Neither Diet nor Dye It

  I wonder whether there are still people in the world who believe in diets.  The books I read, the people I speak with, and the shows I watch tend to emphasize that weight loss happens not because of short term diets, but because of long term lifestyle changes.  The idea is that living on a diet of cabbage soup or powdered drink mixes isn’t sustainable or healthy.  Rather, in order to ensure adequate consumption of vitamins and minerals, as well as to prevent boredom and bingeing, we need to eat a variety of real food in the right amounts.

  And speaking of lifestyle and reality, the fact is that my hair is no longer the blonde it was when was a child.  Most of it has darkened to brown, and some of it has turned flashy silver.  For years I’ve colored my hair, experimenting with shades of blonde, brown, and red – anything but grey.  Have I had any personal objection to grey hair?  No, not really.  I have, however, been conditioned by the media that just as my overweight body was unacceptable, so was my brown and silver hair.

  Once again, recent reflection and action have changed my mind.  Operation Beautiful by Caitlin Boyle was instrumental in opening my heart to accepting myself.  The mission of Operation Beautiful is to change not the way we look, but the way we see ourselves. 

  So, now that I’ve accepted that I’m overweight with brown and silver hair, what does that mean?  Do I stay overweight?  What do I do with my hair?

  I tell my kids again and again that we need to appreciate what we have while we have it, and to make the most of it.  I am overweight, but I also love to be active and with other people.  So in my imperfection I appreciate the relative health I have, and I work to make the most of it, ideally resulting in better health and more joy. 

  My hair?  Okay, so it’s not the youthful color I might wish it to be, but that’s no reason to douse it in chemicals.  I can have it cut in a style which suits me.  Rather than hide my true self, I can embrace my self.  I have enough to worry about without worrying about showing my roots.  When I see friends with silvery hair, or silver and brown hair, they seem to have an extra sparkle, not just from their twinkling hair, but from the confidence with which they wear it.

  In the back of my mind I’ve long held this picture of myself as an old lady.  I want to be one of those earth mothers, with long skirts and peasant shirts, with an herb garden and a comfy rocking chair and books and friends and joy.  That picture isn’t based on hair color, but when I think about it, my hair then must be sparkling silver to match the twinkle which will undoubtedly be in my eye.

  Diet?  Only if we mean a healthy diet of a variety of wholesome foods.  Dye it?  No, thanks. 

~Karin