Chris, Embrace It

I was 19 and had a few mates over for drinks.

We were all chatting, listening to music.

I was bending over, head down, changing the song when suddenly, one of my mates shouted:

“You’re going bald!”

He pointed right at me.

I said, “What?”

I ran to the bathroom.

I couldn’t believe it.

He was right.

Oh my god, I thought. This is fucked.

What chick is going to want a 19-year-old who’s balding?

I was devastated.

I’d always had long hair and I was attached to it.

I didn’t want to lose it.

Thus began a two-year period where I felt self-conscious about it.

I’d wear hats or beanies if I felt exposed. It was exhausting.

Totally shaving my head?

Never even crossed my mind.

One Thursday night after footy training, I was sitting outside with one of the older guys on my team while he had a cigarette.

The topic of hair came up, and I said,

“Fuck mate, I wish I had hair.”

He turned to me and said,

“Chris, embrace it.”

I paused. “What?”

“Embrace it.”

I felt into what he said.

And he was right.

That weekend I shaved my head completely.

I was nervous about how it would look but once it was done, I felt amazing.

I loved it.

My whole mindset shifted in an instant.

All it took was someone saying the right thing, at the right time.

A weight had been lifted.

And I never thought about it again.