary person for an extraordinary destiny." When I look into the mirror on the anniversary of my valve replacement surgery and see my shaven head, I remember to take that struggle and allow it to bolster me as I journey towards my extraordinary destiny.

Happy Nemo Day!