Sunday, January 18, 2009

Can I touch your hair?

So as I've mentioned before, Thursday nights are Movie night with the family.  Thursday nights of late have also involved a neighbor who comes over to hang out with Val and I.  My brother can only take so much estrogen all at once, so he retreats to his office.  Anyway C---- is amazing, outgoing, exceptionally bright and mature for her age.  She's thirteen going on forty and in many ways reminds me of me when I was that age.

Usually I'm just really relaxed and laid back on Thursday nights. My hair is so often in a ponytail that C---- remarked a couple of weeks ago that she'd never seen me with my hair down. Tonight I was running late and drove up to the house with my hair up in a towel. My poor namesake doesn't deal well with hats on people, so I Walked with my hair up in a purple "Turbie twist" towel, and I didn't get the warm welcome from him I usually do. Normally, I walk in, and he lights up with a big smile and starts laughing, clapping and doing a little dance. It's such a shame he doesn't like me... Anyway, Thursday, with my hair up, he took one look at me and started crying. Mind you two hours earlier we were on the boat playing. Realizing the problem, I took my hair down, it was mostly dry anyway, fluffed and flipped it back into place. I didn't really think much about it from there. Sam was suddenly happy to see me and showed it too. C---- on the other hand just looked at me wide eyed and said:

"Oh my God, your hair is so shiny and, well amazing! I wish I could just flip and fluff like that! It looks so soft, can I touch it?"

I was a little surprised and said sure, if you want to. She then came over and proceeded to pet my hair. I mean seriously just petting it, running her fingers through it having a good time... I'm kinda used to it by now, I run into hair envy surprisingly often. Just not often is the whole petting it part. She was just awed by it, because it's "amazingly soft" as well as good looking, and it's nice and long. The kind of hair my younger sister always dreamed of having.

When I was a kid, my younger sister said my hair was wasted on me, because it was perfect girl hair and I'd never grow it long enough to do it justice. Her hair was coarse, too thick (according to her) and too curly. She wanted long wavy hair that was soft, fine, and shiny. I honestly wish she'd lived long enough, and been healthy enough to really meet her sister.

Needless to say, we had this whole conversation about haircare, styling products (or the lack thereof) and how to get your hair soft. From there we went into shaving legs, and other such topics. C----'s Mom died a whole bunch of years back, so she doesn't have any real female role models in her life. Val and I got elected it would seem. It's kinda cool being a big sister of sorts, though technically I'm more than old enough be her Mom.

7 comments:

Lori D said...

I'd love to have that much hair that makes people want to rub their fingers through it. Sounds like you've got some good genes in you!
Being a big sister...hmm, I've always been the "little brother," the youngest of the family. I'll take being little sister instead ;)

lol, my captcha word verification? "Matie"

Samantha Shanti said...

Yeah, in many ways I've got good genes, but I also have a fair amount of hair loss in the front that is a constant source of irritation. I have to put together a new hair session and start using that again. I regrew a whole bunch of it a while back and then stopped using the session because of everything else going on in my life.

Yeah, much, much rather have you as a sister, brothers and I don't always do so well. The one I'm biologically related to is a complete whack job. He's psychotic, paranoid, schizo, pathological liar with severe bi-polar and refuses to live in the present or have anything to do with reality. Needless to say I've pretty much cut him off from my life. He doesn't have phone numbers (I had to change them because of him) and I have my email set up to toss all his e-mail in the bit bucket. I know, harsh thing to do with family, but sometimes, it has to be done. If he needs to reach me he's got my mailing address (but not my actual physical address) so he can write me a letter, which he never does.

My sisters on the other hand, they enrich my life. My one biologically related sister died in June, she was the one that envied my hair as we were growing up. I have a small army of sisters at this point, some I'm closer to than others, but I'm a lucky girl over all.

One of my sisters is chronologically younger than me, but I still consider her my big sister because that's the kind of relationship we've always had. So no law says you MUST be a little sister.

Hum, Matie makes me think of the two movies. Matilda, and 13 going on 30.

Anyway, what hair I do have, yeah, it's awesome. I use off the shelf shampoo and conditioner, cut it now and again, and otherwise just keep it clean and brushed. Supermodel hair, but I have to lose a supermodels worth of wieght before I'll have anything like a supermodel body. Once I do, I have (thank god, my mom, and good genes) a great body. I'm very lucky that way...

alan said...

Mom, sister, friend...there are so many of us you look after! I am grateful to be one of them!

Sorry about your loss of your sister. I can't imagine my life without mine...the only sane person in the family I think sometimes!

Not that I don't more than make up for it...

alan

Samantha Shanti said...

I do what I can. Yeah, this sister and I were once best friends when we were younger. Then life, and abuse from people we loved and trusted took us in different directions. Her genetics and her life conspired to destroy her mind, and take from her any grasp of reality or memories that spoke to what really happened.

The last conversation we ever had left me deeply unsettled and forced me to break contact with her until she got some help for the mental and emotional health issues she had. She never got the help she needed to live. Regrettably, my Mom and I were the only sane ones in my immediate family.

Honestly I think "sanity" is highly over rated, so I work on ending suffering and cultivating joy when and where I can. Just call me crazy.

alan said...

Never, ever, ever! You are far too beautiful a soul...

alan

Sassy said...

Well, I think that's pretty cool. Sounds like she has a nice role model to look up to. =)

Hope you don't mind me stopping by your blog!

Samantha Shanti said...

Hi Sassy,

Why would I mind you stopping by my blog? Of course you're welcome.

Having had both good and bad role models growing up, I know how important it is to be a good one. Plus really it's not hard, she really great people as has had a life that I wouldn't wish on anyone. It's why she's 13 going on 40, and it makes it harder for her to relate to folks her own age. When I was her age, I was pretty much the same way, got along great with adults, but not kids so much.

Plus as crazy as it sounds, it gives me hope for the future of this crazyish planet. Kids like her, and my namesake make me want to leave the world a better place. Honestly my default perspective is kindness, and I like spreading that around.