It isn’t really that cold in Texas even at Thanksgiving. But when you are bald, it just feels a little colder.

Here it was Thanksgiving Day 2003 and I felt like I resembled the turkey before it was put in the oven. I wish I could find pictures of my bald head. I have one that my dad and I took after he shaved his head in support. I will have to find that and share it with you. (Sounds like a good project for this Thanksgiving weekend).

Now that my head was bald it was time to figure out how to keep my head warm.

It was time to go wig shopping.

I took a friend with me to the wig shop. It was like taking your kids to Party City. I’m not sure if I am glad or disappointed that Instagram or SnapChat wasn’t around in those days. I know we had some good laughs at all of the different looks that I tried.

The fun thing about a wig is it is temporary. So if you are willing to have fun with it, you can completely change your look. I tried many different styles, but ultimately ended up with a cut that was just above shoulder length, but it was a brown/red color.

All my life my hair had been some shade of blond. From a true blond as a young child, to more of a dirty blond as I got older. So a dark brown/red wig was unexpected for me.

Since I was the Director of Accounting for a local school district, I usually wore the wig to work. I’m not sure how many of you have worn a wig before, but it really isn’t all that comfortable. At least I didn’t think so. By the time mid-afternoon came around I was ready to take it off and put on a baseball cap.

One day in the office there was a particularly stressful conversation going on outside my office. Tempers were starting to get the best of a couple of people. I decided the best way to defuse the situation was a little humor. I got up from my desk, and with as much sincerity as I could muster, I stood just outside my office door and with my hands on my “hair” I yelled “Y’all are making me pull my hair out!” and lifted my wig off my head. I held it there for a few minutes, and after the initial shock, everyone laughed. Except perhaps the lady standing at the front counter who had no idea what just happened.

The cost of one wig………. Between $100 to several hundred dollars.

The look on a person’s face who isn’t expecting to see a bald head and a hand full of hair…Priceless.