Have you ever had a nagging feeling that just would not go away? You try to suppress it and it leaves for a little while only to return. That very thing happened to me. I wanted a “Mohawk”. I put it out of my mind until a cashier at the grocery store got one. It was so cute I encouraged her to keep it. My intentions were to come back and visit the cute little Mohawk. When I considered cutting my hair, I told myself, “nah”. I was too old for that hair- style. What would my coworkers and my boss say? What would the people at church think? They may think I was on drugs or “coming out the closet”. What if they did not like it as much as I did? I could get fired and lose friends. An investigation may even be started to find out what other crimes I am capable of.
The day came when I interviewed my last Mohawk-sister. I was ready. Peer pressure no longer dictated what was appropriate. I called my daughter for help but she declined, stating she did not want to condone my decision. So I started cutting a smile crept up on my face. My eyes twinkled because I had actually done something just for me. When I was finished my cheeks hurt from all the uncontrollable smiling. It was Christmas morning and I had gotten the best present in the world. I was laughing because I did not need another person’s permission to do what I wanted. I was young enough to be inspired and old enough to follow through.
The next morning when I opened my eyes and remembered I had a Mohawk. I jumped out of bed excited about all the things I was going to do. I quickly got dressed and went shopping. After all, I needed some accessories to compliment my new hairdo. A clerk in the store passed me and whispered, “wow”. After repeating this a couple of times I understood she did not understand or share my affection for the Mohawk. She felt I was not playing by the rules and was offended enough to let me know. The Mohawk hair- style is associated with the biker mentality of hostility. Although, I chose to ignore her, I admit the hair is associated with black leather jackets, motorcycles, tattoos, and mean fighting characters.
I will reject the negative and embrace the positive. The Mohawk is a strong hair- style that changes my energy. It shouts self-assuredness, courage and promotes focus. When I chose clothing it is either instantly right or instantly wrong. The colors black and white have become my favorites. They engage my artistic point of view. I have abandoned an accidental sexiness in exchange for a deliberate cool. My Mohawk says “I am not afraid of being unattractive because I am too busy to turn you on”. This may not be the most alluring hairstyle but it is the most powerful. I will admit have not received many compliments, of which, I am used to. I am beaming on the inside because I am free from the pact, a lone wolf, OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
