It's the simple things.

Today is 2 days short of 22 months since the day I shaved my head, after 6 brain surgeries that left me without much hair anyway.

Today is the first day that I am able to do this:

No, it's not great.  

Yes, there are quite a few strands of hair loose.

But I am ridiculously happy.

I hated being bald. Hated it.  I felt like everywhere I went, people were staring at me, wondering why I looked the way I did.

This is me, exactly one week before the first surgery.  I liked my hair like that, at the time.  But after the surgeries, once all of my hair was gone, I decided I was going to grow my hair out long again, as some sort of rebellion against what had happened.  I know that sounds weird, but it made (makes?) sense to me.

Hair is probably a very superficial thing to be excited about for most people, but it doesn't feel superficial to me.  To me, it's a sign of my survival.  That I survived having my whole world flipped upside down for four months.  That I survived six brain surgeries.  That, simply, I am still alive.  And I'm getting my life back.

And that, my friends, is a simple, beautiful thing to celebrate today.