Let me tell you about MY life:

They took from me something near to my heart. I crossed the Atlantic, my short became long, but I was still essentially myself.

I gave up heroin. I introduced my companions to my friend Syrah.

Once accustomed to a life of comfort, I left all ease behind. I had no place to rest, but I was always of two minds—to meander in and around the trees, or to blow through and past them?

I chased a husbandman's wife until she attacked me in her usual manner. I left, diminished, but I felt no loss.

I made a teacher mad, and she tore my head off. This made me one of the popular kids.

And now I am here before you, nearly unrecognizable—but a fraction of what I once was—but focus your sight just on my head. You'll see I was here all along.

What was I at the start of my saga?
What significant changes did I endure?

_{^{Note: there is (at least) one tag missing. I will add it when the puzzle is solved (or enough progress made that the tag is no longer a spoiler).}}