Ok, an epiphany.  Time to use time against itself.  I mean, who doesn't want to be at the beach everyday or at home enjoying whatever it is that excites you?  So how do we get there?  Well here's the million dollar answer:  Do what others don't do!  I just learned that this is in the iconoclast domain.  Millionaires are who they are because they do exactly what others don't.  So when you work your J-O-B from 9-5 and go home to relax, the millionaires (M$) are busy at work plotting their birth right destiny to fame and relaxation.  They are prodding and plotting their future.  The one thing that my kids know me for is one theme; one phrase.  If I ask them, "Guys, what's the one thing I've taught you in life?"  And they respond reflexively, "Never follow the crowd Daddy!"  It's true.  How many times has it worked?  If you're in traffic, and there are three lanes and two are really crawling and you decide to take the risk and go with the one that's moving? 

Well it's done!  Wow what an experience!  It was done with a little regret at first but then it was sort of exciting knowing that my head felt "gitty" light. 
Here are the before and after photos.  I will post a movie soon.

So the time has come to say goodbye to almost 7 years of growth.  With my locks, my hair is halfway down my back (the longest strand about 24 inches).  So why am I doing this?  I guess it's a life change statement.  It's not because of work, or some other external reason.  It's an internal decision.  It's sorta emotional leading up to the time when I'm staring at the shears that will change my look and possibly my life.  But I've done a lot of online reading of other brothers and sisters who've went through it all and most start off feeling regret but they look at the benefits of not having them.  For one, it will allow me to enjoy my beach and not have to worry about enduring 4-5 hours of drying them out.  For those of you who do not know what it's like to take care of locks on a daily basis, it's a lot of work.  Oiling it every few days, dry cleaning it constantly, washing and shampooing it every couple of weeks, and grooming it to suit the occasion (whether it's out in the open air or pulled back for work).

For anyone considering cutting them off, please take a look at these sites.  It may actually help to ease the tension leading up to the moment of departing with your locks:

• Dreadlocks.org gives you a couple of ways of doing it if you want to retain the current length of your hair as much as possible.
• MyDreadlocks.com suggests different procedures but suggests the purchasing of different products
• TreasuredLocks.com is very extensive in telling you what to do and what to know in lock removal
• indietutes tutorial blogs has a young sister who combed them out successfully with before and after pictures.
  

The cool thing about our day and age is that they can be re-installed down the line with a good loctician.  So I recommend to preserve your locks!  I'm going to-just in case.  I'm thinking of growing them out again maybe in August but if I do, I'm going to Khamit Kinks in NYC and getting brotherlocks (for the sisters it's sisterlocks).  They give more body to your hair and are very thin.  If you end up going this route though, keep in mind that you and your loctician will be best friends for a while as the starter process is not just one sit down session.  But I have a good feeling that it will be all worth it!

Time's up, I'm off to the stylist at 6:30 tonite!  I'll be seeing someone in Dollylocks who is going to tell me everything I need to know so that I can tell my stylist to follow it carefully.  I'm going short and I need to preserve whatever I can!

I'll be sure to post some before and after pictures so that you all will get an idea.  And try to convey the experience as best I can.  Until then stay tuned and wish me luck!  :)