Okay, so it's been a long time since my hair was this length. As you can see by the picture, it's not only thick and wavy, it's an unusual color.

For my entire life, my identity has been wrapped up in this hair, its quantity as well as its quality. Over the years, the length has been trimmed, to be more manageable, but I still cannot bring myself to wear it short. I tell my hairstylist, Larry, that it's because my face will look too round, but I'm lying.

I don't know how my face will look. I just can't let go. What if my identity disappears with my hair? Who will I be?

But I can see that, at 54, if I wore my hair shorter, it would look better. So I'm embarking on a hair journey. I'm growing my hair completely out one last time. Once it reaches eight inches, I'll cut it and donate it to make a wig for cancer patients, through the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program.

I figure, this last hurrah with my hair will help me let go of one identity and take hold of a new one. Plus, I'll be helping another person in the process!

I'll keep you posted on how things are growing...