The Cutting Edge
Written by Andrew
It is the day before my high school career begins and I want everything to be perfect to make a good impression. I have selected my best outfit, flossed my teeth, and washed my face. That is when I decide to get a haircut.
Cutting my hair is a ritual that my mom and I go through every five weeks. It is nice having my haircut at home so that I can jump into the shower afterwards to get all of the little, itchy, scraps of hair off me quickly. I start by spreading newspaper in the middle of the floor, like a puppy potty training. I strip down to my boxers and sit pretzel style on the paper. My mom drags out the well-used electric clipper. She has done this dozens of times. The Wahl Sport Style razor begins to buzz loudly in my ear, drowning out all thoughts of my first day, until my mom gasps, "Oh, (explicative)!" It seems my mom forgot to put the guard on the razor. I instantly glance at the nearby mirror to see the damage. I now have a wide racing stripe on my head that looks like I have gotten into an accident with a lawn mower. My mom apologizes, anticipating my rage of anger.
I shrug my shoulders and say, "Oh well, at least tomorrow is not picture day." The next day I end up going to school with a big gash of hair missing.
In Bless Me Ultima, while Tony is thinking about not being there in time to save Ultima he says, "But it was better not to think that way. Ultima said to take life's experiences and build strength from them, not weakness." (p. 248) Here, Tony could be miserable, regretting that he was not there in time, but he takes Ultima's advice and thinks positively about the situation.
On the dreadful day of my bad haircut instead of screaming at my mom, I looked positively at the situation like Tony does when dealing with Ultima's death. I still allow my mom to cut my hair, but like any parent she has to be double checked.
Bad Hair Day!
The result of my mom's error.
Copyright 2001 Andrew.
All rights reserved.
Homepage
