Sunday, May 13, 2012

Mother's Day and My Pink Hat

              Source: bonanza.com via Sperk* on Pinterest


My maternal grandmother wore hats.  I have an image of her stored in my memory--a fitted dress, fabric printed with voluptuous yellow flowers and on top of her head sits a hat--possibly from my mother’s wedding album, I am not sure.  I am not sure if she even wore hats in my presence when I was a child.  Even so, when I think “grandmother,” I think, “she wore hats.”

I wear hats.  One hat in particular, a pink ball cap.

I purchased it two years ago when the girls began playing softball.  I needed to keep the sun off my forehead to minimize the production of giraffe spots that were beginning to appear on my 40-something-year-old forehead.  

I was surprised at the comfort I felt wearing it.  It looked relatively cute, kept sun out of my eyes, and allowed me to forego hair styling all summer long.  Primarily though, it felt like a shield of some sort, a personal one.  I liked it.

Two years later, I am still wearing that pink ball cap.  Softball is merely in practice with no need for sitting through games under the sun, but I have been sporting my cap at all times with the exception of when I sleep.
  
Why?

In an attempt to save money, dodge sitting in a hair stylist’s chair for two hours, and avoid the intimacy that comes with getting one’s hair done, I colored my hair myself.  Not only did I color it, I took a stab at highlights, too.  In short, I look like a skunk.  No exaggeration.

This morning I woke thinking of my grandmother.

It’s Mother’s Day.

She would have worn a hat today. 

I’ll be wearing my pink ball cap until 1:00 p.m. 

It is then I will remove it, expose my skunkness for the world to see and sit in a hair stylist’s chair for a color correction.

This will be my Mother’s Day gift.  M and the girls are insisting upon it and have agreed to join me there for the afternoon.  I am too afraid and embarrassed to go alone.

I know this hair correction business would make my grandmother happy.  She was always well coiffed, never using hats to hide her hair.  If she saw me hiding beneath my pink ball cap, she would call me out on my lack of respect for life itself.  Even though she was far from a perfect mother, she was the epitome of a picture-perfect lady.

It will be a happy Mother’s Day.  Maybe even picture-perfect.

Here’s to moms and grandmothers.  And here's to hats.




In celebration of Mother's Day, browse my Pinterest pin board "Stories about Moms"

                                                  
Source: mymothersstory.org via Sperk* on Pinterest









read to be read at yeahwrite.me
                                                    

19 comments:

  1. This is such a sweet post. My mom and grandmother were always dressed nice, hair done, make-up and jewelry, etc. I can't imagine what they would think of my wild mess, no makeup and super causal attire - haha! I hope you enjoy your time at the hair appointment today and have a great Mother's Day!

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  2. Love the memory of your grandmother...and I'm sure you look less skunk-ish than you think you do!

    Happy Mother's Day!

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  3. Your grandmother sounds like quite a lady. I've never really understood the whole fancy-hat thing, but that's probably just because my mother never wore them.

    Happy Mother's Day!

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  4. this is great! It's getting to be ponytail season here in this house. I just might find myself a hat, too!

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  5. Happy Mother's Day-everyday to you and hope your treat at the salon went well- skunk be gone! Though I suppose it is a good excuse to remember your grandmother.

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    1. Thanks! Hair is fixed. Well almost. Have to go back one more time, then it will be perfect.

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  6. Sweet post. Love your pink ball cap ;)

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  7. Such a lovely post. Hope your skunkness hair is gone by now, and you're adorned with beautifully coloured locks ;)

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  8. Aw, what a nice little tribute to your grandmother!

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  9. It's tough to be uncomfortable with your hair. Mine is pretty wild, but once I got Glade Sense and Spray in it. That stuff is almost impossible to wash out and it's sticky.

    I'm glad you got a nice treat for mom's day.

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  10. Oh I love the story you crafted out of this. I often wonder if me and the other ladies (decades from now) in the nursing home will be sporting our baseball caps. Is this the style we will be "stuck" in? If so, it's mighty practical. :) Ellen

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    1. Thanks, Ellen. Maybe by the time we're in the nursing home, we won't care much about hiding our hair? I'd love to be that confident someday. ;)

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  11. What a great tribute to your grandmother!

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  12. awesome and happy mother's day! i wear ball caps religiously - they're usually studded or bedazzled or obnoxiously camo with a large university logo on it - because i've given up on my hair. or maybe because i really want to be mistaken for britney spears, i don't know. either way, great post!

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  13. OK, now I need a pink hat! For all the wrong reasons! I don't wash my hair enough (is once a week enough! No? How about twice a week? Maybe?). Maybe... I should spend less time at Yeah Write (and Pinterest). Maybe.

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    1. I seriously relate to the YeahWRite/pinterest problem. ;)

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  14. Loved the post. I'm all for baseball caps! You know what I've found though, and this is WAY sad, when I wear my hats, the gray roots show faster at my forehead. What's up with that? I don't wear hats much any more because of that. Now it's pony tails and bike helmets. I had to get a bike so I could get away with that!

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  15. I've become a braid person/messy bun. I should look into getting a pink hat.. It looks so cute on you!

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  16. Please listen to the fun filled, uplifting song Pink Hat Day by carmen calhoun at www.carmencalhoun.com or www.itunes.com/carmencalhoun

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