This purple haired happy vegan went up the Keys today. It was a very different experience north of here, compared to Key West. It's only 50 miles from Key West, but its another world.
My new do and I mingled with guests and drank coffee before picking Pop up for the drive into Marathon. Pop didn't notice my hair. Now, its one thing for a man not to notice a hair cut, but not to notice a neon purple pageboy? I said nothing, he said nothing. I just said a silent thank you that I was driving, not him.
After dropping Pop off, I ventured out for some shopping and errands in Marathon. Everyone noticed. EVERYONE.
I got a lot of laughs, looks and even compliments. Not one person, even if they really happened to dislike it, said they disliked it. It opened conversations, it made many people smile, and it was highly noticed. This reaction was the direct opposite from Key West where no one flinched. It was nothing. Par for the course. Nothing special, nothing outrageous. Nope, the neon purple haired happy vegan was just another weirdo in Key West.
The thing is, its largely true what you hear about Key West. Anything goes, there's a bit of a reputation that way for that town. But, that rep is also largely unfair. The thing is, just like any other small town, there's people there raising good families, working 1, 2 sometimes 3 jobs. People going to school, playing sports, people in hospitals, and people dedicating their lives to helping others. So, to say "anything goes" isn't the whole story by a long shot. But, there ARE colorful characters down there, and many of them. I enjoy Key West for this reason, one of many reasons to enjoy Key West.
But, walking around in neon hair downtown Key West didn't bring me any new friends, hellos or smiles as it did up in Marathon. As I made my way through town in Marathon today from store to store, accomplishing my errands, I felt obvious, for a moment ridiculous, and actually even a tad bit pretty. I wondered for a fleeting moment at what point must I stop behaving like an adolescent, and came to the conclusion of "hopefully never."
My purple haired alter-ego is my new best friend. She is going to hang around for a while. While she brings smiles to others, the thing is, she makes me smile too. I think my purple hair has magic powers.
My new do and I mingled with guests and drank coffee before picking Pop up for the drive into Marathon. Pop didn't notice my hair. Now, its one thing for a man not to notice a hair cut, but not to notice a neon purple pageboy? I said nothing, he said nothing. I just said a silent thank you that I was driving, not him.
After dropping Pop off, I ventured out for some shopping and errands in Marathon. Everyone noticed. EVERYONE.
I got a lot of laughs, looks and even compliments. Not one person, even if they really happened to dislike it, said they disliked it. It opened conversations, it made many people smile, and it was highly noticed. This reaction was the direct opposite from Key West where no one flinched. It was nothing. Par for the course. Nothing special, nothing outrageous. Nope, the neon purple haired happy vegan was just another weirdo in Key West.
The thing is, its largely true what you hear about Key West. Anything goes, there's a bit of a reputation that way for that town. But, that rep is also largely unfair. The thing is, just like any other small town, there's people there raising good families, working 1, 2 sometimes 3 jobs. People going to school, playing sports, people in hospitals, and people dedicating their lives to helping others. So, to say "anything goes" isn't the whole story by a long shot. But, there ARE colorful characters down there, and many of them. I enjoy Key West for this reason, one of many reasons to enjoy Key West.
But, walking around in neon hair downtown Key West didn't bring me any new friends, hellos or smiles as it did up in Marathon. As I made my way through town in Marathon today from store to store, accomplishing my errands, I felt obvious, for a moment ridiculous, and actually even a tad bit pretty. I wondered for a fleeting moment at what point must I stop behaving like an adolescent, and came to the conclusion of "hopefully never."
My purple haired alter-ego is my new best friend. She is going to hang around for a while. While she brings smiles to others, the thing is, she makes me smile too. I think my purple hair has magic powers.
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