Going gray in the early weeks reminds me of when I first suspected I was pregnant. I didn’t want to tell anyone until I had been to the midwife to confirm. Even then I waited until the acceptable safe time, around 12 weeks, to tell anyone other than my husband. If you’ve ever been pregnant, it’s the “my little secret” stage. I vividly remember feeling the excitement, anticipation, and fear of the unknown. I wanted to just scream it out loud, but I wasn’t quite ready for having others know.
The feelings I’m having going into week #7 are like when you’re first pregnant. You know your body is growing something beautiful. You imagine how wonderful it will be when you finally get to the birth stage. You know your body will just do what it is supposed to. You’re waiting patiently, or sometimes impatiently, to see the baby bump in the mirror so you can tell everyone that’s why you’re gaining noticeably acceptable weight. Early pregnancy stages require patience.
Going gray requires the same kind of patience. Your hair is going to grow at whatever pace is right for your body. You’re getting some early peeks around the temple or the demarcation line (still haven’t come up with a better term for it) of what it will look like. You check it out in the mirror a lot and wonder what have I gotten myself into. You’re also going to take a look or two in the mirror at how beautiful and acceptable the gray hair is going to be.
Soon you’ll break the secret silence and have to tell someone how excited you are to be on the journey to gray. The journey and commitment to doing what is right for you make it an acceptable reason for letting your natural gray grow. Good graycious, it takes patience baby, lots of patience!
Patience is not the ability to wait, but how you act while you’re waiting. – Joyce Meyer
Recommended Reads for this Stage
When I first found out I was pregnant, I bought the book, What to Expect When You’re Expecting. It was my bible for going through all the different stages. I figured it would be a good idea now to read about what to expect when going gray. Reading advice from others who have been there and persevered with patience is helpful to me. There are lots of YouTube videos and other blogs I’ve looked at for inspiration and advice too.
I’m still one of those people who likes to sit in a comfy chair and read. After doing some researching, I came across two great reads: Going Gray and Gray Hair Adventure. I bought both and read them in a week. I’m pretty sure I’ll keep them handy to read again. Both authors are bold and badass in their approaches to going gray. Just what I need to keep motivated to embrace the journey! Do you have any suggested readings to share? Please feel free to leave a comment below!
