When I was a youngster, I did all I could to avoid haircuts. The barbershop gave me anxiety. I am not sure why, but I wanted my hair as long as it could be. For the most part, Mom allowed that to happen, despite Dad not being a fan. It was the 1970s, after all, and long hair for guys was all the rage. It wasn’t a hippie hairstyle of that era but involved clean and combed hair instead. In my younger years, I had an Adam Rich bowl cut. By junior high, it was parted in the middle and feathered back. John Travolta. David Cassidy. Leif Garrett. Andy Gibb. You get the idea.

By sixth grade, I determined that I wanted to participate in the sport of wrestling, and wrestling had specific rules about hair length in competition. So, I had to make a decision on what was more important to me — my hair or my wrestling. I opted for a haircut, and I actually started to like going to the barbershop. As a sophomore in high school, I even had my hair cut over my ears for the first time. I didn’t regret the decision.

I chose to cut my hair because I knew I had to follow rules to participate. That was my decision. I knew the rules before I started, and I knew what the consequences would be if I didn’t adhere to them. It helped me to understand teamwork over individualism, and I learned to appreciate that. It was an important life lesson.

During my senior year at the state wrestling tournament, I stepped on the scale to weigh in. I made weight, but the referee at the scale told me I needed to shave before he would officially register me. I knew I needed to be clean-shaven to wrestle, but it slipped my mind that morning. The problem was that I did not have a razor on me, and none of my teammates did either. I frantically asked around and eventually found a guy on another team who dug a rusty razor out of their team’s medical kit. No shaving cream, of course, but I made do. With some hand soap in one hand and that rusty razor in the other, I cut up my face like chopped liver and then rushed to find that referee so I could compete. He smirked when he saw the blood dripping off my face, but he told me I was good to go. From that point on, and all through my competitions in college, I was always clean-shaven at weigh-ins.

Times have changed. Rules have changed. Consequences don’t seem to exist. Many wrestlers now have long hair and beards, for a variety of reasons. In that happening, and in the dissolution of so many rules in all walks of life today, we have seemingly lost an important thing called discipline. Athletes in many sports today are seen wearing necklaces and earrings while competing, and they have long hair halfway down their backs, often covering their names and numbers on their jerseys. There is a place for individualism, yes, but it is not on the court, the field, the track or the mat.

Those simple disciplines stick with a person for life. The lack of them does, too. I have not wrestled competitively for 34 years, but take a look in my desk drawer at work, and you will find a razor.

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com

See Shane Goodman's previous columns here.

Golden employees
Retirement-age workers share why they continue to report for duty.

By Chantel Boyd

The vision of what life is like “after retirement” is as unique as each individual. For some, that vision focuses on leisure: traveling to warm beaches, afternoons spent reading, extra rounds of golf, more time for hobbies, friends and families. For others, however, employment continues to be an important aspect of their lives. From those who continue full-time careers to those who put in a few hours to keep busy, work can be a key part of life after retirement age.

Early riser
Lou Ann Seavey continues to work well past retirement age.  “I work at Hy-Vee in Altoona. I’m 70 years old and show up at work at 4 o’clock in the morning,” she says.

Lou Ann had a completely different career for decades. “I was an Avon representative for over 40 years,” she says.

These celebrities were born on this date: Adam Baldwin, Adrian Smith, Brandon Beemer, Chelsea Clinton, Donal Logue, Grant Show, Jake Clemons, Josh Groban, Tony Gonzalez, Daniel Gibson, Callum Wilson

SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

The answer to yesterday's riddle:

Why are violinists happier than guitarists? THEY DON'T FRET! OR, THEY ARE NOT AS HIGH STRUNG! - Shane Goodman. Or, Guitarists are "pick"y and "fret" a lot; violinists enjoy fiddling around! - Carolyn Rogers. Or, Because they get to draw instead of pick! - Kris Laurson. Or, Fewer strings to deal with. - Rex Post

Today's riddle

How was the bewitched frog's performance at the opera house?

Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

To advertise in CITYVIEW, contact:

Mary Fowler
Account Executive
515-953-4822 x311
c: 641-485-0555
mary@dmcityview.com

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