We have a set of handcrafted (by a dear 96 year-old gentleman in our community) Adirondack chairs on the back porch. OK - it's a deck but I want it it to be a porch and what really is the difference? Let's say it's a deck that identifies as a porch - how's that for modern architecture? The chairs (and porch planks as well) started out brownish wood colored but now they are weathered greyish - and a little splintery to be honest. But they are perfect. They fit our widened bodies and tilt us up just so to see the tops of the trees in the mornings and the dusting of stars in the evenings. Hubby feeds the birds and squirrels out back so we often sit and name them - there's a cardinal, a red-headed woodpecker, a blue-jay, a... squirrel. Invariably, I will draw a deep breath sitting there in my Adirondack and say for the seventy-seventh or so time how good it is to be back home. The modest yard is park-like compared to our tiny scrap out there in Texas. These front row seats to the nature show are comfortable and beloved. Silvered.
It's been less than a handful of years since I decided to embrace my natural hair color. I began to gray in my early 40's and immediately threw some L'Oreal at the situation. A decade and change later found me deep in the throes of an all-out battle against the white part line. I have really thick hair that grows quickly - and I know this is a blessing - but there at the end I was coloring every 2-3 weeks. It was mentally exhausting. I thought about it constantly and tried all the tricks - spray-on color, colored powder, even mascara - just to lengthen the process by a few more days. When I looked in the mirror, the color started to look fake and didn't go with my skin tone very well anymore. Let me interject here.... I know there are professionals who would have done a much better job of this but I had neither the time nor money to visit a salon often enough to keep up with the relentless, creeping gray. I asked a few different stylists over the years about going gray and was advised against it... it will make you look ten years older... you are too young to have gray hair... here try this trick.... I listened for a long time. And then, I just decided it was time. Both the boys were married so I didn't have to worry about being mistaken for their grandmother in the pictures. That was actually my last hurdle. I worked with a professional to formulate a plan... a series of very heavy highlights to make the growing-out part blend in a little better along with some strategic cuts to whittle away the highlighted parts from the natural parts and a mere one and a half years later it was complete. I got to be blonde-ish there for a while and it was fun (Hubby particularly liked that phase) but I was determined. Once I was declared treated-hair-free, there was a sense of great relief. I probably do look ten years older. Heck, I am ten years older. But I don't think about it much anymore. It feels healthier and it's one less thing on my plate to have to deal with. In the grand scheme of life, this is not an important thing. Whether a person chooses to alter their hair color or use many (or few) beauty products is an individual choice. For me, this became a distraction. So I eliminated it and am pretty pleased with nature's process - it is becoming comfortable and beloved. Silvered.
As a part of my job, I have recently done some research about workforce demographics - particularly in the US but there are similar statistics in most developed countries globally. The population aged 60 or over is growing faster than all younger age groups As the population ages so does the workforce and the number of workers aged 55 and over will make up one-fourth of the labor force in a year or so. As of January, there were about 1 million more open jobs than unemployed workers. These trends are on track to continue rising - some are calling it a Silver Tsunami. For a plethora of reasons, people are staying in the workforce longer - well into their upper 60's and 70's. (The sources for this data are a UN report on ageing and The Associated Press - this is not fake news.) I also unearthed some pretty chilling reports of age discrimination which has begun to come to light. (Source: ProPublica, a Pulitzer Prize winning nonprofit newsroom that aims to produce investigative journalism in the public interest - just search "age discrimination" on their website and spend a few hours reading.) And just in case you're wondering - the baseline age for protections against age discrimination under the ADEA (Age Discrimination in Employment Act) is 40. There are all sorts of responses to this phenomenon - from keeping proverbial heads in the sand to advocating for change in policy and perception.
All this to say.... those of us who are "silvering" have significant challenges ahead. And while this may not be a typical "devotional" topic, I think maybe it would be timely to take an honest look at our attitude about growing older - no matter what color our hair is or which box we check on the age-range form. The Bible actually has quite a bit to say about growing older. There is the supposition of wisdom that comes with experience; the hope of God's provision into old age; the importance of generational mentoring; the expectation of life-long fruitfulness. It's a lovely circle... the old are to teach and encourage the young - the young are to respect and care for the old. Could we ask some pointed questions of ourselves? As an "old," what am I doing to invest in the next generation? How am I bringing about a culture of honor? As a "young," how does my perception of aging match the Biblical perspectives? Bottom line. We need each other. Somebody set it up like that. Let's all step gracefully ahead and embrace this ancient, comfortable and beloved dance. Shall we? Selah.
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