By Melanie Cochrane
Published: July 4, 2015
Balding for dollars is a spiritual experience. I had been thinking of shaving my hair in support of children with cancer and blood disorders for a few years now. This past Boxing Day, when my cousin died of cancer and left behind his five-year-old daughter, I felt this was the year.
I wasn’t too worried about the actual shaving of my hair, as it was something I had planned to do 17 years ago when I was going to be ordained as a Buddhist nun in Thailand. The day planned for my ordination turned out to be the day I was flying back to Canada on an emergency airplane set up by the Embassy. My hair stayed intact on my head, and I never was able to follow the path down whatever road it would have taken me.
In Buddhist culture, the shaving of hair is an aid in letting go of our attachments to the world, stripping ourselves of our identity and personal fashion sense. Logically, this always made sense to me, but I didn’t expect or anticipate how much deeper the act would take me in reigniting my spiritual path and re-starting my life in a fresh new way, a new beginning.
It’s been shocking, fun, exciting, and inspiring. I am so glad I did it! Everyone has given me rave reviews, saying how it wouldn’t look good on them. I’ve gotten into the habit of saying you really don’t know, I didn’t think it would look good on me either. That’s besides the point, anyway! The point is, I am learning more and more that Bald Is Beautiful!
Everyone keeps saying how brave I am, but I’ve learnt it’s not me, at all, but these children, that are the real brave ones. What I was doing was small potatoes.
When you shave your hair, you are stripped of all that you are. You are naked. You cannot hide. Your face is exposed, and somehow, so are your emotions. Suddenly you feel a bit more real. And knowing you are helping the world in a small way, it feels all the better. Knowing these children are having the same feelings as I, along with a lot more heavier ones that accompany a bald head not of your choosing…
Our team at Children’s Hospital that day raised almost $70,000, all proceeds going directly into the making of wigs for kids. Real hair is very expensive, so the donation of my hair brings the cost down considerably, and donations raised by fundraising go directly into covering the additional costs of making these wigs for kids. A big personal thank you to everyone who took the time and energy to donate to this cause, the kids, I know, are so grateful.
It was an incredible experience, I feel renewed, alive, fresh, and ready to carry on…with strength, greater clarity, and humility. Gratitude overflows, compliments pass my way, and support and love are felt
all around me. I fully encourage everyone wanting a fresh start in life to participate next year, or if you have the surge, this year at Valleycliffe Elementary, coming up shortly! Let’s let the kids know that BALD IS BEAUTIFUL!
I sure feel it is.
Balding as a Spiritual Experience
