After I shaved my head the first time.

I feel the need to make it public about why I shave my head. A lot of uninformed people stay (un)informed by “popular” social media and the television. There is a lot of irresponsible, divisive “journalism,” and a lot of hate in both places right now. I get dirty looks occasionally (and not-so-occasionally) when I take MARTA, the transit system here in Atlanta. So, just in case anyone wants to know the REAL reason I shave my head, here it is.

Some men shave their heads, and others do not. Men have varied reasons for shaving their heads. I learned of a man named Michael Port, author of Book Yourself Solid, Think Big Manifesto, and several other books. Not only is he a successful author, but he is also a successful businessman. Then one day, he started shaving his head. All of his pics suddenly had a hairless Michael Port instead of the Michael Port I remember from the cover of his book. My first thought was “I hope he is OK.” My mind raced to the possibility that his health was failing, and the hair loss was due to treatment and hopefully recovery. I’m very glad that my fears were unfounded, as most fears are. Michael Port is doing very well, and he is still shaving his head.

Since then, I started shaving my head. I am in great health. It wasn’t a random act or something I started doing on a whim. There is a reason for it.

Back in my church-going days, I had a Sunday school teacher with a bad “comb-over.” I used to see him in the bathroom desperately combing the few strands of hair left to cover the massive bald spot that was 70% of his head. He was in his late 30’s or early 40’s. I remember thinking that I would never be “that guy.” I also wondered if I would shave my head when the time made more sense.

I went into US Navy “boot camp” in Great Lakes, IL in January 1986. I will never forget my boot camp picture. My ears stuck out, and I couldn’t wait to at least grow the top of my hair out again. I swore I would never shave my head. After I had been Honorably Discharged from of the Navy, I wore it short, but not too short. I let it grow out a couple of times to my shoulders in my early 30’s. One day I noticed it was thinning and decided to get it all whacked off. That is still a far cry from shaving my head.

One day, I was at the grocery store and looked at the monitor for a security camera and noticed some guy with a fairly big bald spot on the screen. Then I noticed that every time “that guy” moved his head, so did I. I became suspicious. Then I realized “that guy” was me. I was losing hair faster than I thought.

Fast forward about five years and colleagues of mine start making fun of me and how fast I’m losing my hair. I start dating a woman I knew from many years ago. One day out of the blue (and without prompting from anyone else), she suggested that I start shaving my head. I felt that this was totally wrong. How could I be getting older and losing hair? I came face-to-face with denial. I was becoming “that guy” from my Sunday school days.

It became time to shave my head

On August 30, 2014, I went running. I took a picture of the top of my head to see what it looked like to others. That was the day that I decided that everyone was right and that I should shave my head. I think you’ll agree that I made the correct choice after seeing the “before” picture to the left.

So there you have it, the REAL reason that I shave my head. Keep your political agendas and hate speech. It’s not why I shave my head. It is because I look better with a shaved head than with a partial head of hair. The partial head of hair gives away my age, not that I’m trying to hide it. I still believe in looking younger than I am instead of looking my age.