to cut or not to cut

a big decision is coming. I think I'm ready to face it.
my long red hair has always been a key part of me; my look and who I am. easily recogniseable in a crowd and making me feel more of an individual. confession time now. i'm not a natural red head. my mum had lovely auburn hair which, once she started to get a little older, she henna treated to make it brighter and bolder than ever. it was about this time that my fair hair locks of my youth were becoming more of an ash blonde (dirty blonde in my teen speak of the day) and as I looked around the classroom I saw one platinum blonde after another. all the girls were dying their hair, bleaching it, using 'sunin' to lighten it to a hideous straw-like yellow. I made my decision.
since then I've been red. slightly different shades admittedly, with the occasional mishap, and one minor trauma, but red nonetheless.
my new husband (newly married but certainly not new in my life) loves my long red hair and each trip to the hairdressers for a quick trim and tidy up is prefaced by a disclaimer from him "the hair better stay or i go!" luckily I've never tested this. yet.
but, in 7 days time I have my next hair appointment with a new hairdresser. its strange but I seem to change hairdresser when this feeling for change comes over me... the time I lost 2 inches (eek - he freaked out about that), when I decided to have a side swept fringe, years later when I went for the big fringe... so in some ways it feels like the decision has already been made. It's out of my hands. surely? 7 days til we find out. to cut or not to cut, that is my question.