Mommy Musings | On Getting Older
Look closely, do you see those white hairs coming in? I noticed my first white hair several years ago and I plucked it out in horror. It’s funny how it appeared after the birth of my first son… When more white hairs popped up, I continued to pluck them mercilessly until I realized they were growing back and sticking out like spider’s legs. It was awkward. Then I began to think about dying my hair, but would I go lighter or darker? I’ve been blond before and was told by several people that it looked awful. They were right and the $250 dye job lasted five weeks before I paid another huge sum to have it coloured back brunette. I could buy a store bought dye but I don’t like how unhealthy it makes my hair feel. Another option is to only colour the front part of my hair where the white is most prominent but that has the potential for disaster.
All this ruminating about my white hair got me thinking about why I want to cling to the appearance of youth. A can of worms, I know. Why is aging such a bad thing? Ideally with age I will become wiser, more patient and gentle towards others and mature in good character. Looking older could be a sign post for these developments, that are of more worth then the appearance of youth. I want to age gracefully and I’m beginning to think that aging gracefully for me, personally, means aging naturally. I am still torn, because I am only 30 and there’s the whole appeal of looking young, while I’m young. However, there’s the fighting side of me that wants to be counter culture and portray aging as beautiful, white hair as a crown. So for now, I’ve stopped waging war against my white hairs.
What about you? How do you feel about aging?
White hair is a crown of honour obtained by righteous living
-Proverbs 16:31
5 Comments
jenny
January 15, 2013i was just thinking about this same thing! If it makes you feel better, I started going grey at 16 and finally let go of the cycle of dyeing at 28. It was scary at first, but now I find it liberating.
Michelle
January 15, 2013I do feel liberated and I hope I can keep my resolve!
Tiffany
January 16, 2013I can’t stand having grey hairs and so I dye my hair myself at home and it looks just fine. The grey hairs make me look older and make me feel drab and I started getting them at around age 30. I have thick course hair, so course grey hair ain’t pretty! Too young for grey hair, thank you very much. Plus I am an older mum and want to feel and look youthful and vibrant (minus the grey hairs). I would like to keep my hair long and dark brown (as natural-looking as possible) for as long as possible. Honestly though, I really don’t see any grey hair on your head, so I think you’re good for now anyways.
Michelle
January 16, 2013I’m hoping my hair keeps going white but we’ll see what I think if I get grey hair…My plans are often subject to change
: )
Rachel Goetz
January 18, 2013I will turn 40 this summer, and I’ve been noticing grey hairs for about three years now. Two years ago my New Year’s resolution was to not pull out any of my grey hairs
I lasted until April, and then I couldn’t stand it any more! One of my friends told me to think of them as (free) highlights, but she’s got blond hair so they are less visible. I don’t want to start dying my hair as I want to accept myself the way God made me to be, so my solution right now is to pull out the really visible ones (like where my hair parts) and leave the rest. My prayer is that as I grow greyer God will also make me wiser!