I have a large mole on my head. My son calls it the unicorn. It’s not too obvious because my bangs cover it. It sits dead center on my head at my hairline. Like a hairy mole on a witch, individual follicles have actually begun to sprout through it.
At best, this puppy is ugly and at worst possibly cancerous. I do my best to hide it and maintain a façade of attractiveness, but I know if the wind blows the wrong way or I am having a bad hair day, the repugnant sucker will make an appearance. Generally, I am confident about the way I look, so I like to think of it as an anomaly.
This mole is the yin to my yang. It’s like my dirty little secret. I have mixed feelings about it. I hate it and yet I love it.
Today I have a momentous appointment at the dermatologist. The unicorn is going to be biopsied and will be removed. Now I will just have a large hole in my head and possibly less hair. I am happy to not have an eraser sized object to catch my comb on. I am sad that my outer ugly will be leaving me. As a teen or even in my twenties, this mole would have derailed me. I was so self-conscious and bent on image management. It’s a good thing it appeared in my thirties.
Now approaching 40 (38 to be exact), it represents a massive paradigm shift. It is the embracement of my entire self, the good, the bad and the hideous. Alas, my vanity has begun to fade with the acceptance of age, gravity and the scars of a life well lived.
So goodbye Mr. Unicorn! I will miss you. But, I am confident that the large crater in my head will be a good replacement for you. Come to think of it, now I will have a secret place to store my loose change and skittles!
Note*** (Three years later) It actually healed very well. No crater, no gaping hole, and I like my being able to pull my hair back. Why didn’t I do it earlier?
