Dear Readers,

Please allow the inspiration for my letter to remain unnamed.

I believe the topic will quickly make this one request more understandable.

To wig, or not to wig? That is my question.

I have noticed that the seasons of life bring changes. Some of these changes are more pronounced than others, and most, sometimes all, are quite unwelcome.

Just as leaves begin falling from trees in autumn, hairs falling from our heads can be a reminder of time's rapid progress. Lifetimes that once seemed so infinite now seem quite short.

Which is something we all know well enough. So why mention it here, right?

In my view, the way we choose to react once the hair is gone is still of some interest.

Wigs, plugs, comb-overs, hats, miracle solutions, ponytails and others are all valid and all widely used.

Yes, I have come to the realization that all approaches to this unwelcome dilemma are right and correct.

In tragedy, I now realize, we all mourn differently.

It took some convincing, but even the ponytail method is OK. Yes, if it's not growing on top. Grow the heck out of the sides, I say.

The snake oil or miracle solution approach is used by those eternally optimistic folks who never say die. Never mind the "doctor's" dubious credentials, buy his medicine by the caseload. Don't take too much though, it might work too quickly. That would be too obvious.

My personal favorite is to take the clippers to what is left and start finding some hats that you like. The kind of hats that look so good and complimentary to your style that they say, "Hey, I'm glad the hair finally fell out, it's the best thing that ever happened to me."

My second favorite is the wig.

The wig wearer, to his credit, chooses to live a double life. By day he celebrates baldness. By night he celebrates his full head of hair. Looking a lot like Erik Estrada, or the way the legendary Samson must have looked, he cruises the bar across town or surfs the Internet via his Webcam. His friends and family would never recognize him, but who cares, the ladies can't take their eyes off him.

Plugs are a rich man's game. I won't pretend to know much about this approach, but it's certainly an option for the wealthy elite. If you spend a lot of time swimming or at the beach, this seems like the best way to go.

For those who stoically go about life, life after hair loss that is as if nothing ever happened, I take off my stylish hat.

The rest of us, unfortunately, suffer from vanity. We can't help but notice that something has happened. Something tragic.

So, it doesn't matter what your philosophy is, there is no right or wrong way to react.

For those of you who know someone in this position, I ask that you cut them some slack. They need your support, not your advice or criticism.

David A. Cole is the county reporter for the Columbia Basin Herald. He would like us all to follow the Golden Rule.