state of grey(ce) - three years on with grey hair

Well hello there. It's been a while.

Although I sort of abandoned writing about my transition to grey hair a while back (even though it was the inspiration to start the blog in the first place) it's still pretty apparent to me that a LOT of you find your way here seeking some kind of information on that very topic. Perhaps you're contemplating the transition yourself? Perhaps you're part way through your transition and are wondering if you've got the patience (or the guts) to take it all the way? Or maybe you're long over the transition, and still have the occasional urge to return to the dark (or blonde, or red, or even shocking blue) side? :)

My original transition

Well, I'm here as yet another voice (from the increasingly vocal) grey-haired community to give you my two cents about how it's gone for me so far. That being said, I've always maintained that going natural is a highly personal choice - I don't think for a moment that what I say will influence you one way or another - I'm strictly here to ramble on about my own thoughts on the subject and leave it to you take from it what you will.

I've been pretty much 95% happy with the choice I made to go grey. I like the way I look and am very comfortable living with it.  I still receive compliments on a regular basis from friends and strangers alike regarding my hair colour (outside validation, while NOT necessary, is of course always lovely and appreciated).

A shot from this past summer

The other 5% of the time? Well, I'm sure there are those that still look at me and think, "she'd look SO much better/younger if she dyed her hair" - and while that's their prerogative, of course  I have days where I wonder if others see me as the proverbial old hag who's just let herself go - or even worse - maybe they don't see me at all. Maybe I've become part of the "invisible generation" - those women that figuratively cease to exist to society once they've reached that "certain" age where they're no longer seen as sexually attractive/viable. This can even hit home to me when I'll be talking to a female friend or colleague (usually younger than me) who lament that they're way past getting their grey touched up, and they just feel so "horrible and ugly"...as if they're not standing talking to someone with a full head of silver grey hair!

I try not to take it personally when that happens. I mean, I've been there.  I remember those days. Those times when that telltale stripe that shouted to the world - "I'm an imposter!"  "I'm not really as young as you might think!" or "I can't afford to go to the hairdresser right now!"...you name it, either way it all ties into to self esteem, self-respect, self-image. I totally get it.

I've had daydreams where I show up to my office on a Monday morning and surprise my co-workers with a newly-coloured head of blonde hair (or maybe a lovely auburn?) - but then I think of the time and effort it would take to re-transition if I didn't like it - or the time and money it would take to maintain it - and I'd also immediately feel as if I'd let myself down, or cheated myself somehow. That's when it's reaffirmed for me that I DID do this for all the right reasons - and that I have zero interest in getting back on the hair colour merry-go-round.

But again - going grey is a very personal choice.  If I hadn't been ready to do it, I wouldn't have, and that's that. So, I believe if you're going to do it, you've got to WANT to do it, to invest the time, and see it through.  No matter how many times I've encouraged others to give it a shot (when they complain about dying their hair), I'm usually met with, "Oh, but my grey isn't as nice as your grey" - or "I just don't have the courage" - there's really nothing I can do to convince them they should give it a try.

HOWEVER -  if you are ready to give it a go?  In case you haven't noticed, grey/silver is a much-coveted fashion statement these days - so if ever there was a time to go for it, the time is now.  (I must admit, I feel a small amount of smug pleasure when I see a 20-something rocking a head of obviously dyed silver hair, and know that mine is the real thing). :) It's also a great time to have some fun with your new look - there are SO many fashionable women who are making splashes on Instagram and other social media platforms displaying a playful confidence in themselves:

Shauna from Chic Over 50 - Totally my style!!

LOVE this look / t-shirt!

The Accidental Icon

Confidence.  That's a word you'll hear a lot throughout a transition - that, and Courage, as in, "I don't have the courage/confidence to pull that off!"  or "That must have taken a lot of courage!" Wellllll...yes, I suppose in some small way it did - but what of it?  Again, the times they are a changin' - barriers are being broken down in SO many areas that were once taboo to even speak of - mental health issues, gender equality to name but a few....so I'd say having grey hair is waaaaaaay down there on the list of things that takes courage - I mean, after all, we're not fighting a disease, or jumping out of an airplane here people - it's only hair!  

(Sorry.  Maybe that last bit did sound a bit preachy). :) 

Anyway...if you ARE curious about what your natural hair is doing under years of hair dye, and contemplating a move to the silver side, and you're really ready to do it - I say go for it!  The worst that can happen is you'll just dye it back.  To me, what it comes down to is this:  You only have yourself to answer to - and whether you choose ravishing red,  jet black, bombshell blonde, rainbow mermaid or platinum silver- listen to your inner voice, and do what feels right for YOU.  You can't lose. :)

stuff that happened in 2015

Well hey there!  Again, it's been eons since I've posted anything to this little blog 'o mine, for several reasons:

a) I got a new job, and life got busier
b) I didn't feel I had anything all that compelling to write about
c) I didn't much feel like putting myself "out there" anymore

But life changes, moods change, and here I find myself, in the mood to write a little update on (parts of) my life over the past year.  What I do find pretty remarkable is that in my relatively long absence, the blog views have been steadily chugging along, so I guess there are still some peeps out there who are enjoying reading what I have to say, whether it's about grey hair, culinary nutrition, travel, or whatever I've blathered on about in the past. So whatever brings you here today, I'm just going to roll with it and blather on a bit more. :)

First up, since this started as a blog about my hair - here's an update: It's still grey! And I'm still loving it.  Over the course of the last year, I felt maybe it was time to attempt to grow out that pixie I went with in order to cut off the last of my died locks (almost exactly two years ago now!) - and I almost  got it to shoulder length...

...then decided NOPE, can't do it.  So I chopped it all off, and then that was STILL too long for my liking, so I chopped it all off AGAIN a few weeks ago, probably to the shortest it's been since that original cut two years ago.  (Typing out the word "short" repeatedly has resulted in that odd phenomenon whereby it looks/sounds like the strangest word I've ever heard - weird when that happens, no?) Anyway, these three photos all happened within a month or so of each other, (and all in the same location, can you tell I like the light there? haha) and now that I see them side by side, I'm thinking I like the middle length better, so I guess that'll be where I'm headed from here.  As they say..."the one thing about hair, it always grows!" Ain't that the truth.

So now that I've held you spellbound with riveting tales of my hair length over the past little while, let me talk about something else that happened in 2015 that I love, love, LOVED - we visited Nashville (and other parts of beautiful Tennessee) for the first time ever, and it was AMAZING!!!

So, here's a funny thing - you know when people ask you what kind of music you like, and you say "blah blah blah, anything but _________"?  Well, my answer to that fill in the blank was almost always "COUNTRY" for, like, ever - until a funny thing happened.  Over the past year or so, I was hearing more and more country music that I really liked - because 1) it actually is MUSIC, as opposed to a lot of studio processed crap that seems to rule the airwaves (streams?) these days, and 2) we decided to take a road trip to see Ed Sheeran, and chose Nashville as our destination; and 3) knowing we were headed to Nashville, we decided to get acquainted with the city by watching the TV show "Nashville", as it came highly recommended.  Well, needless to say, not only did we fall in love with the show, we fell in love with the city itself, and I'm here to tell you, if you love music of ANY kind, you owe it to yourself to visit Nashville, Tennessee.  I can't exactly explain its appeal for me - but it somehow it even transcended its "music city" nickname for me.  Of course, music is EVERYWHERE you go in this city - coming out of the honkytonk bars on Lower Broadway, in its historic venues such as the "mother church of country music", the Ryman Auditorium, and even on street corners, magically coming out of utility boxes as you passed them. So while I loved the musical aspect of our visit there, what I also loved about the city was it's aesthetic, if you will - its laid back culture, its friendly citizens, its "small town, big city" vibe, enhanced by its many lovely parks and outdoor spaces, many of which were dedicated to, you guessed it, listening to music.

In fact, quite by accident, on the day we rolled into Nashville (we road-tripped it all the way from Toronto, yeehaw!!) we literally parked our car downtown and walked over to the annual Live on the Green music festival, which featured none other than Nashville's own* adorable and talented Stella sisters, Lennon and Maisy! (* The TV show, not the city - these lovely ladies actually hail from my neck of the woods - Ontario, Canada!)  

We had become big fans of Lennon and Maisy's by watching the show, so were absolutely thrilled we had a chance to see them perform live.  Such poised young ladies for only 11 and 16 years old - and so seemingly unaffected by the business they're growing up in. Jason Mraz has called them "old souls" - and I would agree.  If you're not familiar with them, this video would be good introduction to both their charming personalities, and their beautiful harmonies:

Also, as luck would have it, we discovered that Charles Esten ("Deacon" on TV's Nashville), was also performing in the Nashville area that night, so we were able to catch him live too:

And I'm pleased to say he's every bit as attractive, charming, and personable in person as he is on the show!  Not bad for our first day/night in music city!

I could easily fill a few blog posts full of ramblings about our visit to Nashville, but for the sake of your sanity, I'll wrap up (for the moment at least) with a few more shots from our 3 days there - first, our bird's eye view of the Bridgestone Arena while awaiting Ed Sheeran's appearance (and yes, he was amazing - WELL worth the drive to Nashville):

You didn't think I'd go to Nashville and NOT get cowboy boots, did you? :)

And finally, a shot of us in front of Nashville's Parthenon - which is a full scale replica of the original Parthenon found in Athens, Greece:

We enjoyed FANTASTIC weather...

As you can see, Nashville has SO many things to offer the tourist - I've barely scratched the surface here - I didn't even get to the food!  :) In fact, we simply weren't there long enough to enjoy all it has to offer - which means we have a great excuse to go back! **UPDATE! Nashville was recently chosen as Travel + Leisure magazine's "Destination of the Year" for 2015 - so I'm obviously not the only who has been seduced by this city's many charms... :)

I'll pick up on some other Nashville places of interest we visited in another post, and will also tell you about our visit to Memphis, which has so many charms of it's own - an entirely different vibe, but of course, still defined mainly by its reputation as the home of the Delta blues - and of course, the King himself, Elvis! (Of COURSE we went to Graceland!)

So as you can see, not really that much new in my world - still talking about my hair, travel, and music!  :)  But while you're waiting with bated breath to hear all about the rest of our Tennessee adventures, I'll leave you with another Lennon and Maisy video - get to know these girls, they're simply fantastic!

hello again

Well, you know the old saying..."it ain't over 'til it's over" - and while I've been absent for quite a few months now, I guess it's not over yet. because I'm back! bwahhhhahahahaha....

And oh my goodness, it's true what the say about the internet - NOTHING ever goes away, because I'm truly astounded that in my quite lengthy absence from posting to the blog, it has continued to draw readers!  Wow! For that I thank you - it certainly does appear that my original intention for creating the blog (transition to grey hair) is what continues to be of interest to those out there in blog land, so I guess it's time for a little update on my hair  - Wooohooo!!!

Well - actually not sure "woohoo" is the appropriate expression for a hair update - because while I'm still LOVING my hair, and don't regret for an INSTANT my decision to go silver, it still looks pretty much the same as always:

Same old, same old...

Oh, what the heck, can I get a "woohoo" for finding a hairstyle that seems to work for me?  I keep telling myself after every trim that THIS will be the last one, and that it's time to grow it out, if for nothing more than just curiosity as to how my new(ish) colour will look longer.  But as those of you who have gone pixie before know, it's MUCH easier said than done to get over that pixie-to-bob hump - better to get another trim and stay short and low maintenance, rather than suffer through that no-woman's-land of shaggy ends and a pseudo-mullet during the grow out stage. Anyway...first world problems, to be sure. Believe me, I count myself lucky that I have hair at all, and that I'm here to write about it!

In other (sort of) hair related news - during my absence, I started a new job - and I'm LOVING it.  In fact, I wish I'd found this job oh...about 30 years ago - but never too late for a fresh start, I say!  But how does this relate to hair you ask?  (Or you probably aren't asking, but I'm going to tell you anyway).  I mention this, because one of my insecurities about going grey all those many months ago was how I would be perceived in the job market as a silver-haired woman "of a certain age".  Would grey hair be just another ageist strike against me in my quest to find the right job?  Well, maybe I lucked out and just happened to find the right fit for me - but here's the thing - when it got down to the nitty gritty, it wasn't my hair that won me the job. My qualifications, not my hair, got me the job.  So I suppose the lesson learned here is - have faith in yourself.  If you're qualified for the job you want, and you're confident in your ability to do it - and present yourself that way to your potential new employer, it shouldn't matter what colour your hair is.

Anyway...that's my little pep talk for the day. :)

Here's hoping I'll have the opportunity to pick up the pace again on my blog again soon - but truth be known, while I do love the new job, it does demand more of my time.  But just sitting and writing this post tonight has reminded me just how much I enjoyed blogging as well - besides the grey hair thing, my main reason for doing this is for a creative escape.  So we shall see!!

In the meantime...mid February this year, we were lucky to have a short getaway to Cuba (OH, but it's been a looooonnnnnng, cold, and brutal winter, hasn't it?)  In closing then, I will leave you with a few photos from that oh so unique and lovely island - spring is just around the corner people!

Beautiful Playa Pilar, Cayo Guillermo, Cuba

One of the many lovely views from our resort

Adios, I'll be back! 

the kindness of strangers { grey hair edition }

Ok, so maybe I'm naive when it comes to this blogging thing.  I follow a few bloggers who, beyond the pleasure of blogging about what they're passionate about, obviously are gaining a bit more than readership through their blogs.  For instance, one of my fave bloggers, Sarah of Thrifty Decor Chick, was actually approached by the manufacturer of "Sleep Number" beds, and given a brand new bed (!), free of charge. In perhaps the ultimate reward for blogging, the lovely and talented Joanna Gaines was rewarded with her very own HGTV show (!!!!) - "Fixer Upper" - which came about purely as a result of one of her blog entries being shared on another popular blog. I absolutely LOVE her style, and everything about that show - I'm seriously thinking of a move to Waco, Texas, just so Joanna and her adorable husband Chip can "fix up" a house for me! ;-) (In case it isn't obvious, I have a small passion myself for interior design/DIY - but that's another subject for another day). :)

At any rate, my reasons for blogging are purely for my own enjoyment - anything above and beyond that is the proverbial icing on the cake.  So you can imagine my delight when a few weeks back, the most lovely thing happened.

After I blogged (and subsequently tweeted) about my 10,000th view, it was picked up and re-tweeted by the lovely folks at White Hot Hair - or more specifically, by the founder of WHH, Jayne Mayled. A bit of background: White Hot Hair is based in the UK, and  makes a line of hair care products specifically formulated for grey/silver/white hair. As one with an obvious interest in such a line of products, I had been aware of WHH prior to them tweeting about my blog - but had been under the impression that it was a line only available to UK consumers.  I happened to mention this in response to Jayne's tweet - and she very kindly replied that if I sent her my address, they'd be happy to send me some samples.  Sweet!

I sent Jayne my address, and of course a big thank you for her kind offer....and a little over a week later - look what arrived in my mailbox - all the way from England:

Honestly, I literally gasped when I opened the package - when Jayne said "samples", I expected those little take-out ketchup sized packets - but this?  These weren't samples - they were beautifully wrapped, full size bottles/jars of the ENTIRE LINE of White Hot products! (yep, just as in the photo at the top of this post) WOW.  And here's the kicker - when I had written Jayne to thank her for her offer of samples, I also mentioned that I'd be happy to give the products a mention on my blog - but she deferred the offer, saying, "For me, the encouragement, inspiration and conversation is as important as the product, if not more so."  Truly, I was floored.  

Now, again, maybe I'm naive about the "perks" of blogging - perhaps this sort of thing happens all the time to established bloggers - but to me, Jayne's generosity, coupled with her expecting nothing in return, went above and beyond the call of duty.  This filled me with SUCH a sense of gratitude, and spoke to me of the kindness of strangers - reminding me that there is good in this world - which sometimes presents itself  in the most unlikely and unexpected ways.  

So what about those products?  Well, I'm happy to report that since receiving them, I've put them all to the test - and I'm LOVING them.  Without a word of a lie, my hair has never felt so soft and silky - and it smells delicious! Since transitioning to grey, I haven't really had a problem yet with "yellowing" - so I can't speak to the effectiveness of neutralizing yellow tones - but it definitely enhances the shine and brightness of my silver! I'm especially fond of the "shooshing creme" - demonstrated in this video by lovely Denise of "Grey Is OK!": 

I also love the "lifeshine oil" - especially effective when blow-drying my naturally curly hair - provides great shine and sleekness!  Here's a shot after washing and styling with the products - I know you can't feel it or smell it, but trust me, it's soft, silky, and oh so fragrant! :)

I would highly recommend these products - definitely the best specialty product I've tried so far marketed to those with grey/silver/white hair. I hear that Jayne is perhaps looking for distributors in North America - but in the meantime, they are available for order online via the WHH website.  You can also check them out on facebook,  twitter, pinterest, and YouTube. :)

Thank you again, Jayne!  I know you weren't expecting a testimonial, but there's no way I could NOT sing the praises of your product - and I couldn't agree with you more, and I quote, "This is not the white flag of surrender, I'm just choosing a new colour, and it happens to be grey!"

10,000 views and counting! time to reflect... :)

Okay, so it's only 10,000 views - but to someone who is still fairly new to the blogging game, reaching 5 digits is a big milestone for me, so I thought it was an appropriate time to pay homage to the reason I started this blog - to document my transition to grey (or silver, as I prefer to call it) hair after 30+ years of dying it.  Even though my topics  have branched out in the past year or so, I do notice that I'm still getting visitors to my little blog who appear to be drawn here for the reason I started writing it - and I don't want to abandon the original intention of this blog entirely, as I know I searched for all the information I could get my hands on when I made the decision to stop dying and go natural.  In that spirit then, I thought this might be a good time for a little update on how going naturally grey has had a positive impact on my life.

First of all, a little comparison for you - here's me approximately one year ago - about two months into the transition. :

And here's me today - new (natural!) hair colour, new hair cut, new glasses, (new wrinkles!) ;-) :

You can see then, what a difference a year makes - in fact, my transition to grey was complete waaaaaay back in November of 2013 (when I gave up trying to keep it longer and had the colour cut off in one fell swoop), and I've actually decided to stay with the pixie cut (at least for the moment).  Turns out, I don't mind the shorter style, although I do miss the curls...lately I've been thinking that from here, I may try growing out a bit, to see how the natural colour looks with a bit more length.  I don't think I'll ever be one of those people with a "signature" hairstyle - while I've been told the shorter length is flattering on me, I think I'd just be bored with the same constant hairstyle forEVER - but I will NOT ever tire of the natural colour! Gotta say, I'm still VERY pleased with the decision to go grey, and here are a few reasons why:

No more toxic hair dye!

After almost 30 years of dying my hair, I suppose the damage may already be done - but I'd like to think that it's never too late to take a step in a positive direction. It's a known fact that our skin absorbs everything we put on it, and sends it flowing through our bloodstreams.  Goodness knows, there's already enough unavoidable toxicity out there in the general environment for my skin to absorb, without me eagerly adding to the problem by slathering my head with chemicals every other week.

A boost to the bank account

Whose finances couldn't use a little boosting?  Even if money is  no object for you, we can all use a little extra cash, right? Now, the money I would normally spend on salon visits and boxed hair dye from the drugstore can be put to much better use - for example, into a holiday fund, towards new camera equipment, and everybody's favourite....paying down debt.  Yay! (Yeah, that last one isn't so fun, but in the long run, it's all good). :)

Self-acceptance

When I was dying my hair, there was nothing worse than reaching the point where you KNEW your roots were visible, but you hadn't had time to book a hair appt. or get to the store for a home touch-up kit.  It was embarrassing - let's face it, we all have a little vanity in us, and when I was out and about with that tell-tale stripe at the roots, I felt...well, ashamed.  Even if it wasn't the case, I felt I was either saying to the world that I'd given up and was just letting myself go - or that I couldn't afford to cover my roots.  In hindsight, of course, that way of thinking was ridiculous - no one except me really cared, after all - but during the course of my transition, that way of thinking took a 360 degree turn for the better.

As soon as I consciously made the decision to grow out my greys, my whole way of thinking changed too. No longer was I ashamed to be covering up, I was actually excited about seeing the new growth.  Who cared what people thought?  I wasn't doing this for anyone except myself.  Since then, I've read the stories of many women who experienced the same shift in thinking - going grey gave them the confidence to be themselves -  in some cases, for the first time in their lives. For others, it may not be the catalyst to a major epiphany - but for me, I definitely believe it opened the door to acceptance - not only of the changing colour of my hair, but of who I am in general - especially at this time of my life. Ah, the wisdom of age!  Turns out youth really IS wasted on the young... ;-)

So there you have it!  Even if you SWEAR you will clutch onto that box of dye until your dying day (pun fully intended), you just never know if and when curiosity may get the better of you, and you will actually want to finally reveal those gorgeous silver locks you've been hiding all these years. :) Believe me when I say I was STEADFAST in my resolve to never give up the dye - and I mean N.E.V.E.R.  Until one day - I wasn't! Perhaps then, if you've been thinking about it even just a teeny tiny bit, this post may help you decide to give it a go. Worst case scenario? You hate it, and dye it back!  It's only hair! There are no rules. :)

In closing, a few resources that I found particularly helpful/motivating when I made my decision - this is the very first video I came across on when searching "grey hair transition" on YouTube -  I dare you to watch it and not be inspired:

Other invaluable resources are the lovely Denise O'Neill's blog, "Grey Is Ok!", the Facebook group "Gray and Proud" (you may have to be signed in to FB - it's a private group, but just ask to join, they're a VERY welcoming group and a HUGE source of support), and the beautiful Louise Morgan's YouTube channel - to name only a handful.  I also found the gorgeous (and grey-haired, of course!) model Cindy Joseph to be very inspiring - not to mention that I LOVE her BOOM cosmetic line - all natural ingredients and wonderful ease of use!  Bottom line, there is a LOT of information out there - you shouldn't have any trouble finding a source of support that works for YOU! :)

A big THANK YOU to each and  EVERY one of you who have taken even a fleeting moment out of your busy days and lives to take a peek at my little blog - this is the longest running blog I've ever started, and I must say, I'm enjoying it - I hope in some small way, you are too.  Here's to the next 10,000 views! :)

there is good in this world wide web

Well it's been a while since I've posted anything specific to going grey (or silver, as I prefer to call it!) - but as this blog was originally born out of an attempt to document my transition from dyed to my natural silver hair, I think it's about time to pay a little attention to the "roots" of this blog, so to speak. :)

If you aren't aware of my transition story, and are interested in reading it,  it's all up there under the tab "Grey Matters" - just scroll to the bottom for the first post and work your way up (apologies for the somewhat unpolished nature of those early posts - they are what they are!) I know you won't believe it, but I'm going to attempt to keep this post short and sweet - but I make no promises. ;-)

I'm not really sure how to say what I want to say here without coming off as all maudlin and treacly, but I'll give it my best shot - and I'll start with this:

Yes, that's me as the first featured transition story in the above video.  And when Louise*, the lovely woman who created this video, shared it with me today, I was overcome with emotion. (I know, I know, I'm well into maudlin territory already, but hear me out!) You see, Louise lives in England.  I live in Canada.  And we have never met.  I know in today's highly technological world, that's not all that earth shattering, but to me - well, I was floored.  By so many things.  That Louise, a woman I'd never met, would take the time out of her undoubtedly busy life to produce such a beautiful video featuring three out of four women she'd never met; that I was featured in the company of  three gorgeous women from various points on the globe whom I have also never met; by the power of the internet to bring us all together. And I've gotta say, my eyes welled up.  (Okay, guilty as charged, maudlin and treacly!)

But seriously - I'm aware that since its inception, the world wide web has created literally millions upon millions of human connections - through dating sites, social media, chat rooms, you name it. I also know that some of those connections can be super creepy and unwanted (yes, I'm talking to YOU James Franco) - but thankfully, I've never had to deal with any such thing.  In fact...I count among some of my dearest friends today people who I met almost 10 years ago via memberships in online fan clubs for a few of my favourite musicians.  (I joined to get good tickets to concerts, and I got FAR more than I ever bargained for in the process).  Just last week, I was invited by my teacher and mentor in all things nutrition, Meghan Telpner, to assist with food prep to be photographed for her upcoming cookbook - a position I am quite certain I never would have been in had it not been for taking her online CNE program.  Perhaps most significantly, I met the man I love, and who I have happily been with for almost 10 years, on flickr, through a mutual interest in photography. So I know first hand about the power of the internet to connect people, and to create lasting, fulfilling, relationships.  But I think until today, when Louise sent me that video, I had been taking it all for granted. And it just hit me. This world wide web of ours is a mighty powerful tool for positive human connectivity. And today, I'm feeling VERY grateful for all the positive connections that I have made because of it. :)

As Louise messaged me today, "...the whole going grey thing has turned out to be about so much more than hair colour, so many wonderful connections have been made in the process!"  I would wholeheartedly agree. Thank you again Louise, for taking the time to make that lovely video, for including me, and for indirectly reminding me that, in the words of Max Ehrmann's Desiderata,  "... for all it's sham and drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world."

Well, hopefully I haven't overpowered you all with a sugar rush - but as promised, I did manage to keep this post rather short, (albeit sweet!) ;-)

How about you?  Have you formed any lasting and/or fulfilling connections through the internet?  I'd love to hear your stories too - feel free to share in the comments below, and have a lovely Saturday! :)

* For those who are curious, I met Louise through the Facebook group, Gray and Proud.  G&P is a group of wonderful women (and men) who I turned to for advice and support when I decided to transition to silver hair - and I would highly recommend this group to anyone who is considering a grey hair transition.  It was, and continues to be, even after transitioning, nothing but a positive experience for me. :)

and now for something completely different.

Well...at least I think it's going to be different.  I started this blog in June of last year (2013) to document the transition to my natural grey hair after dying it for almost 30 years. As it turns out, the transition happened faster than I thought it would (at least in hindsight), and I'm not sure I have too much more to say on the matter (other than I'm very pleased with the way it turned out, it definitely is a freeing experience, and it has played a big part in my personal evolution - not only physically, but also emotionally, and dare I say even...spiritually?)

Ta-Da!! I'm done! 

I could continue to explore the minutiae of my thoughts on going grey/silver/platinum/white - but during the course of my transition, I came across several other women, who are already doing that, and doing it well.  No need for me to clutter up the blogosphere with another blog extolling the virtues of going grey - Denise and Lauren have that covered beautifully.  I could expand on the theme, and talk about the challenges and triumphs of growing old gracefully, but Cindy OWNS that corner of the market - and she's developed a wonderful "BOOMing" business in the process (yes, of course I use her products, and I wholeheartedly endorse them!) Besides, it's not like I'm burning up bandwidth hammering out blog posts every minute (or even once a day - or even once a month...yeah, you get the picture).  And although it surprises me to no end, I haven't yet had Hollywood come knocking at my door asking me to adapt my 4-5 posts into a riveting screenplay describing what it's like to be a middle-aged woman who has decided to go grey (ahem, YET). ;-)

So...where to go from here? As I said in my first post, I've started numerous blogs in the past, and they all fizzled away into nothingness.  Why?  Too lazy, too busy, not enough subject matter...the list goes on.  I really was determined to make something of this blog though.  So tonight, I'm here to announce (cue trumpet fanfare!) that I'm not giving up.  It's not that I'm going to completely abandon the topics of grey hair, growing older, female empowerment, etc. - I'm just going to embellish those topics a bit - with other topics that interest me, such as enjoying the outdoors, design, photography, travel, music, style preferences, recipes, etc.  (This is where I should probably mention that I am a fresh graduate of the Academy of Culinary Nutrition - yep, that makes me a Certified Culinary Nutrition Expert, peeps!) - schooled by the indomitable and contagiously positive Meghan Telpner).  So yeah - I do know a thing or two about how to milk almonds!!

That's me!! :) 

Basically then, what we have here is a blog about nothing - and everything.  Just a great big personal mish-mash of the day-to-day.  Yep, you got it folks - yet another exercise in virtual narcissism (which, when you come right down to it, is what blogs are, right?)  "Here I am!"  "Look at MY house!" "Look where I'VE travelled!"  Granted, some do it far better than others.  Some bloggers even become like friends, and you look forward to receiving an email indicating they've penned a fresh post, such as Sarah, Rachel, and  Angela.  In the case of those three lovely ladies, not only do they write posts on topics that interest me (interior design, DIY projects, crocheting, cooking and eating plant-based, whole foods) - but they do it with a refreshing writing style.  Their messages are delivered in a believable, authentic tone - yes, they're still saying "here I am, look at me, look at my house, look at my life", but they're doing it in a way that is not only informative, but entertaining.  Because those girls can WRITE. They're funny, they're fresh, they're inspiring - and part of the reason I'm going to keep on keepin' on here - because if there actually is ONE thing I enjoy doing, it's writing.

So there you have it.  To summarize:  I'm a grey-haired, middle-aged woman, who can not only cook up a mean vegan chili, but can photograph the heck out of it:

Preferably, I'd like to be cooking/food-styling/taking photos in locations such as this:

Val d'Orcia, Tuscany

Or even this:

Varadero, Cuba

Or perhaps more realistically, this:

Muskoka, Ontario

...while listening to a few favourite musicians such as: 

Sting, John Mayer, Michael Franti

(See what happened there????  I told you about things I like, while showing you a few places I've travelled, and photos I've taken??? Tricky, huh???) heh heh....

Well, so be it.  It's my blog, and I can do what I want. ;-)  But truly, what I really am is a frustrated writer - so I'm just going to plod along, using this blog as an outlet to do just that, on whatever topic may inspire me in the moment.  I've given up trying to hone in on one topic that interests me, because I'm a person of MANY interests (although there are a few that remain near the top of my list).  Try as I might to discover my "passion" or "purpose" in life, there's just no getting around the fact that maybe I haven't found it yet.  Or - maybe I have....??? :)

My favourite writer, Elizabeth Gilbert, recently posted this on her Facebook page: 

Along with the above graphic, she also shared her thoughts on how "Passion is rare; curiosity is everyday", and that "the curiosity will eventually lead you to the passion".  (You can read her whole post here).  As I replied to her, I keep waiting for my "passion" to hit me over the head and reveal itself, as the almost daily pressure to "follow it" seems like the impossible dream at times.  As such, I've come to the conclusion that I've just got to stop overthinking it, and simply live my life doing what I enjoy, as much (and as realistically), as I am able.   And I think writing this post tonight has been a very good start. :) 

it's real and it's spectacular!

Well, as usual, I've been a BAAAAD blogger.  The last time I wrote a post was waaaay back on July 30 of 2013 - and now we're 3 days into 2014!!  I swear - it was fully my intention to keep this blog up to date as I transitioned from dyed blond to grey hair - but as usual, time (and life in general) got away from me.  I suppose the upside of it is, looking back, I had anticipated the process to be very long and drawn out - but in reality, it took six short months.  Now, I realize that if you're just starting the process, six months sounds like a MIGHTY long time - but take it from me, blink and it's gone.  (Even more true the older one gets, but that's a topic for another day).

Before and After

Anyway...I'm here to say that - I did it!!  I successfully transitioned from dyed to my natural grey (or as I like to call it, silver) hair!  About six months in, as much as I thought I had the mettle to stick it out and keep my hair at least bob length through the transition, one day, in a very impulsive flash, I just said, "that's it!" - and called my hair stylist for a same day chop.  Before I had the time to think it over, I was sitting in her chair, and within minutes, the deed was done.  I've got to admit, it was definitely a bit of a shock at first...not only was all the colour gone, but so were the curls that I'd only just learned to embrace.  And there I sat in front of the mirror - feeling sort of....meh.  All those months of excitement and anticipation, and it was sort of an anti-climax.  I actually think I mourned the loss of the curls over the colour...but in combination, yeah, I did have an inner "OMG what have I DONE???" moment.  Although most of the stylists at the hairdresser's were giving me a lot of positive reinforcement on my way out the door, I felt a bit like I had to run to the safety of my car and just let out a long deep breath...which I did.  First things first...OUT with my old rimless glasses. With this new 'do, they just screamed a little bit too "granny"  for me...so out came the newer frames that just hadn't been working with my transitional hair.  Okay - that was an improvement.  Funkier, not to mention something to hide behind now that I had NO. HAIR.

Next up - home to where my daughter was waiting to see the new me...with a sound of panic in her voice - as in..."oooooohhhh nooooooo Mom you didn't!"   I think she was expecting this:

Not ready to be a golden girl yet...

When I walked in the door, she actually held her hands over her eyes in anticipation of the horror...but then, something amazing happened.  She uncovered her eyes, and a huge smile spread over her face - and she exclaimed...."I LOVE IT!!!"  Okay...this was good.  When my youngest says it's good, I go with it - she's my little fashionista, with truly a great eye for fashion/style.  (And believe me, if she didn't like it, she would have said so).  So with that vote of confidence, I re-evaluated.  And then I remembered all my reasons for doing this in the first place, shook off all the doubt, and decided to OWN this.  After all, this was finally my natural colour, unveiled after almost 30 years - and on second (and third, and fourth) look - it was actually kind of - amazing. This was a colour that could NEVER come out of a bottle - although many try.  And I will NEVER have to worry about those "shameful" roots ever again.  Yep, this was good!!  With each passing minute, and then day, and week, I have completely embraced the new me...and unless they're lying through their teeth, so has almost everyone else that has seen it.  Oh, there a few that don't say anything (I put them in the "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" category) - but in the big picture - who cares?The main thing is that I'm happy with my new colour, it's real, and it's spectacular! ;-)  For those of you who might wonder about the full transition, here's a little collage I put together:

So, yeah, I'm done!  With the colour that is...still missing the length, even though I do continue to be told I should stick with the pixie.  For now, I'm aiming again for the chin length bob - and I'm determined to grow this baby out gracefully!  No mullet for me this time - (which, looking back on my old short to long transitions was a problem for me):

Hmmm....let me mullet over...

Wow.  Okay, moving on.  So now this turns into a "how to grow out a pixie cut" blog!! And not only that, but a GREY/SILVER pixie cut!!  (Believe me, I've googled the heck out of that combo, and NOTHING comes up - so this is a first, people!!) :)  I had my pixie on November 22, 2013 - and exactly one month later, here's a comparision shot (before on left):

what a difference a month makes... ;-)

It's getting longer, right?  RIGHT?? And the curls are starting to come back too....right?  Okay, so maybe you don't see much of a difference, but it's there.  And tomorrow, I'm going for my first trim since the pixie cut, but just the back, to fend off the aforementioned and dreaded mullet. I will try my darnedest to record THAT transition in photos, but I'm not making any promises.  Obviously, keeping a consistent blog is not one of my strong points, and to be honest, I'm not sure a blog devoted to the life and times of my hair is all that interesting. That said, I will try to keep it up - because I KNOW that there are some of you out there that just might happen upon  this in your quest for either a grey transition or a pixie cut transition - and perhaps this might just be of assistance.  Stay tuned...but don't hold your breath... :)

epiphany

For those day when I DO grow impatient - and I'm sure I will - there's always photoshop.

Well, today was something of a watershed day, I think. Over the past 48 hours or so, I came to a few realizations: 1. I have curly hair. 2. I'm impatient. So, what of it?

Well, to address each individually...

1.  I HAVE CURLY HAIR. Yep. Have had it all my life. And all my life (or at least when I started caring, and that was so long ago it may as well have been from the day I was born) I have FOUGHT it. It probably started to be the biggest problem for me in those dreaded years of junior high/high school - all the pretty and popular girls had the coveted parted-in-the-middle, silky sheath of straight, shiny, liquid, heavy, swishy, hair - while mine (in the dark ages of curl, before the invention of hair products, blow dryers, and flat-irons) was an unkempt, uncontrollable, helmet of frizz. Mine didn't grow down, it grew OUT. And up, and every other which way.  And the cute boys were NOT taking notice.  So, instead of trying to attract their attention with my feminine guiles, I decided the best way to catch their eyes was to emulate them! Yep, awesome plan. Dress in the same jeans and blue button down shirt, and cut and comb my mountain of frizzy hair in a style very similar to my particular crush (but it looked awesome on him!)  Needless to say, my plan never worked. Can't imagine why.... :) What did work, however, was an ironing board and iron (yep, the kind meant for clothes), or washing my hair at night and pulling it into the tightest ponytail EVER, and waking up in the morning with (cue angel music) STRAIGHT hair! (Or at least up to the point where the elastic had been attached - good look).  I decided to debut this newfound method of DIY hair-straightening for my junior high school prom - and sure enough, it was as if I'd been invisible all those years, and the ugly duckling had finally emerged as the proverbial beautiful swan. Literally overnight, people were suddenly taking notice. The signatures I collected in my yearbook the next day overwhelmingly make positive mention of my "new look", and the compliments began to flow. All because of my HAIR.  Is it any wonder it's been an albatross all these years? Despite my knowing better, the message was loud and clear: Straight = Pretty/Noticable; Curly = Unattractive/Invisible.

Now, I bet you're wondering why someone blogging about a transition to grey hair is telling all her sad little bad hair secrets from days gone by. (Well, at least the one of two of you that might be reading this might be wondering). ;-) Well, I'm here to tell you it's because my grey transition has led me to a second transition - yep, as you may have guessed, it's the transition to love and acceptance of my curly locks. I mean, if I'm going to go all out natural, it would only be a half-assed effort if I didn't also embrace my curls along with my silver/grey.  So why now? Well, I'm going to have to give yet another shout out  to my all-knowing peeps at the Gray and Proud FB group - so many lovely silver-haired curly girls there, who kept discussing the mysterious "Curly Girl Method".  It sounded like a really secret club to me - but one that I should belong to...so I googled it up, and discovered it's more than a secret club - it's an all out movement! SO much information about how to identify (I have "cherub" curls!), and the proper care and maintenance of curly hair.  I won't go into too much detail here - because believe me it is DETAILED - but suffice it to say it is a method developed by Lorraine Massey (goes without saying, a curly girl herself), and that there is a book (yes, I bought it), a product line, and there are salons that specialize in the "dry cutting" method for curly hair.  So hallelujah, I found my people, people!! And I am not alone! But more importantly, the method WORKS.  Followed the step-by-step instructions for the care and maintenance of my type of curls, and all of a sudden, I'm THIS close to tossing my blow-"fryer", flat-iron, and hairbrushes! FREEEEEEEDOMMMM! (Mel Gibson may have turned out to be a disappointment in real life, but ya gotta admit, Braveheart was, and still is, a hell of a movie).

William Wallace didn't give a damn about his hair, or what people thought of it...

2.  I'M IMPATIENT.  So, all this curly stuff was motivated by a decision I had made late last week to speed up this damn grey transition by booking an appointment for a short hair cut.  Just chop off all this colour, and be DONE with it. I was convinced I was ready to return to my days of short hair, and had picked out a winsome, tousled, gamine cut that looked fabulous on Audrey Tautou. (Never mind that her hair is dark brunette, she is an impossibly chic, classic, French beauty, and she's at least 20 years my junior).  

 But here's where "Curly Girl" comes in to play.  After adhering to their instructions for "no-pooing", conditioning, drying, etc., I ended up having the BEST curly-haired day ever.  Yes, EVER. (Or at least to me.) And as luck would have it, on the day before I was going to chop off all those lovely little "cherubs" - oh, the horror!! :)  And all of a sudden, my WHOLE attitude changed. This state of  flux I've been in over my HAIR seemed to instantly dissipate - poof, gone!  And in its place a new understanding that the farther I get into this, the more I'm truly starting to realize that this is so much more than just a cosmetic transition. At the risk of sounding super duper maudlin/cliche, this really is quite the emotional journey as well - and instead of going for instant gratification, I took a big step back, and asked myself just exactly what the hell the hurry is for me to reach the final destination - because yep, (cliche alert!) it really IS all about the journey. 

As much as I may not want to admit it, this is also about the beginning of the transition to old age, and I'm determined to do this gracefully. It took me 35 years to come to this decision to go grey, and (thanks in part to curly girl! ;-)) I'm now ready to rock the ombre look, and to sit back and watch my silver emerge slowly, along with my natural curls.  If I look like a calico cat, so be it.  If I look like I can't afford to dye my hair, so be it. I'm ready for the slow wave goodbye to the colour that has defined part of the physical me for the past 35 years or so, right up until that day a year or so from now that that last strand of dyed hair falls on the cutting room floor (do you sense a movie theme happening here?), and I'm grateful for even a small lesson learned regarding patience, and self-acceptance.  And to think - it was here with me all along.  Just like Dorothy, I've just had a real "click your heels three times" moment. In other words.......an epiphany. :) 

so it's true...

...your hair really does grow at a rate of about 1/2 inch per month! At least that's one of the things I've learned in the almost exactly two months since I last sat in the stylist's chair for the ritual cover-up.  Wasn't exactly sure until today (had to check my credit card statement) when the last time I had my hair dyed, but the big day was May 10, 2013.  I passed the two month mark this past Wednesday then - and this is officially the longest I've ever gone without reaching for a box in the drug store in an attempt to patch it up myself, or handed over more than a day's pay to get a professional to do the deed.

So, two months in, how am I feeling about this?  In a word - FANTASTIC.  Absolutely ZERO regrets.  My only complaint is that hair doesn't grow faster - there are days when it feels like watching paint dry!  Ah well, at the same time, I was very encouraged today by one of the prolific members of the Grey and Proud facebook group who proved with her photos that it only takes 19 months to go from a full on buzz cut, to gorgeous, below the shoulder, flowing silver locks.  That fabulous group continues to be a major source of daily inspiration - not only in terms of answering the myriad of basic questions I had before deciding to do this, but just in general as a tribute to the strength of sister (and brother!) hood, and the power of genuine, non-judgmental positivity.  Truly, social networking at its finest.  :)

I was also intrigued by a post on the G&P group last night, though, from a woman who had apparently joined, transitioned fully to grey hair, but then was encouraged by her husband to go back to the bottle, as he wasn't pleased with her natural hair colour.  I can't relate yet to what that would be like, as I haven't reached the "final destination" yet, so to speak - and I think my S.O. will be on board with the final outcome. (But if he wasn't, although I value his opinion, the decision would still be mine to make).   It did raise the question for me though - what if I'm not happy with it?  I really hadn't thought of that scenario in the course of all the "silver liberation" I've been feeling lately - although I will admit that when I caught sight of my reflection in a store window the other day, with this new "halo" of mine shining like a white hot beacon in the sun, it was slightly jarring for a second - if for nothing more than just how much brighter it looks.  Will I truly be comfortable with a full head of silver hair?  Once the novelty of the transition is over, will I get bored, and succumb once again to the lure of the chemicals?  What if I just plain don't like it?

Well, no way of projecting the answers to those questions, I suppose.  My main motivation for doing this came from a desire to live as authentically and as healthfully as possible, so if I remain true to those values, none of those questions should apply.  But I'm only human - and only time will tell.  Today though, full speed ahead, inch by glorious silver inch! :)

step one

Soooo, I totally intended for my second post to be titled "the evolution of my hair", or something to that effect - but in the spirit of spontaneity, post #2 is now about step #1 in my grey (silver? white? all of the above?) transition process. After spending a LOT of time last evening and  early this morning googling and pinteresting my eyes out in the quest for exactly how to go about this, in fairly typical fashion, I decided to just say the hell with it, and went and got my hair cut this morning.  And just because I like to throw a little danger into the mix, I decided to go to a brand new salon, brand new stylist, no questions asked, just made an appointment with the first available stylist, bing, bang, boom!  (Or maybe bippity, boppity, boo? ;-)) 

I should clarify - I didn't just pick a random salon by throwing a dart at a yellow pages book - I at least knew the one I had chosen had a good reputation - but I really had no way of knowing whether or not the one stylist available on such short notice would be on board with my decision (I was fully prepared to defend my reasoning to the ends of the earth if she dared to tell me I was making a big mistake).  But I needn't have worried.  Because, my friends, the grey hair gods were smiling upon me on this fine, hot, and sticky summer Tuesday.  (Whew, HOT enough for ya?)  Much to my delight, when my stylist came round the corner to greet me, SHE was the one sporting a full head of GREY HAIR.  But she was half my age. And her natural colour was dark brunette.  The ultimate irony, right?  I knew I had met my match. :) 

We had a quick consult - my only stipulations were short but still feminine, and something that would work either blown straight, or air dried to my natural curls. We easily decided on something short in the back, leaving length in the front (sounds like a reverse mullet, no?) and before I had time to change my mind, her shears were clipping away at the nape of my neck in a Scissorhandian flurry.  

And about 20 minutes later, the deed was done.  And I LOVED it.  After about four years of steadily growing out my hair and swearing up and down that I would never, ever, ever, have short hair again - I was in love with my new do. In LOVE, people! I think the above photo would explain why - my long and luxurious locks ;-) had been draggin' me down!  Transition or not, this was clearly a move I should have made a long while ago, don't you think?  :) 

And so it begins. I realize I've just traded colour maintenance for cut maintenance, but that's a trade I'm happily willing to make - still cheaper, less time consuming, and most importantly, far less toxic. And in the event that I do decide to go a bit longer again once the colour is gone, the grow out should be fair less painful. I couldn't finish this post without a HUGE thank you to the very talented Rachel at Flavio's Hair Design - AWESOME job. You took what could have been a regretful hair decision (and believe me, I am the MASTER of regretful hair decisions) and effortlessly created EXACTLY what I had been looking for.  Not only do I love it, but feedback from others has been unanimously positive. Honestly - perfect strangers are complimenting me! 

As for those regretful hair decisions...stay tuned. I've got a million of 'em folks! :)