Heirlooms - Part 2

What I learned from my mom about Gray...

My mom didn't start coloring her hair until she was in her 50s. And even then, it was kind of an afterthought. When the Chemo took her hair, it grew back into an awesomely chic fuzzy gray crop. It was my favorite hair style my mom ever had. It suited her perfectly, and was it's own kind of bravery and hope. 

I know, I posted this pic yesterday. But I love it, and it's my blog :)

When she was younger, she kept glossy dark brown hair stylin' with minimal-maintenance cuts. It always had a glint of shine in all the photos I have of her from her early 20s and 30s.

She didn't fret about her hair much, even when it was falling out. She just wrapped her head in a scarf and didn't bother much with a wig or anything (except for my brother's wedding, and she looked great).

Mom's beauty routine was spartan: Wash face with Noxema cream, dab on some liquid foundation, powder blush, maybe a little eye shadow and lipstick. Mascara once in a while. No fancy eye creams or wrinkle reducers. And you know what, my mom had zero wrinkles. When I asked her her secret once, when I discovered fine lines around my mouth in college, she replied "Well, I hated my oily skin when I was younger, but now I know it was just keeping the wrinkles away! I don't use too much stuff on my face, and I always wear sunscreen and a floppy hat."

Good advice.

I remember one day, after she had started her chemo, that she had come to visit me in Chicago. I was standing in the kitchen of my apartment with her and my then-roommate. I looked at my mom, then I looked at my roommate and exclaimed "Look at my mom's perfect face! She's 56 and I have more wrinkles than she does!" My roommate wisely asked; "Mrs. Wiles, how much time do you spent worrying about how many wrinkles you have on your face?" Mom replied "Absolutely zippo", and my roommate turned back to me and chided "Why don't you try that method for a while, and see if it helps".

Aging gracefully is beautiful and challenging when you encounter it. I'm still trying to move in that direction. Because you can't start accepting and loving yourself soon enough. Wrinkles, gray hair and all. You never know how much time you have, or how old you will get. If my mom taught me anything about graying along, it would be that worrying about it is flat out a waste of precious, beautiful time.