Just a few gray hair comments...

It has come to my attention on several occasions that people are making judgements about me based on my gray hair. I just laugh because:

#1 They obviously have not taken the time to get to KNOW me
#2 I have had some FUN interactions with the some very nice people because of my gray hair
#3 I doubt these judgmental folks could keep up with me and my day-to-day activities -- just ask some of the people who volunteer with me!

I started to turn gray in my 20's. Appalled, I decided to 'frost' my hair to hide the gray. After years of torturing myself, I decided to stop and just let nature take its course. After attending a 50 year wedding anniversary party for relatives, I saw a picture of myself and I thought EGAADS, I look as if I am 50!!! I was 42 at the time.

So I decided to try again to experiment and dye my hair with a temporary hair dye. No one noticed. Hmmmm. Then someone suggested I go to a hair stylist and get a professional dye job and cut. I did and suddenly everyone was commenting on how great I looked, but no one seemed to know why. So I chalked it up to good job from my hair stylist and kept the look going. When my job changed, I really had to decide if the shampoo, dye and cut was really worth the $$$. So I went back to dying my hair myself, after all it was easier to dye the whole head than frosting it.

At this time, my hair seemed to grow faster between dye jobs and I ended up half the month with the inevitable skunk line on my head. NOT a look I was going for. I also began a quest to eat healthier, get more active, losing weight -- all things to IMPROVE my health. I also began hearing of people having allergic reactions to hair dye and started to think about what I was doing as I soaked my head in chemicals twice a month to maintain a fake appearance. So I began contemplating going completely gray again to see what it would look like. I did have some moral support and someone who actually was going to go through it with me. (She chickened out.)

So I began the process of painfully growing out my gray...can we say EPIC skunk line?!?

Thankfully, God blessed me with a beautiful head of hair and a really nice shade of gray and NOT those kinky uncontrollable gray hairs that my brother warned me about!

 

I started to get compliments on how great my hair looked. Young and older men offered me assistance when I was struggling to carry groceries or pick up a heavy load. Comments like "you shouldn't be doing that" amused me because I knew it was coming from the perspective of 'we can't let this old lady do this!!!'

I am currently on a business trip of sorts and the attention I am getting is so amazing. Young women are offering to help me so I don't "have to walk that far" and offer me the bus schedule. They are astounded when I come back with my filled backpack and I tell them I decided to walk. All the hispanic men sharing breakfast with me say "Good morning" or teasingly say "You don't want to get in the elevator with us, go ahead" and then hold the door, move aside to let me get my breakfast or on the elevator. I LOVE IT!

I am also glad to see I am up with the times:  It's hot to go gray.

I volunteer at our local Love INC ministry almost daily since I was let go from work. But the guys and gals who work with me know -- I am strong physically and emotionally. They rush to help me, but have learned, I can tow the line when needed. Once last week I was helping two men carry a large cabinet when I stated, "I can feel the back going." They both looked at each other and tried to wrestle the cabinet out of my hands. When I realized what they were thinking I told them "the back of the cabinet, NOT MY back!!!) Both breathed a sign of relief and we continued to load the cabinet into the shed. I just had to chuckle!

I keep telling people..."The experts tell us to lift weights as we age. So I am lifting weight!!!" Now let's get her done and stop judging!