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Go gray

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To dye or not to dye, that is the question. Whether it's nobler in the mind to let the gray strands shine, or to dodge the slings of outrageous fortune and reach for the Grecian Formula, is a problem that men and women have had to deal with for many, many decades.

I once had a friend, an otherwise intelligent man, who in his mid-thirties began to go gray. He took the easy way out and dyed his hair. I must admit, he looked good with his raven-colored locks. But, we were sent off to Vietnam to fight in that dreadful war, and his duffel bag had room for only a limited supply of Grecian Formula. After six months of our one-year tour, he ran out, and within a week, his black hair was peppered with gray. Imagine the reaction of his other friends who did not know he had been coloring his hair. They thought he was having a nervous reaction to being in a combat zone, and in fact, his response to the appearance of gray hair caused such angst, he began to act in ways that supported this belief.

Now, let's fast forward a few years. Your humble writer is among that group of people who get gray hair early. I began to notice strands of white in my late 20s. My first reaction, supported by my loving, but vain wife of the time, was to get rid of them. Before I took this step, though, I recalled my friend from Vietnam. Did I really want to risk being thought of as vain; could I cope with the embarrassment of running short of dye at an inopportune time and then having to explain myself?

My answer to myself was, NO! I decided to let nature take its course. In a year, I was definitely gray at the temples, and had not yet reached my thirtieth birthday. I had escaped the union with a person who hated to see the silver strands proliferate, and was in a new relationship. My new significant other informed me that the sprinkling of gray hair, starting at the temples and working its way toward the back of my head, made me look distinguished. I noted that young people with whom I worked treated me with a slightly greater degree of deference. I got second, and appreciative looks from women in public places.

I am now in my mid 60s and almost completely gray. Now, instead of a sprinkling of gray, I have a scattering of dark hairs in a field of glistening white. Now, I am fortunate to also be among the rare people who have no wrinkles or laugh lines. My face is as smooth today as it was when I was 12. When I walk into a room, though, the head of white hair marks me as someone with experience; someone who has lived a life full and well; and probably someone worth paying attention to.

To dye or not to dye. There is no question. Be who and what you are, and you will be much better off for it.

Learn more about this author, Charles Ray.
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