Going Gray and living authentically

  I'm halfway through Going Gray: What I learned about beauty, sex, work, motherhood, authenticity and  everything else that really matters  by  Anne Kreamer.
Which is appropriate, since I'll be turning 40 in less than a week.
It should be easy.  My grandmother did it early in her life and was rewarded with beautiful, thick white waves.  I also attend a Quaker meeting where most of the women do not artificially cover their gray.  And my best friend and husband Richard has taken the lead. I think he looks fantastic.

I agree with Kreamer when she discusses the benefits of presenting ourselves as we really are.  American women have bought into a marketing trick by the beauty industry.  Hair color doesn't really make us look younger.  We aren't fooling anyone.  In our attempt to maintain artificial youth we are deceiving ourselves.  I have decided that I want to feel young inside more than I want to look young.  I have no desire to stop what is inevitable.  Actor Steve Martin did it early and as a result, no one notices that he's aged in the last 20 years.

I also have the advantage of being blessedly anonymous, with the good fortune to work from home.  Would I be brave enough to do this if I were still working in a public setting like the library or the college?   I'm not sure.

However, the blog is somewhat public.   I've begun to notice that my picture on the sidebar, taken one year ago, looks like a younger version of Jenny.   Blogging, like going gray, is supposed to be an act of authenticity.  I consider this space more important than other social media sites for this very reason.  We can be transparent here.  In fact, authenticity is a quality highly desired by most readers.  In that spirit, I've decided to share the pictures of my hair as it changes.  As I age.