Thursday, April 7, 2011

I am 56, with a grey hair dilemma and can you believe it I am still making mud pies

I  am 56 and I have been playing with paint....
again
I graduated from kindergarten so many years ago and here I stand at an easel and it all comes flooding back to me...
is that youth calling?


"Raindrops on Roses"


Creative urges are not to be ignored as they can be fleeting...they come in fits and starts.
Not unlike actioning Spring Cleaning, window washing or sorting out a closet or junk drawer.

When the urge strikes I act...
I reworked a painting I did over a year ago...
I didn't like the first one and I am not too sure that the reworked one is "finished" or to my liking...
an artist I am not,
merely a woman unleashed
in a room with tubes of paint, brushes and canvas...
with the overpowering urge to play
with paint.

It is like making mud pies...

I don't "think" about what I am doing...
I "feel" it.
I am not asking for judgement or praise here...
It has taken me a long time to feel comfortable enough to expose these forays into acrylics
enough already...

Onto a New topic...
no segue...

Have you ever had a Bad Hair Day?
I caught sight of myself today and gasped....
I need a 911 rescue call for my overprocessed hair.
I have been having highlights for quite some time...(hiding the grey tinsel strands)
My hair is naturally dark brown...and my hairdresser suggested highlights as an option for a graceful way of aging...
she is very talented at her craft
but I am seriously considering letting nature take it's course.

What do you think about greying?

Are you sprinkled with grey or totally grey?
Do you feel old with grey hair?
Do you embrace your greys?
Do you dye it all one colour? Have highlights?

Just curious...
I have an appointment soon and am considering my options....

If you have been following the blog for awhile you might remember my commenting on our school secretary...
she is the one who has breast cancer...
she came in for that Meet The Babies Shower and was wearing a really cute red pixie styled wig.....
she is so thin it took me by surprise and I am hoping that my eyes did not register the shock I felt inside.

I think I held her too long in a hug that was meant to be friendly...awkward moment.


Her smile was as beamy as could be...she is one of the bravest women I have ever met.

I feel so ridiculous lamenting about my hair while she struggles on with chemo and has had to buy a wig.

Go get a mammogram ladies...
mark your calendars and do you monthly exams
please and go for the "squish test" it's important...

Did you know that BC is a leader in Breast Cancer Screening?

Hugs in Health,
Hostess
XO

14 comments:

Rebecca said...

What IS an artist if not "merely a woman unleashed"??? I think the painting is marvelous and ♥ the title!

Re: gray--I'm all about it. I, too was dark brown. Now I call my natural gray streaks "highlights". Why pay someone to put them in artificially???

Juhli said...

Love the painting! I've been going gray from brown since I was 21. 40 years of graying and now the brown is the "lowlights" as my hairdresser says. I'm all for embracing it unless you don't want too!

Anonymous said...

I think grey hair can be fantastic.

BUT ...

You cannot let it go for a SECOND.

You must tend to it meticulously: have regularly scheduled cuts, use products that are designed for grey hair, and learn new makeup tricks to enhance your hair color.

Think about it: the women who've gone grey who stun us with their beauty and take our breath away look flawless. They get that way by devoting attention to their hair.

Going grey may require a different hair cut/style than you currently have, so be prepared for that idea.

In short, I don't think it's as simple as it seems -- at least, not if you want to look fabulous. If you tend to those details, then yes, grey hair on you will be fabulous!

There's a book written about going grey; you might Google those terms. I bought it years ago in anticipation of this very event ... but I'm not there quite yet ....

Gretchen said...

I don't think you should feel awkward for showing compassion and friendship to your colleague...far too often, those of us who are ill are left wondering what the heck happened, why we're suddenly persona non grata. I'll bet she was thankful for an overly long hug, rather than the std aloofness that comes when someone doesnt know what to say...

the gardener's cottage said...

hi leslie,

i color my hair and i'm sick of it. i'm sick of the expense, time and chemicals. mostly the chemicals. i try to let the grey come in but i look really old so i book another appt. i wonder when this madness will end?

xo
janet

Judith said...

Hi Leslie,
I bet your loving spontaneous hug was what your friend needed.
Unleash your painting impulses as much as you need I enjoy looking at them,how else can an artist grow. Ida x

Adrienne Shubin said...

Leslie,

I decided to stop coloring my hair a couple of years ago - except for occasional highlights that I get to even out my color (my ends are noticeably lighter than the rest of my hair). I used to get all over color to hide the grey but like janet, I got sick of the expense. Having grey show through does bother me, but the alternative bothers me more.

I like your "raindrops on roses" painting. It's lovely, just like you!

Marguerite said...

Hello Hostess, This is my first time to post on your lovely blog. I am 59 and just decided 6mos ago to let my dark blonde hair turn silver. It's really been easier going than I thought it would. I like what I'm seeing! Try the website Going Gray, Looking Great for wonderful inspirations and advice. It's what gave me the courage to get off the bottle! Gray or silver hair has come a long way in the last few years. The tremendous demographic of we Baby Boomers are making it happen. Good luck and don't worry, it's just hair.

jenndon said...

Hi hostess! I've actually been taking a cue from you and growing my hair longer; I love how yours looks. As far as the gray goes, nope, not going to happen! (at least in the near future) I am a natural redhead and have it colored to cover the grey. My sister, who is 5 years younger, let her hair go natural and everyone now thinks she is my older sister!

La Vie Quotidienne said...

Love the painting! No, gray hair would look horrible on me, I wish it would work because it would be so much easier; but I am far too vain. On some women with the right coloring it can be very striking. Your hair looks great on the blog photo.

mette said...

The" kindergarten playing " is just so you, no worry.
My hair did not turn out gray the way I would have liked it, so I get a mixed color rinse ( cheap ) every now and then.
I think that your hair would look great, if you choose several different colors for highlights. The naturally gray ones could stay as they are, or you could get them colored too!!

Northmoon said...

I let my hair go grey several years ago and I like how it turned out. People have asked me who does the highlights but it's all natural.

My hair was getting to be like straw from the chemical dyes I used for a few years. Now it's soft and shiny, way healthier.

I guess it depends on genetics how it turns out, and a personal decision if you are okay with how it looks for you.

I did have a bit of a search for a stylist who would give me a good cut, not an 'old lady' do. After a couple of disappointments I went to a trendy salon and took a picture of what I wanted - Jimmy got it and I've been going to him ever since.

Britta said...

Dear Hostess of the Humble Bungalow,
just a few words (I have a lot of visitors, and thus not much time). I love it that you paint and draw again - it is so fulfilling!
As to your hair: I am a dedicated afficionado of "silver" (as I call it, and what it is). I have wonderful famous German figaros and all three of them simply denied me my demand to dye it. "It would be a sin" - and sometimes in the street women ask me "if it is real" - I still have a bit of my original blonde in it (nature did her own highlights :-), and because it is very healthy (no perm either, but a very good cut)it it shining and sparkling. My friends, who dyed their hair, after seeing it, opted for silver too. One tip: if you decide to wear your own hair colour: you need bolder lipstick and bolder eye make-up (otherwise one can look faded). And I wear pink and strong colours - nobody overlooks me - and when they are very much younger: I did not cheat :-), they were warned!

L'age moyen said...

I have dark hair too. Or I should say - did. So here's what I'm doing, I've switched to a non-ammonia colour so it washes out. The front is shortish so I've got grey around my face and continue to trims the ends (now light brown, was blond etc. etc.). So, as the rest grows it is now in a non-permanent colour and once it's about to my ears (meaning a good chunk of grey) I'll pull the plug on even the non-ammonia colour and just let it go. I've done this instead of cutting it all short which is a good idea but I have never felt goodcomfortable with super short hair. I can hardly wait to lose the colour but must be patient. So, in my books, first thing, stop the permanent colour so you end the firm demarcation. Dying to know how it goes for you.