A Year Later

Hello again to everyone!
It has now been over a year since I had my dreads cut off, and I thought a little update was in order.

Since I never officially posted the final amount that I managed to raise, I should let you all know that the final tally was $2055.00!!!! Thank you all so much for your generosity!!!

Over the past year, I have received many comments, both here on Blogger, and on my video on YouTube. The majority of the comments have been overwhelmingly supportive, but of course some individuals have also felt the need to insult me. Such is the beauty of internet anonymity I suppose. I have done my best to take in only the beauty, and to push out the negativity. To all of you who left beautiful blessings and support, I truly thank you for your lovely words. To those of you who felt inclined to be less than nice, I wish you the love and courage to step outside of yourself and try to see the world through the eyes of others.

Even though it has been over a year since I parted with my dreadlocks, I still do miss them dearly. I have considered getting them redone many times, but for my neck's sake, I will wait a little while longer. Though I do miss my dreads, I realize that the fundraiser was not about me, but rather about my dear friend Alice, and about all of the sick children who are helped through the Children's Wish Foundation. I am so happy to have been able to contribute in my own small way.

Some of you have asked me why I chose to burn my dreadlocks. To me, burning them allowed me to release their good energy into the world. Burying them, or keeping them in a box, would have kept them confined and trapped, while burning them allowed them to be set free. That may sound strange to a lot of people, but it meant a lot to me. Burning them on Denman Island was the perfect way for me to let them go.

A lot of you have told me that you are interested in starting a similar fundraiser. To you I say, muster up the courage and go for it! Cutting off your dreads will indeed feel quite disturbing, but think of the good you can achieve!! If you can make a difference in the lives of others just by cutting off your hair, don't let fear alone hold you back. You only live this life once...

I want to thank you ALL again for your love, support, and generosity. I never thought that one little idea I came up with would turn into not only a wonderfully successful fundraiser, but also somewhat of an internet phenomenon. It's funny how life surprises you sometimes!

Thank you again, and please know that I am sending all of those good vibes right back in your direction!!

And finally to Alice, I hope you are smiling somewhere out there :)

Donations are still rolling in!

I received a very thoughtful, and very generous envelope from the Marine Mammal staff at the Vancouver Aquarium yesterday. Apparently they had been fundraising for a little while, and handed me an envelope stuffed with cash, and a beautiful card with dolphins on it. I am so touched at the generosity that this fundraiser has inspired, and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to do something special, just by cutting off my hair! It almost seems too easy...
The point of this post is, if you'd been meaning to donate, but thought that it was too late, don't fret! I've been receiving little donations here and there since the "end" of my fundraiser, but I simply keep sending them off to the Children's Wish Foundation. They should be fairly used to mail from me by now! :)
Again, a big thank you to the Marine Mammal staff, and another big thank you to ALL of the generous donors out there!

Video of the chop

Adrianna from Knotty Boy salon has put together a great video of my haircut, so now all of you who couldn't be there can see the haircutting action!
The video is here
Thank you for putting this together Adrianna! Your dedication to this fundraiser has been truly astounding.

A fantabulously successful fundraiser!

The fundraiser was so successful that I had to create a new word to describe it - fantabulous!!
Thanks to all of you incredibly generous folk out there, we managed to raise $2000 for the Children's Wish Foundation!! That sizeable sum of cash will no doubt provide a child out there with a great deal of happiness - therefore, I encourage you all to give yourselves a big pat on the bag for spreading love in this crazy world.
It's now been just over a month without my dreads, and although I do still miss them, I am really enjoying this short hair! I will never, ever get sick of being able to towel dry when I get out of the shower, and washing my hair now takes about 2 minutes, as opposed to the 40 minutes it took me before! I still don't quite recognize myself when I catch my own reflection in a store window, but I'm slowly getting used to the newly designed me....
The dread-burning-bonfire on Denman Island was the perfect way to celebrate the passing of my dreadlocks. I had 69 dreads, so I composed 69 wishes for humanity, and wrote them down on paper, which I then tossed into the fire with the dreads. There were eagles and trumpeter swans soaring overhead as I watched the smoke rise into the sky. It was both calming and renewing to see my dreads disappear into ashes, as my sisters, Sam & Wind, chanted around the fire.
The lovely Adrianna over at Knotty Boy took some great video footage on the day of my haircut, which she has edited into a fantastic (rather I should say fantabulous!) video, which I will soon be putting up on this site. Thanks Adrianna!!
I should also mention that those of you who requested tax receipts for your donations should be expecting them in the mail this coming week.
Thank you, thank you, thank you again and again to all of you wonderful, generous people out there who allowed me to achieve fundraising success. This was my first fundraiser, but I don't think it will be my last!!

69 wishes

Today I am heading over to Denman Island with my sister Sam. We are going to have a bonfire tomorrow, and I am going to torch my dreads!!
Now here's the fun part: I have 69 dreads, so I would like 69 of your wishes! When I toss the dreads into the fire, all of the wishes will be released! Post your wishes in the comments section of this post, and I will make sure they go into the fire :)
Ready...set....WISH!

A Perfect Day

Yesterday was the greatest day it possibly could have been, made so wonderful by all of the beautiful people who shared this experience with me.

Since I was shaking with nervousness and anticipation before I left my house, my neighbour offered to drive me over to Knotty Boy. Thanks Shaine - that was a huge help, since I don't think my legs would have taken me there!!
When I arrived at the salon, I was greeted with big hugs from everyone, and presented with balloons, and an AMAZING (that isn't a nearly good enough word) carrot cake with cream cheese icing. I don't know how on earth they knew, but carrot cake is my favourite cake in the entire world!! A few minutes later, the two Jennifers from the Children's Wish Foundation showed up, and brought me the most beautiful bouquet of flowers (which is currently making my kitchen table look so much prettier!). Everyone truly made an effort to make the day special for me, and they definitely succeeded!
We all chatted for a few minutes (though I'm not sure how I managed conversation with all of my jitters) and then got started on the big chop...
I sat down in the chair, and tried to prepare myself, but before I knew it I had 2 pairs of scissors going at me! I can't even describe the rush that I felt as I watched each dread fall to the floor. My heart was racing, I was taking as many deep breaths as possible, and I had one single tear trickling down my cheek. Then just like that, my dreads were no longer attached to my head, but instead in a pile on the floor. Wow! The second picture shows my "shocked hair" right after the dreads came off. After the initial shock, the rest of the process was pretty easy (and even included a group sing-a-long of the Golden Girls theme song! HA!). I was given a beautiful cut and some highlights by the lovely, and very talented, ladies at Knotty Boy, and ended up with an adorable 60's style "twiggy-esque" hairdo!
I cannot emphasize enough how beautiful the day was to me. As I was leaving the salon, I was given a card, which I didn't open until I got home. It was so appropriate - it had a beautiful butterfly on it, and all the wonderful Knotty Boy women wrote that they were happy to take part in my transformation. When I first thought of this fundraiser, I knew that it HAD to be with Knotty Boy's assistance. I've always felt such a connection to their business (how many truly ethical businesses can you think of!?) and I've always had so much fun each time I've been to the salon.
I couldn't have spent my day with more special and beautiful people. Everyone's efforts were truly meaningful to me, and I can't thank everyone enough. Even though my dreads are gone, the fundraiser is still on for a little while. As of yesterday, we've raised nearly $1,800 and I know that more donations are still coming in. A pretty darn successful fundraiser if you ask me!!

Thank you again and again to everyone who has helped make this so special. The money raised will make a huge contribution to a sick child's life, and I know that I will always have these memories.
The first few pictures are posted, but I will be taking more over the next few days.

My last night with Gloria...

I once had a very sweet elderly woman for a neighbour. She gave me homemade jam and gardening tips, and for some reason always thought my name was Gloria! I tried to correct her a few times, but finally just gave up and resigned myself to being Gloria when I was around her, which was actually pretty fun. Over time, the whole Gloria thing sort of evolved, and somehow my dreadlocks became known as Gloria. Gloria has been a great friend to me for years now, but tonight I have to say goodbye...
To celebrate Gloria's last night with me, I decided to bake my first ever pie!! I made it with delicious organic gala apples, and crunchy asian pears that our friendly neighbourhood grocer added to our bag the other day as a free gift! The crust was a bit tricky to make, but I added pretty decoration on top to make up for structural flaws. No matter what it looks like, I know it will still taste great :)
So tonight I will eat a gigantic slice of pie, and celebrate all the life that Gloria has shared with me. Tomorrow I will part with Gloria, and emerge with a short haircut for the first time in my 22 year life!! Pictures to come.....