Twelve gray hairs have emerged as a streak in my hair. This is new for me. I thought that it was only I that was noticing the streak, thinking that it was hidden under blond highlights, unnoticeable to others around me. Lack of time and personal attention to my hair's upkeep resulted in my husband noticing them when I walked in the door this past sunny December day.
We have always joked that our standing in our careers would be improved with the signs of aging. I am a school leader and he is an actor. We would point out the random gray hair and share a little laugh. But now it is here. The laugh lines, the tiredness, and the gray hairs have started their arrival and the novelty has worn off.
We all begin our marriages saying that we will love each other until we are old. But when you and your loved one begin your life together at 19 and grow to be 99, there is 80 years of physical visual evolution to contend with. Now the question of vows, physical changes, comfort with and in your changing bodies becomes a reality. I am at the point where I can start to fight the gray. But is it more beautiful, attractive, and alluring to let the evolution happen in a healthy way? (Think whole foods, pilates, and lots of walks) or try and hold tight to the image of ourselves at the beginning of our love story? The preference is likely different for all. But, I think I am going to embrace the gray streak and see what happens.
What about you?
I think the ability to accept our own aging varies with our mood, time, and the love others show us. Last December I told myself the gray hairs I found were just like those tinsel strands you can buy to tie in your hair. They would be my "glitter." I decided to stop pulling the random grays I had and learn to like them. It's been a year. Occasionally I still pull a gray or two, if I simply canNOT get it to comb down for example. But for the most part I don't pull them. Do I like them as much a hair tinsel? Not a chance. But maybe with practice I will. There is always hope, right? :)
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