Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Going Gray

Did you make a resolution at the New Year? I did. This is very unusual for me as typically they are just a reminder to me on how much I don't follow through. I already knew I wasn't going to stop cursing, lose any significant weight, join an online dating service or any of the other things I think about at the first of every year. Instead, I decided to stop coloring my hair.

Around about the age of 25, I noticed a few gray hairs right in the front of my hairline to the right (my right) of my face. No biggie, I said. Just a little character creeping in to go along with the birth of my girls. Little did I realize that just as all things that start out small, without intervention, they can and will, take over your life.

By 30, I was divorcing Music Man and my gray hairs were morphing into a gray spot about the size of a dime. I chalked this up to the stress and strain of my divorce and the difficulty of taking over a household with two small children. If I brushed my hair just so, you could hardly see it. So, I brushed my hair just so. By 35, I was knee deep in living, carpooling, working, dieting, line dancing, dating, etc., and really didn't give a crap. As long as my hair was clean, I was good to go. By 40, I had uprooted my girls, sold my house and moved to Atlanta. I needed to find a new hairdresser and a new job, so I met Juanita - who is more of a magician than beautician - and she began to highlight my hair. By 45, my dime sized spot was the size of a half dollar, so Juanita began coloring my hair. The funny thing was I had so much gray, that even with all over color, it looked that I had highlighted my hair.

This past December I turned 47. I can't tell you what happened or why, but I decided to stop the madness and let the gray grow out. My confession to stop coloring had Juanita spinning in her chair. We talked about stripping, blonding, cutting and being able to fix whatever happened next. I left the salon feeling like a cross between John Davidson (do you remember "That's Incredible") and Bonnie Raitt. I startled myself every time I looked in the mirror and was the recipient of many "colorful" comments from my family.

Now, a good three months into gray, I feel okay. It's amazing how much money, time and effort I was spending on fighting the fight that I'm growing old. The world didn't fall off of its axis, I wasn't fired for being too old, I haven't attracted the attention of much older men (I can't even garner attention from any men) and my Jack-jack hasn't asked me why my hair is funny. It's just gray. I've lived to experience the true color of my hair, and nothing bad happened. Just don't think for one minute that I am giving up my skin regimen.