GOING GREY, GLORIOUSLY
“The
more you know who you are, and what you want,
the less
you let things upset you.”
Stephanie
Perkins
We find men and women, who let their hair grow from back to grey and, finally, to white, everywhere (I am not talking about Blonds). Some do it, because, that’s the only way they know to go about life. They are mostly poor folks, who are not touched by the ‘beauty lies’ of a cosmopolitan life. But, in the very cosmopolitans, we do come across some ‘evolved’ souls, who let their hair turn from black to grey to white, and say ‘Let it be’! They are least concerned about what the world thinks. Ironically, many, like me, have quietly admired and envied these men and women… ‘So graceful’… ‘So dignified’… ‘So classy’… yes, these have been some of my own feelings. I am sure, many of you may relate to it…
Well, before some may
conclude, that people who colour their hair are sinners, liars or hypocrites,
let me tell you this: they are not… I am not!
I wish to introduce, here, Usha,
my friend from the US. Today, she shared this latest status of her on FB:
“Why
fit in when you were born to stand out?”
Dr. Seuss
I
turned 50 a few months ago and decided, that it was time to embrace my natural
hair. I wasn’t afraid; I was excited! I just chose to go grey cold turkey with a
really short pixie-cut. I felt liberated from the tyranny of the beauty ideals
I had been obeying for so long! Being myself, accepting myself, and not caring
about other people’s opinions – that’s the true self I decided to embrace completely.
I now surprise myself realizing I am not only not ashamed to have grey hair, I
am happy and proud to sport this new look.
The
reactions are now significantly more positive than negative to my greys. People
stare, ask, comment and admire my decision to go natural. Most comments come
from strangers, and I feel flattered and honoured to now know, that I have
inspired or encouraged some women to go grey, as well.”
-
Usha Prasadh
Usha is
my dear friend, and she knows well, that ‘letting white hair be’ is not an
ultimate acceptance in life. She, like the rest of us, has seen umpteen
situations in life, where she had to learn acceptance and stay in grace the
very, very hard way. You see, in life, joy and peace are independent of the state
of our hairs – black, grey, white, brown, blond, straight, curly, or completely
bald. One who doesn’t know to live gracefully and gratefully – to him or her,
the state of the hair makes no difference.
So, hide your greys or reveal
them… It’s all the same. Usha – I know her very well – knows it, so well, too! It’s
just that it took some courage to do it, and she thought she would share her
feelings with us…
“May you live another 50-plus years,
blessed with grace,” I had wished Usha, today. I had, also, sought her permission
to share her story…
Hope, you find some value in
it…
GERALD D’CUNHA
Pic’s: 1. pixabay 2 & 3 Usha & her family
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