i severed ties with the dreads!! those rainbow locks of power, energy, personality and history are .. history themselves.
i had to do it!
it had to be spontaneous!
i decided on the drive back from las vegas, and remained anonymously un-dreadful until the new year. . sneaky-like.
the first time i jogged without my beloved heft of locks, and felt the breeze on my scalp, it was shocking!!
being rainbowly dreadful lent itself to a particular brand of attention every day of the year (even when i didn't feel like it). not so much in the bigger cities (except atlanta), and not always pleasant or positive. a coupla brothas were downright confrontational with me, and i tried my best to be respectful of their point of view. i can't tell them what it's like to have their heritage, and they can't tell me who i am in my heart.
as much as i loved my dreads, even through the shearing process, i feel more like "myself" already without them. i feel lighter and spunkier. even more rainbow-delicious. as i evolve, the dreads began to represent the "old me," cherished and appreciated as she is. my beloved friend dar went through a similar ceremony for the new year~~he called it a skin shedding, like the snake. just as keeping something may have sacred meaning, the letting go is sacred as well.
to my dreads, i dedicate the scene in harold and maude (one of my favorite scenes--hard to choose, i know!!)~~when he gives her the penny that he had engraved to say "harold loves maude." they are sitting by a body of water. she looks at it, (and in that gorgeous accent of hers) says something like, "harold, it's marvelous!" and immediately hoists it into the water! "now i'll always know where it is!"
thank you, dreads, for your powerful medusa-lioness energy, your attention to detail, your ever-insistence on perfect imperfection, and your willingness to evolve in your own way.
photos (pick the photo you'd like to go with the caption!):
dreads on the floor!!
troy's scared.
the first snip.
me and my dreads (i kept a few there for a coupla days)
profile (nothing now but the nose!). even those last remaining stragglers are gone now.
2 comments:
if you got any of those beauties left, i'd love one or two to add to my growing arsenal of friend and self hair. (in oregon, our gyrl gang weaved a basket with locks from each of us). i miss you so much!
btw~ could you be any hotter?!?!?
I stumbled upon your blog a while ago by way of Mick (who I am convinced knows everyone).
In a weird way, you are one of the reasons I quit looking at photos of dreads and actually started growing some. Thought you might get a kick out of that.
While I think they suited you very well, I think you look just as lovely without them.
Keep on blogging....I enjoy your posts. : )
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