I remember being a small child and the thrill of finding an awesome hiding spot. It had to be a dark spot, but not too dark, just the right amount of shading. I could peer out and see others, but they couldn’t see me. I could settle in and be an observer of the world around me.
I felt safe there, even though when I first crawled in, it was black and a bit lonely in my hiding spot. Eventually, I’d find just the right time to come out of hiding and join my friends in some other adventure to discover.
There’s a period of time while transitioning to gray that is kind of like the hiding feelings of my youth. When I started out, there was a rebellious state. I was all out there running around with everyone saying to myself, “I don’t care, I’m going to be me.” Freedom at last!
But then, as the rebelliousness wore off, and I realized it’s a longer journey than I hoped for, hiding until it was over seemed like a viable option. I didn’t have any other friends who wanted to go gray with me.
So my safe spot is where I stayed. For a long time. Sure occasionally, I’d go out, because I had to. If I didn’t, I’d rather just stay home. My safe spot became pretty darn comfortable.
I know I can’t hide forever.
I must come out of the black and reveal my sparkles. It is way past time to get on with a life free of dyeing my hair without worry or judgment or being afraid of what others will say.
The silly irony in the journey to gray is my hair was originally black. And, my gray hair has a pretty distinct black region in the back of my head. I’m not 100% gray anywhere on my head. It’s pretty quirky if you ask me. But, I’m glad to have my authentic color black back.
So there! Hello, world – I’m done hiding the black that has its own unique sparkles of gray in it! 14 months is long enough time hiding already! I’m ready to branch out and be free of worrying if I made the right choice or not. I know I made the best choice for me. Period!
