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| August 29, 2013 |
Carolyn J. Rose
"It’s not bad now,”
my hairdresser said as she trimmed off split ends a few weeks ago, “but it’s
going to get scary when you have more gray showing.”
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| December 8, 2013 |
Scary?
Since my decision to
stop coloring my hair cut into her income, I didn’t expect her to applaud and
cheer me along.
But
scary?
I found myself
tipping my head to get a better view of the process underway since the end of
the summer. Yes, there’s a definite line of demarcation. Yes, it’s obvious I
haven’t been touching up the roots. Yes, it’s clear that there are strands and
streaks of gray and even white.
But is that
scary?
And if so,
why?
Because we fear
aging, fear the wrinkles and sagging and graying? Do we see those things not as
symbols of wisdom and experience, but simply signs that time is passing and
we’re no longer young?
If so, is that fear
rooted in opinions about outward appearance? Is it based on what the makers of
cosmetics and creams and diets and exercise programs tell us?
Or is the fear
deeper, primal, coded into our DNA? Is it a fear of loss of ability and power
and place in society? Is it fear about what comes next?
I have no idea. Do
you?
