A year ago, I colored my hair for the last time. I know it seems silly to write about my gray hair transformation but bear with me.
That last time I dyed my roots, I had no idea that it would be the last time. If someone told me on that day that a year later, I’d be growing out my natural hair, I would’ve laughed in their face and rolled my eyes.
I learned a lot this past year during my gray hair journey. First, let me say it’s just hair, and gray is just a color. For some, this might seem like a silly milestone to celebrate, but getting to this point of self-acceptance and embracing my authentic self matters to me.
One of the things I’ve learned about having gray hair is it changes colors in the lighting.It doesn’t look all that gray here at all.
Second, I realized over this past year that we have to give ourselves room to grow and to be comfortable with ourselves. About a month after I decided I wouldn’t color my hair again, my daughter announced her pregnancy. A million thoughts bounced around my head like a ping-pong ball, and one of those thoughts was, “That’s it. I’m coloring my hair again. No way am I going to LOOK like a grandma.”
I’m so glad my wiser self told me to calm the eff down and take a breath.
Looks grayer in this picture. Also, yes, I have a baby on one shoulder and a needy cat on the other.
I’m so grateful to have the support of my family and friends who have never once accused me of being crazy for going gray. I’m also so blessed to have a stylist who supported this decision, too. Color your hair or don’t. Let it grow long or shave it off. In the end, it’s really just hair and nowhere near what defines us.
How we live our lives?
That’s what defines us.
I wrote about my decision to go gray in this blog post from last year. If you haven’t read it, check it out. Everything I wrote then still rings true today.
Have a great weekend and come back next week. I’m going to share with you some old photos of the first book/screenplay I ever wrote. You’re going to want to see this.
Check out this short 30-second video to see what inspires a lot of my stories.
