What do you see?

As you may know - I'm a big PUNK Rock fan.

Ok- actually I'm not. I really like Adele, Kid Rock, Sly and The Family Stone, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, and yes, Stevie Wonder, just to name a few. So "Why the pink hair?", you ask. This was my creative way of raising money for a Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure. But it turned into something more. I was really surprised by the social experiment that came along with my extreme hair color.

It was like anyone with a mohawk, dreadlocks, facial piercings, tattoos, or other "alternative, creative, extreme" ways of expressing themselves. The people that didn't know why my hair was as bright atomic pink color also didn't know that I'm a mom of 2 little girls, a member of the PTA, daughter of a minister, a registered professional engineer, ok - I'm not a republican, but just saying, I generally come across pretty reserved. I'm the type of person that will check if my suitcase is the right size to take as a carry on when I fly. I follow the rules, most of the time.

With pink hair, somehow I became a rebel. In certain circles, like the PTA, I was artistic. At professional engineering meetings, people asked my colleagues if I had gone off the deep end. On the street, at restaurants or shopping, I'd here little kids ask their parents about my pink hair. I'd see people stop and take a second look to verify what they had just seen.

I was the outcast, the strange one. I was the one not accepted because of my appearance. It made me think of all the times I looked at someone and judged. I was now being judged. whether these people knew it or not. I could feel it. As the days went on, many times I would forget that my hair was even pink. It had become the new normal for me, and for the people I would see on a daily basis. However, there were still times when traveling or at a different end of town, that I'd be brought back to the reality of how much I stood out.

Many times it started a conversation and I was able to share the story of why my hair was pink. Once I did that, I had the "hall pass". It was all alright and I was instantly accepted again. Sometimes a friendly smile would do the trick. I would dare say that in some cases it intrigued people enough they would talk to a complete stranger. Sometimes, people would just shake their heads and look away. I know that I have done that to someone in the past, and probably not even realized it. To them - I apologize. Because of the judgment, I will never know what I may have missed out on. To those that asked - Thank you, keep asking asking and you never know what you may learn. That guy over there with the dreads may me a PhD. teaching at University. That young woman with the nose piercing may have just come back from India on a mission trip building dams. Who knows what the "rebel" may have to offer the world.

Stop looking with your eyes and see with your heart.

Love and Light,
-Edie