Although the last thing the "Turning S*x*y" group should worry about is how they look, the reality is that I have always secretly enjoyed seeing people my age who look older than I do. It's one of the few places where I can compete on looks.
So it was pretty discouraging today when I got a new haircut. It's a great haircut -- easy to take care of, stylish, etc. -- but it has one problem. The way it turned out it showed that I had a TON of gray hair.
I was shocked to see that, to my mind, I'd aged about ten years in ten minutes. It's the first time I have EVER thought about coloring my hair. Because I also pride myself on looking like I look. Period. I don't wear makeup. I don't even wear much jewelry. I don't like to shop. I pride myself on being a nontraditional woman in all the vanity departments.
Except for the fact that I used to look younger than my age. In part I think it's because I DONT wear makeup. When you don't put gunk on your skin, then it's just your skin. And I guess I'm lucky that, although my gene pool contains lots of unwanted inhabitants, it does have the "good skin and cheekbones" genes.
So how do I handle this? Do I stick to my guns and say "you can deal with this!" or do I give in and say "Hey, you just invested thousands in dentistry, why not get hair to go with your teeth?" Hmmmm.....
And then, of course, I realize what's bizarre about all this. While I was getting my hair cut, I ran into my friend Carol, whom I literally hadn't seen in two years. Because she's been battling cancer. She was at the hair salon because she gets her hair done every three weeks. Chemo and cancer have turned it stark white. She actually looks incredible. You would not know she is battling a life-threatening illness. She was given eight months to live two years ago. She is laughing, telling jokes, and fitting in trips to the oncologist between work and visiting family and friends. She is, simply, amazing.
And I'm worrying about whether I should color my hair? Maybe I should be glad I HAVE hair.....
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Wonderful, thoughtful, provoking. But go ahead and color the hair. Try it out. Life is for trials (pun intended).
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm noticing the lack of comments, a true shame. I think that's the thing that really bothers me about 60. When I put something out there, it kind of hangs. Kind of like Hillary trying to get elected. How did we get to the side so quickly?
And it was 55 that really got me. Because the next big one was to be S*x*y. All you have to do is tell someone 40 years old that you are sixty and you can see their eyes glaze over. Doesn't happen if you say you are 56. I may feel and even occasionally act like I'm 50 (or someother equally innocuous age, but I know in my idiot brain I'm s*x*y.
Jennifer