The diary game: Getting a haircut today [11-09-2025]
I went to have a haircut today, the sun was already high and i was feeling a bit heavy in my head like the hair itself made me older. walking down the street i noticed the dust playing with the wind, and the small kids running barefoot. i was thinking nothing much, just that i need this trim before i start looking like somebody lost in time.
Inside the shop, light was falling crooked from the window, half the chair shiny, half shadow dark. barber was leaning on the wall, chewing something i didn’t ask what. he smiled when he saw me, said “ready?” and i nodded because words felt unnecessary. memento temporis, i thought inside me, time passing even when you sit in silence.
The chair was cold first touch, and the cape he wrapped around my shoulders smelled faint like soap mixed with iron. i don’t know why i always feel strange when the machine buzz begin, like a small animal crawling. yet i let it be, close my eyes, and hair began falling like dry leaves.
He asked low cut or keep a bit high, i told him just neat, nothing fancy. his hands moved with speed but also with care, maybe years of habit, maybe rhythm inside him. scissors clicked now and then, like tiny bells lost in the hum of the clipper. novus initium, "new start", i whispered in my chest, though nobody heard it.
Every little strand that dropped on the floor looked like yesterday pieces of me. funny how hair carry memory even when we don’t see it. i thought about last month, about the talks i had, about faces i met, all tied somehow into these threads now falling.
A small boy entered, selling sweets, he laughed too loud and the barber told him wait outside. the boy didn’t mind, just kept grinning, and i realized the world don’t stop even when you sit to get trimmed.
Mirror showed me half done, one side short, other side still bushy. i almost laugh because it looked like two people in one face. barber caught my eyes, we both smiled without saying.
Then he changed tool, took the razor, lined edges slow, careful. every stroke made my skin tingle. in that moment i felt lighter, not just in head but whole body, like shedding weight invisible.
When he finished he brushed my neck, tiny hairs falling away, and i took a breath. stood up, saw my new self, not too sharp but just right. sometimes small change is enough.
Outside again the street was loud, sellers calling, bikes moving, sun still hot. but my head cool, air touching it different. i walked slow, enjoying it.
Vita brevis, "life short", so even haircut hold meaning if you think about it. it’s not just style, it’s ritual, small reset.
Walking home, i passed old woman sitting with basket, she said i look young now. i laughed, thanked her, didn’t tell her inside i felt same but maybe a bit renewed.
Strange thing is, you go for haircut expecting nothing big, just hair shorter. but you come out with thoughts, with feeling you start again. not all days give that, some days do.
And today, yes, i carried a lighter step, simple as that. hair gone, smile left behind, dust still flying, and me moving on with clean head.