To Dye or Not to Dye

To dye or not to dye; herein lies the question of the day for me...whether tis better to dye my hair again, or let go of my one last prideful vista of looking young (er) than I am. But in dying, am I perpetuating a lie, both to myself and "the world" as Falstaff says in Shakespeare's Henry IV...

"Lord, lord, how subject we old men (women) are in the vice of lying!"

And again in The Merchant of Venice when Bassanio says,

"Look on beauty, and you shall see; tis purchased by the weight (cosmetics) which therein
works a miracle in nature, making them lightest (lustful) that wears most."

Well, I am certainly looking for a miracle in nature; helping my ever graying hair return to its younger, natural brown, but I am certainly not, at my age, looking for lustfulness! I guess what I should be looking for is acceptance or contentment. This, of course, would be the ideal.

"O God! Methinks it were a happy life....to be no better than a homely swain." (King Henry in Henry IV)

Ah, but Shakespeare did not have to put up with this "ageless" culture we live in today where everyone is young; where no one is ever going to die, at least not in our lifetime; and where one begins to be ignored with the first sign of aging; where I, at the college where I work, like to hang out with young kids, trying to fit in, speak their language, enjoy their interests, keep up with their technology and overall look and act "cool." A tall order for this sixty something gal. So, once again I will head to the drugstore to pick up No. 5, medium brown hair color....my one "cosmetic of choice" to keep me looking young. So, to dye or not to dye. Yes, at least one more time.

A Day to Celebrate!

"Fern looked at her father. Then she lifted the lid of the carton. There, inside, looking up at her, was the newborn pig. It was a white one. The morning shone through its ears, turning them pink. Fern couldn't take her eyes off the tiny pig. "Oh," she whispered. "Oh, look at him! He's absolutely perfect." Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Today Mike and I are celebrating the birth of our second daughter, Kerri, who was born on this day 35 years ago in Columbus, Ohio. I actually drove myself to the hospital because my mother needed someone to drive with her, so behind me was Mike and Mom. I was to be induced as I had had some difficulty with the first go-around, and I wanted to be sure the Doctor was "in the house." All went well, and at sometime in the afternoon (can't remember the exact time) Kerri Elizabeth Barclay came into the world and into our lives. We were thrilled with another little girl, and a sister for Michelle, and though they are very different in temperament, they are best friends today. To say that the time has gone by all too quickly is an understatement. How could our little daughter be all grown up now with children of her own (see picture). Kerri made us laugh, cry, wonder, explore, learn, grow up, appreciate, feel pride, and so many other things along the way. As Kim Anderson says in her little book, Babies Are a Special Gift, "babies can open our eyes to a new world of beauty, our minds to a new world of promise, and our hearts to a new world of love." Kerri indeed did that for us and we are so grateful for her in our lives. Thank you Kerri for all the wonderful memories Dad and I have of you growing up, and being such a wonderful part to our family.