Those of you who came along to the vocational visit at Laurie G's microanalysis business and following dinner at Elie's Tent last month (which, incidentally, was a fantastic night, thanks Laurie) would have noticed that I was sporting a couple of nice black eyes that night. They've pretty much faded to a faint shadow now, for which I'm very (somewhat unexpectedly) grateful. Why's that, I hear you ask? There wasn't any pain involved at that stage, it was just cosmetic. I didn't have any reason to hide the cause, which was an indoor cricket ball which the batsman top edged (off our fastest bowler, of course) into my face when I was keeping. Vanity wasn't it - I even thought they gave me a certain ruggedness and air of mystery. :-P
The simple reason was that people seemed to look at or treat me a bit differently. Sideways glances at the shops, eye contact avoidance, sometimes a slight wariness as if I wanted to share the same look with anyone who came in range.
I've had similar experiences before, both positive and negative. Back in 2001, before I shaved my head for charity (it hasn't been more than a few mm long since then), I dyed my hair hot pink for a few days as you can see above. The world has never seemed like such a happy place, with so many random strangers smiling at me. A few years before that, I had an attack of Bell's Palsy, which left one side of my face paralysed for a couple of months. Even some of my best mates gave me funny looks and seemed embarrassed to talk to me for a while.
All of this brings home how important a person's appearance can be to their self esteem, and even the way they view the world. The work of organisations such as ROMAC can have an absolutely profound influence on children's lives, no only through fixing health problems, but also in some cases by providing a more "normal" appearance. I also found it much easier to cope with Bell's Palsy when I was confident that it was healing, and I can imagine how much a facial injury or deformity could seem to start defining my identity if I thought that it was permanent. ROMAC allows some of these children the chance of a much happier life, and it's a program that I'm proud that my club supports.
On a side note, if you're feeling a bit down, try the hot pink hair. Trust me, it works.
