The part

"A person is more likely to change their doctor or dentist, than the person who cuts their hair." I suspect that there is a lot of evidence to verify that theory. For both men and women, the cut and style of their locks, is vital to individual self esteem.

When I began this article, I was scheduled to have my monthly haircut in about 30 minutes. At the outset, I should lay some ground rules about my viewpoint regarding hair.

First of all, I only have to go to the stylist about once a month, because I long ago reached the time of life, where my hair is receding steadily towards eventual near total baldness. Outside of my sideburns, and a few places on the sides of my head, there is little other reason for even the monthly trek to the hair dresser, except a maintenance trim.

Secondly, what hair I now possess, has turned almost totally white. My vanity is such, that I have never even considered putting some professional color upon my head, so again, the trip to the hair dresser is just a routine task. I am not trying to get on the cover of People Magazine.

My lack of concern about my coif, stands in stark contrast to the majority of people. For women, there is nothing worse than a "bad hair day." For a lot of men, what is happening to my hair is totally unacceptable. They will try almost anything to keep abundance and tint for their hair.

I am not saying they are wrong in this pursuit. It is just that it does not mean as much to me. Convenience, means much more to me than anything else about my hair.

As in the title of this story, my part has always been a constant. I have tried to change the style a few times over the years, but in the end, I always come back to the original. The one that my parents combed into my hair as a small child.

My part has always been on the left side. There is not much there to part these days, but the location is the same as it has always been. Parts vary from person to person. Check out other people after you read this. Some have it on their right side, others in the middle, and some have none at all.

As I said, I have tried to change the location of the part, but my hair just seems to naturally want to be divided in this long familiar place. The color has a history as well.

I was born as a member of the very small minority known as "redheads." My hair was not the bright orange red, but red it was. My skin complexion and freckles accompany this color as is generally the case.

Anyone of you out there who is a member of this small fraternity, have probably experienced the following: "hey RED!" When I was young, it used to bother me. It sort of made you feel different from everyone else. These days, I would welcome the old color back.

Red is a lot more popular these days. Next to women coloring their hair blonde, red has become very fashionable. It is too bad, that in time this wonderful color will likely disappear. Red hair is the result of a recessive gene.

It is more rare than most ethnic groups in our country. Somewhere between 2 and 6 percent of our population has red hair. It is becoming less common as time goes by, and genetic scientists say that it will eventually become extinct.

That thought causes me to see the irony of my youth. What once made me and other "redheads" feel as if we were different, will one day be gone.

I wear a ball cap most of the time when I am outside of my house. I do this to cover my increasing baldness. I am not ashamed of being bald, but it has its drawbacks.

One condition that my lack of hair produces is a shine. A few weeks ago, I attended a funeral. As I sat hatless in the congregation, I noticed that many of the other gentlemen there were just as bald as me. Many of these men have an affliction that plagues me as well. Our heads are so bare, that at times they seem to actually shine in the reflection of light. It makes you feel somewhat like a cue ball on a pool table. Now you know why I wear the hat most days.

It is not just the loss of hair and color that I notice these days. My hair with age, has become thinner. It has no body and is hard to manage. When my friends and I take off our hats at a ball game in honor of the national anthem, our hair looks as if it has never seen a comb or brush.

There is a mystery about men's hair. As we age, most of us lose our hair in the one place we don't really want to, our heads. We can grow a beard easily. In fact, the hair on the rest of our bodies, still seems unaffected.

I guess we men are lucky, that we are not nearly as worried about our hair. If we were, the loss would be unbearable. For women, their hair is vital to their total life.

Many men like me will go through their entire adult life with the same style. Women change with the times and new styles. Despite my loss of hair, I am grateful that I don't have their outlook. It is nice to take a shower, wash your hair, dry it, and put that old familiar part where it is supposed to be. Next time I see you, I am going to check out your "do" too!