Gray Hair, Great Legs

I have this thing going on with my hair. And it’s all tied up in a tangle.

Not the hair.

The thoughts that take up residence in my head every time I look in the mirror or place myself in the hands of a hair stylist.. You see, I’m a holistic health counselor. A culinary nutritionist who teaches women to eat beautiful, clean vibrant food and embrace their bodies—ripples, dimples, smile lines, height and hair.

I’m the woman who tells people to count chemicals instead of calories, not just in the food they eat but in the products they slather all over their bodies.

And in their hair.

And here I am facing GRAY.

“How’s it looking?” I ask. “Do you think  I can keep highlighting strands of my hair to mask the gray or is it time for me to take the leap and let it grow out?”

“You? You have the personality to go gray,” he answers enthusiastically. “When it gets too unruly we’ll just give you a short, funky cut and let it grow out naturally.”

I have the “personality” to go gray.

I left the salon feeling a little taller. I looked in the mirror. I embraced the gray.

I have no idea what that means, really, but I like the sound of those words and the spirit they evoked.  Those words brought me back to my childhood. I was the “little sister” hanging out with the hair rolling, make-up muddling, secret swapping girls my sister had assembled in her bedroom.

“Go get us some snacks, Sue Ann, and then we’ll do YOUR hair.”  As I skipped out of the room in search of snacks, I heard my sister’s friend say, “She’s going to have great legs when she grows up.”  Those words left an indelible mark on my psyche. I do, indeed, have great legs.

And now? Now, I have the personality to go gray. How cool is that?

Can YOU leave someone with a luscious legacy today? What will you say to your daughter, a colleague, your husband, a friend that will have them walk a little taller or embrace some aspect of their body they may not otherwise appreciate. . .

24 thoughts on “Gray Hair, Great Legs”

  1. I love this! I remember Oprah saying this:

    “I’ve often told the story of Tish Hooker, a pretty woman who visited my church while she was campaigning for her husband, who was running for governor. I was 8. She stopped and told me I was pretty as a speckled pup. I never forgot it, and I make it a point to tell every other little girl I see who may not know her own beauty the same thing.”
    Source: O, The Oprah Magazine, January 2006 (Volume 7, No. 1)

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    Oh, Sue Ann! What a marvelous post! You’ve shown how important it is to affirm one another (young girls, in particular) and how words can have a life-long impact.

    Whenever my thoughts turn to a color change (and I’m not talking about autumn), I remind myself that “youthfulness” isn’t found in a bottle — it’s found in a healthy self-image. Your article illustrated that SO well! Thanks for the motivation to look for opportunities to affirm.

    P.S. I enjoy aging “gray-cefully,” too. 🙂

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    I LOVE THIS!!! I am still on the fence with my own grays which keep popping up all over my head, however, I am going to play the luscious legacy forward, FOsure! What an empowering thing to do. I too, remember the put downs as well as the generous comments, they left such a huge impact, we all do want to feel complete in our own skin. I am still on that journey, what a wonderful reminder what we adult women (and men have the power to do with simple words)! Thank you.

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      Nasrine, my assistant read this post yesterday and told me to check out henna: http://www.megumiorganicsalon.com/ I think I may still play with the gray, however. I have this curiosity about the natural order of things. What happens when I feed my body nourishing food? Will it find its happy weight? What happens when I honor the gray? Will I look wiser? More beautiful? Maybe gray hair isn’t such a bad thing. I don’t know. I can even change my mind!

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    Oh Sue Ann, I’m with you on the gray!

    About two months ago I cut my hair super short in order to go back to my natural color. I hadn’t known what that was for over 12 years! Turns out, it’s more gray than I care to admit.

    Fortunately I get lots of compliments on my hair. People say I have a face for short hair…pretty cool, right!

    Some days I still think about coloring it. Matter of fact, I bought a box of color the other day. Sigh.

    I think the thing that keeps me pressing my edges is a comment I often make that was gently reflected back to me. People are their most charming when they are willing to be transparent.

    So, my dear…here’s to transparency… gray hair, good legs, great personalities and all!

    PS: Just realized I need to change my gravatar to reflect my new hair!

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      I love it that we have a choice to gray or not to gray. Sometimes I think the gray on women who choose to try it, looks far more elegant than the harsher colors they cover it with. But really, it’s how we carry the color(s) in our life, don’t you think?

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    Hahaha! Yes, you CAN change your mind, Sue Ann… as well as your color! and PLAY with life so deliciously, as you do! I love the idea of these precious compliments that live a lifetime and weave their way into our bodies… standing taller, walk with a lilt. Haha! I grew up with brothers who you are beginning to get to know through all my many stories! Unfortunately, they did not compliment, and their words also carried into my adulthood where I had to finally and forever shed them and reclaim the beauty of my long elegant feet, my nice round behind and my thin body. Sighhhhh… brothers!

    My hair won’t turn gray for some time as goes the genetics of my family. And… I love to play with autumn colors in my hair… red, black, blonde, so approximately twice a year, I get it done. Play! Truly life is meant to be fully played! xo

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        I’m completely onboard with the choice. I have friends who have turned grey early and beautifully, especially with short perky hairdos. But I was turning grey in spots and it really was not a good look for me – especially in a world that requires a person to seek employment off and on as businesses close. So I opt for color and think the key is finding a person who colors well and true to you. I cave to that little old bottle, but eating well, keeping the skin looking healthy, and exercising to keep the rest of the body feeling tip top (and arteries as unclogged as possible) is most important to me.

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          I hear you, Maureen. I like to keep my options open as well. Most important is that we feel good in our bodies and in our skin and we carry ourselves with confidence. Thank you for stopping by.

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    Ha ha ha ha! I wish I could worry about my gray hair, I came to terms with a follically-challenged head early in my adult life. In my 20’s and 30’s, it was something that bothered me everyday when I looked in the mirror. As I got older, I got wiser and concentrated on the person inside the skin rather that what I looked like on the outside. Eventually, the outside didn’t look so bad and probably got better with age. I think I wear it well now and can’t see me changing it at this point.

    I must say that, as a guy, I probably wouldn’t worry too much about gray hair, because men seem to wear it better. Men look distinguished with their gray hair, right? I don’t know if women worry it more as a result of advertising that tells them to worry about it or if gray is just too monochrome? Wouldn’t it be nice if we all could change colors like the leaves in fall?

    Thanks for offering your thoughts. I’d thought you might like to hear something from one of your guy fans.

    -Joe

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      Joe, we need a photo in your avatar square so that people can really appreciate your comments! LOL And, yes, it’s wonderful to hear the voices of the men in our world. I, too, think we get better with age. Perhaps the wisdom softens the lines in our faces as well. I just find the whole process SO INTERESTING! Great discussion, yes?

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    Hey Sue Ann!

    I’m with you on the chemicals! I made a decision over a year ago to give up highlighting my hair and to allow my darker blonde (commonly referred to as dishwater blonde) to grow on in. And I have to say that I’m loving it since I re-coined the shade of my blonde to medium soft blonde instead of “dishwater blonde”. The play on words has given me a new meaning to my color. Plus, the fact that my hair is a lot healthier and shinier just give a little dose of feel good, too!

    Marion

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      I love the way you reframed dishwater blonde, Marion. And you are so right about the health of the hair and how important that is. Here’s to following the hair where it leads us instead of wrestling it into a particular color or style. Who knows? We be the next trend setters! LOL

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    I haven’t colored my hair since February which is UNHEARD of for me! I forgot what color my hair was and it’s actually pretty chestnutty with as far as I can tell, one gray hair 🙂

    I’ve been toying adding more color to it, but for the first time in a very long time I am thinking, why bother? Truthfully, I’d rather invest in pedicures! Good for you for having the personality / chutzpah / lifeforce / pizazz / prana to go gray! It’s actually one of my most favorite colors!

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      Ha, ha, we are going to redefine gray: chutzpah/life force/pizzazz/ prana! The new gray. And, an excuse to shop for new clothes to match the new hair. I can’t wait to see what evolves. LOL

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    Sue Ann,

    We teach what we need to learn, right? I say go short and funky, but then again, I would–look at my ‘do 🙂 I go back and forth with the color thing, stopped for a while, but now I do again. I guess I have the personality to be red. Either way, whatever decision you make regarding your hair can always be changed later–how cool is that?

    Oh, nice legs, by the way 🙂

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    Hi Sue Ann, great post! Hair has always been the one thing in my life that I have felt absolute control over and have felt compelled to change all of the time. Since I gave up different colors, I started focusing on growing, shortening, shaping, and shifting my hair in different ways. It’s amazing how people react to me – especially with a dramatic cut! It’s almost as if they can’t manage the change I’ve made. Anyway, kudos to you for embracing your gray and the possibilities it brings!

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    love it! I think attitude is the key to success in everything you do in life but sometimes it’s hard to remember that when you have grey hair popping in clumps not strands on the side of your head!

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