Gray hair don't care

There are these t-shirts that say, "Messy Hair Don't Care." I want one that says, "Gray Hair Don't Care." Because I, as someone pointed out to me the other day, have started to get some gray hair. And I, to that same person's chagrin, just don't care.

I only have a glint of gray here and there at the moment. Eventually, however, the silver strands will take over my head and, with the deepening of wrinkles, sagging of skin, and weakening of body parts, the signs of aging will be even more undeniable than they are now. And that could be a depressing thought. Just think about it : We spend the majority of our lives deteriorating. Yikes. But there's another way to look at it.

Instead of trying to fight or avoid aging, I prefer to embrace it. The Bible says, "Who of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his life?" Indeed, who of us, by fretting over our gray hair or wrinkles, can add a single minute to our lives? If anything, when we fret over aging we are taking away precious minutes from our lives that could be spent living. And life is worth living, isn't it? Even if we have to get older to do it.

Sure that's easy for me to say when I'm 32 and all my joints still work. When I've got nothing but a few gray hairs and a tendonitis prone wrist to worry about. But even taking into account the longevity on both sides of my family tree, I'm still faced with the reality that at least a third of my life is already over. Probably more, statistically speaking. Meanwhile, I'm aging and getting more gray hair every day!

But no, I can't bring myself to get worked up about that. I'm just thankful to have another day. Some people aren't so lucky. I'm thankful for each strand of gray hair that tells me I made it through another day, another month, another year. I'm thankful for another chance to see the sky and the mountains. I'm thankful for my kids and most of all for a husband who likes the red and pink Starburst, because I like the orange and yellow. (He has other wonderful qualities as well. :))

So I'm not going to hide my gray hairs. I'm going to love them, by golly! Besides, some of the most beautiful people I know have full heads of gray hair in varying degrees of silver and white. So here's to aging, because as the sign at Churchill Retirement Home reads: "I don't mind getting old. It's the only available way to live a longer life."