Please Gladys, can I have a haircut?

I’ve been toying with the idea of going back to my bald headed identity which I adopted for a short time at the end of 2004. On the occasion of my 60th birthday, I had my head shaved by my hairdresser as part of the party celebrations. And I encouraged my friends and family to sponsor me in raising funds for ‘Doctors Without Borders’. That was around the time of the Boxing Day Tsunami. My friend Rick and I were able to raise $5,000 for the organisation.

What has caused me to think of undergoing drastic hair measures at this time?

Because in New South Wales we need to shelter in place, Even though we can go out for our basic necessities, hair cuts and treatments are not considered essential services.

How long will we be lockdown? How long will my locks get? Who knows? But I’m guessing another month or two. How long depends on how many of us are vaccinated and how quickly we take up that challenge. Please do get the jab for yourself and for all of our sakes!

I feel so so sorry for my lovely redhead hairdresser, Mel. Her popular New Bar Salon is closed indefinitely, and she still has rent to pay and her family of three kids to support. I know it’s not all about me, but in the meantime, my hair is losing the beautiful lines she created.

Perhaps the lack of salons is a first world problem, but we’re all getting it on all sides. Our kids are now two years into this thing and experiencing being cut off from many of the delights of childhood and adolescence–growing up together. Aged individuals, many of whom live at home or in nursing homes, are isolated from their families and friends at a time of life that is inherently lonely.

Learning from the lockdown

Fortunately, the erosion of little freedoms is not impacting our Shedders’ household of six too much. Judy and Heather got out their hairdressing scissors and set up a temporary salon on the deck. IMO, Judy gave Heather as good a haircut as Heather receives at the hands of her professional hairdresser. And like any great salon experience, there was plenty of gossip sharing and laughter.

Against the background of global heating, wildfires, floods, COVID-19, war, and oppression, Australia is truly in a relatively safe bubble. I’m not used to hardship, so the disappearance of things I’ve taken for granted is a wakeup call. It’s made me more acutely aware of the need to take care of those in our communities who are not faring so well.

I try to be in touch by phone each day with at least one person who might be feeling alone. It’s such a simple thing to do: just pick up my phone and call. If someone is hard to get a hold of, it means I just have to work a bit harder to get them.

I’ve also begun running live video yoga classes twice a week. This has had me jump over a huge amount of resistance to technology. And, I’ve discovered that this, too, is not that difficult. What’s difficult is resistance itself.

So, I’m thinking, maybe a number two on Daniel’s electric clippers? What about you, dear readers, how are you faring?