Enjoy Your Hairy Legs

A few months ago I discovered my first gray hair. Or rather Ryan discovered it.

Hey, did you know you've got a gray hair?

What?! No I don't, where? That's not gray, that's blond.

Pluck.

Inspection.

I. Can't. Believe. I HAVE A GRAY HAIR!

That's okay, you're still beautiful!

Not that I really needed any more, but it was just another physical reminder that I am indeed aging along with everybody else. It seems strange to me that I can remember when I was my children's ages, and I can remember when my parents were my age. They seemed so old and wise at the time, and now I funnily feel neither old nor wise.

Pearl and I were playing a board game, and she was describing in detail how the game worked. I turned to her and said: Pearl, I used to play this game when I was little.

She responded far too incredulously they had this game that long ago? I leaned in close to her ear in my low voice and raised eyebrows: Yes, Pearl, way back then. She giggled with a bit of embarrassment that she had just accused her mom of being that old.

I understand, because the single digits seem to drag on. Waiting for each birthday to finally come was sometimes torture. It was always I can't wait until I turn ____ so I can ____.  

The issue of make-up has made quite a presence here lately. I was actually quite appalled. I don't remember wanting to wear make-up until I was in high school. I even asked my mom when we (there were 4 girls) started wearing it. She was surprised as well that my grade school girls are already asking for it.

Why can't we wear make-up?

Because you're all so beautiful already you don't need it!

But you wear make-up.

That's because I'm not as beautiful as you!

More giggling. And then there's the leg shaving.

Can I shave my legs? Olive (who is 7) asks.

No.

Why?

Because you're a little girl.

But my friends at school do.

(I skipped the "if your friends all jumped off the cliff" speech and gave it to her straight) Well. They shouldn't. You have your entire life to shave your legs. Enjoy being able to get away with hairy legs while you can.

Time seems to exponentially speed up once you have a child. And by the time child number 6 comes along it seems like you set them down to crawl around, go put in a load of laundry and get dinner started, and you turn around and they're starting middle school.

My sister, Jordan, and I not acting our ages

I am grateful I am where I am, though. High school was great fun, but I'd never want to do it again. My 20s brought me marriage and motherhood, and while I would certainly have fun re-doing my wedding dress and think fondly of my first year of being a mom, I am more than content to be right as I am.

I have learned confidence. I have practiced perseverance. I have discovered abilities. I have grown as a wife and mother.

It's that whole sapling allegory, you know? The one who is subjected to the storms learns to bend, change, and become stronger. I might be a bit softer in parts of my body, and I'm working on that, but my mind is stronger, my passion is brighter, and my love and ability to love is larger.

I'm thinking that while time is speeding up, it's worth it when each decade gets correspondingly better. Bring on the gray hairs.

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