I’m Bald

I‘m bald. How’s that for a lead? The shock value alone is worth using that statement to open up this post. Baldness is one of those things that people try not to focus on…because for some, it’s just not an easy thing to talk about. My follicly-challenged state seems to be connected to the fact that my dad, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather were all bald. All of them. I have three brothers. They’re all bald. All the males on my mother’s side were bald.

I didn’t stand a chance! I had long hair at one time; and there were a few moments when I convinced myself that I would be an exception to the rule…but I was wrong. No amount of wanting my hair to stick around made a difference. I wasn’t able to curtail its departure anymore than I could stop a 747 that was heading in my direction. It’s gone, and there is nothing I can do to bring it to its former thick auburn luster.

Oh, I can pretend that I still have hair, but it would only be an illusion. Entire industries have been built to counter baldness, but in the final analysis, I’ve always felt like it was a “cover-up.” (Pun intended.)

Here are just a few methods that people have used over the years:

Wigs. I’ve tried a few of them on. Not only did I look ridiculous, but they were scratchy and bothersome. I can’t imagine wearing one of those. No offense intended to those who might feel more comfortable wearing one…it’s just not me.

Toupees. These just don’t seem to blend in with any hair that might be left on the sides of my head. Not interested.

Creams, gels, and lotions. I don’t have the time or the inclination to be consistently swabbing, rubbing, or spraying my head with topical products.

Hair replacement. I remember that ‘80s commercial from Hair Club for Men ™ with Si Sperling when he said those famous words, “I’m not only the President of Hair Club for Men ™, but I’m also a client.” Novel, but not my style.

Embracing My Baldness

I’ve accepted it, and (as lame as it sounds), I have embraced my baldness. I now even relish the fact that hair “maintenance issues” seem to be going my way. I don’t use combs, brushes, or blow-dryers; and my personal shampoo bill has gone way down. I enjoy being bald, and I’m not sure I’d want to grow hair even if I could.

What if I did want to re-grow my natural, thick, auburn hair though? Some would argue that there are things that I could do, but what if I just wanted to grow it without the aid of anything else? Sound ridiculous? It does to me. In fact, it sounds so ridiculous that it makes me chuckle when I think about it. Imagine…willing hair back on my head. How silly!

Righteous Living

I find the idea of willing hair follicles back to life to be ridiculous, but over the years I’ve repeatedly fooled myself into thinking that somehow, someway, I could live a righteous life apart from being connected to God. Who was I kidding? If I was ever going to live a righteous life, something outside of myself spiritually…something divine…something that I could never do on my own.

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh; and I will give you an heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).

I can live with baldness, but I can’t live with trying to be righteous on my own. It doesn’t work. It never has…and it never will.

Michael Temple writes from North Dakota.

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