Sometimes life demands tough decisions

I have made an executive decision.  I am not going to run tomorrow.  Instead I'll walk on my treadmill for my hour of exercise.  And it's for a good cause --  my hair.

Here's the story:  I was "fortunate" to inherit curls.  Or so people tell me.  People with straight hair.  People who don't know what the heck they're talking about.  To make it worse, with the curls I was also blessed with frizz.  And to top it off, I live in a damp, frizz-inducing climate.

As a teenager, (this is really going to date me) before curling irons and the myriad of hair-appliances available today, we had actual curlers -- the plastic kind.  And we had bobby pins, but don't ask me who "Bobby" was because I haven't a clue.  We also had hair dryers, but not the gun-shaped type we use today.  Ours had hoses with bonnets and you had to sit there for 45 minutes, tethered to the machine, waiting for every strand to dry.  If I had grown up in the 40s when curls were "in", all would have been fine.  But I grew up in the hippie-era 60s and 70s, when long straight hair was practically a religion.  So in pursuit of that ever-important straight look, I used REALLY big curlers.  In fact, I used empty cans.  Yes, you read it right.  If you're familiar with Hershey's chocolate syrup cans, those were the very ones, only with the ends cut off.  And believe it or not, I slept on them!  So my hair issues and I go waaaaay back.

In my early 20s, I gave up the battle and got my hair cut short, and stayed that way for the next 30+ years.  Still frizzy, but at least I could throw some gel in it and get by.  Then fate happened.

I was sitting with my mother-in-law during her lunch at the assisted living center to encourage her to eat more than just her jello and dessert.  We shared a table with another woman visiting her grandmother and the subject of hair came up.  Other Visitor told me about Chi flat irons.

"They work."  She said.  "Don't bother with the cheap ones you get at the local Walgreens."

Hmmm.  I went home and did the research.  Interesting.  So off I went to the mall where the authentic ones are sold and made the investment.  They retail for over $100, but I luckily hit a sale with a coupon.

It's miraculous.  It straightens like nobody's business.  Gone were the curls.  Gone was the frizz.  So I immediately started the growing-out process.  I was actually going to have long-ish hair again before I completely surrendered to old age.  Another happy discovery is that once the hair is straightened, it'll last for days.  I don't have to do a thing to it in the morning after sleeping on it.   Life changing!

The miracle of "Chi"
(and an excuse to show off a spectacularly cute granddaughter.)

Getting to the point FINALLY.  I get up each morning with perfectly ready-to-go hair and then promptly proceed to RUIN IT with a run.   I admit, I cannot run without sweating.  In fact I sweat buckets!  And by the end of my run, the hair is toast.  And then I have to start over with the straightening regimen.  Therefore, so as to not totally fry every hair off my head, I try not to do it everyday and sometimes opt for curly which means going into hiding with occasional covert dashes to the grocery store.

See what I mean?  This is the after-effect of a couple of runs
 (and very little sleep) during the Hood to Coast relay.  

Hence, my executive decision.  I will walk on the treadmill tomorrow because I'm feeling rebellious and by dang, I'm giving my hair, (and me) a break.

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.