I have a receding hairline. Now it's not receding too quickly, but it is going away nonetheless. I would blame my Dad but someone somewhere told me that it's a maternal trait. Just another thing my Mom's Dad didn't do well. I'm ok with the fact that my hair is falling out and that I will soon have a thinner mane than I did in high schooler, and even thinner than it is now. But when I think about my, now, distinct v-shaped hairline I can't help but think one thing: I need to get into a relationship before this gets any worse.
I like to bake pies and roast coffee. Roasting coffee is my job, and baking pies is my hobby. Every Sunday night I prepare the crust for the pie that will be assembled the following week. Weather it be apple, hazelnut, mini-apple, or chocolate creme I enjoy baking them. I don't especially like eating them since I'm more of a protein/carbohydrate guy than a sugar/sweetness guy, but I love making other people happy. And most people get happy when the eat a warm slice of pie. Roasting coffee, on the other hand, is a different beast entirely. I have to do it, the process takes more attention for longer, and more people are exposed to the end product. But there is one thing that I don't like about either of these activites: the first seconds when someone is trying them and I have no clue what they are thinking. You can't tell from their face and their mouth is full so they can't say anything. So you sit there and watch, like a goober. I hate those moments. I have such a desire to make people happy. If they aren't happy I feel as if I have failed.
But there's another aspect of them not liking my coffee or my pie that I have just started thinking about. These things are my creation. I have put my heart and soul into them; these things are as much a reflection of who I am as anything else. They say you can tell alot about a person in the first five minutes of meeting them. I think you can tell alot about a person by taking a look at their creation. In The Weight of Glory C.S. Lewis states that “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit — immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.” We are God's creation, and the people we see everyday are His creation as well. Christian theology holds that we are made in the image of God. I can honestly say that I have never tried to make anything in my image: a pie shaped like me would be both hard to eat and creepy.
I opened this post up with my desire to be in a relationship before my hair falls out. And this is a real thought that I have, but the underlying thought is "no one will love me if I'm balding." Which is silly, and I wouldn't want to be with anyone who is that shallow in the first place. But so often we take a look at ourselves, at other people around us, and make judgments based solely upon what we see. I know this is nothing new, but assuming that I am any less of a person simply because more of my head is showing is downright silly. Someone's gonna love me and "prefer me to all others" no matter the state of my head. So I'm going to continue to roast great coffee, to make sweet pies, and to let my hair fall where it may. And I hope you do the same.
Luke
luketlancaster@gmail.com
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