Saturday I shaved my head, for the 4th time in my life, and the second year in a row for Saint Baldricks. http://www.stbaldricks.org/ Hundreds of us packed into the Foundry, firefighters, kids, long hair, short hair,  families, ancients, all smiling, happy to be doing something to make the world better.  Some for the 1st time, some for the 5th time, some for a child, nephew, sister, and others, like myself, because it is something I can do, something I can give, something I can be, to make a positive difference in the world of children.

Last year I personally raised over $1000 for children’s cancer research, and went bald along with millions of others world wide. It was an experience in community generosity, as so many of my friends and family came together to donate to this worthy cause. I left glowing with the energy of what we had done, and a bit of that came back today. Thank you again for all of you who donated last year, shared a word of encouragement or a smile of good will. I was also able to donate the hair for wigs last year, since I had about 10 inches at the time.

For me, life memories, and experiences are kept in hair, and going bald throws off all those hooks and strings tugging in other directions, and allows me to bound forward unfettered. However, the same hooks and strings are also important tools of life, that are now suddenly absent. People don’t immediately recognize me, or they now look at me in an odd way.  I must rebuild these 1st impressions, mini-relationships, and glowing daily interactions.

Physically, hair is great protection, and without it, sticks, rocks, sun, hail, car doors, cabinets, are all significantly higher risk of injury and discomfort. Now that I’m bald I’ve lost my “feelers” and no longer have that 1/10th of a second warning before I jam myself on a branch, or stand up under a rock.  I had may mishaps last year due to my 4 month baldness, and eventually grew may hair out again as protection from the world. But also without that protection there a whole new set of environment sensors available for my use. I can now feel air currents and temperature changes to a level not possible with hair. Rain, wind, showers, sunshine: all of these are now high up in my awareness.  Showers feel amazing, head out the window dog style feels incredible, and people just love to rub my head, and that too feels great.  I’ve never been pet so much in my life!

This year, I did not raise a thousands dollars, or ask any friends or family to donate.  You all did so much last year, and do so much every day, that I’m sure you’ve found many ways to direct your passion and energy towards the better world.  I did however do something to raise money.  I did without professional haircuts and using shampoo for an entire year, and donated all the money I would have spent on these to Saint Baldricks.

Two years in a row this has been an incredibly powerful experience, and window into the wonderful parts of the human soul.  I urge you to look around at the world today and see the brightness that is humanity, the giving, the  beauty, the joyous smiling ambiance associated even with something as horrible as cancer and death among our children.  Our gift for spreading happiness is truly something!

Here are a few pictures.  The first one is from the day before downtown pearl just before my first ever runway show (another blog about this later).   I had just gotten my hair styled by UrbanPearl who donated their time not only for the Prana fashion show, but also to shave the hundreds of heads the next day at Saint Baldricks!  Very amazing ladies there that give so much to the local community.  And are great hair stylist too!

The next picture is from during the shaving, look at all those people!  And this is just from 1st half of the people.

And finally, the aftershaved Larkin.