Ever wonder what a day
one single day
would be like
if it were just
Black and White?
No gray
Just black
Or
Just white
Good or Bad
No Okays
Right or Wrong
No Halfways
Yes or No
No Maybes
Always or Never
No Sometimes
Now or Never
No Laters
Sun or Storm
No Overcast
Just Black and White
No gray
Ever wonder if it would be a better life; an easier life?
One might think so
Just imagine…our world with its indeterminable amount of 50/50 questions
answered in just one of two ways
Could that ever work?
Would we want it to?
Ever wonder?
Ask yourself 5…just 5…questions, whose answers at the time, helped shape your life. I am imagining these to be the toughest that we must ask ourselves at every critical juncture as we travel our respective journeys.
Then, think about how your life would (or wouldn’t) be different had you only had the option to answer in black or white.
I chose my 5 questions carefully. I won’t share the questions because we have each traveled our own paths, but what I will say is this…because of the ‘no gray’ constriction, my life would be vastly different.
In fact, my life would be no life at all.
You see, even though I had 5 questions, I only needed the ONE to change my life forever. At the time, if we’d been living in a black or white, yes or no, now or never world, my journey would have ended.
So, if you do ever wonder, you really should ask this ONE question first:
Is it worth it? The anxiety, ambiguity, doubt, pain, confusion, fear…and on and on.
The short answer, YES.
The long answer, YES because it is all temporary. What hurts now may not hurt tomorrow, but if it does, we can fix it. Your fears and doubts can be conquered if you work at it. The best motivators in life are doubt and fear…knowledge is the key to overcoming doubt and action is the key to overcoming fear.
What of the love, family, adventure, learning, teaching, helping, guiding…and on and on.
Have you ever walked behind a gray-haired, old person, limping with their cane, and thought “I don’t ever want that to be me”? Or watched from a distance as a gray-haired and bent old man, leans in and pushes his white-haired and wrinkly old sweetheart in a wheelchair, not noticing that he’s whispering to her as they travel, and thought…”I don’t want to live to be that old”?
If so, think of all you’ll loose in not living long and large enough to not earn that glorious CROWN of GRAY! Think of all the choices you’ve made to extend that life, only to look upon the gray, white, and silver generation with pity and sadness, or to some, even disgust.
I know, when I look at a face like the one of that man in the picture above, that he is someone I want talk to, listen to, laugh with, maybe even cry with. His face speaks to me of life yet to be lived.
His face says to me “I Wonder”!
THAT’S the face I want.
That’s the face I’m working on beneath my ever changing CROWN of black, white, and gray!
50 Shades of Gray Hair 
My mom used to say, “I wish I were dead.” She had dementia and knew it. I would assure her that my promise to hold the pillow over her face still stood and did she want me to do it today. Her response was always, “What’s for dinner tonight?”
Growing old is difficult and painful, but I don’t know if we’re capable of choosing not to do it.
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Well Judy, the only choice to not do it, is well…the last chance we’d ever have to choose. Aging is everything all rolled into one thing…not boring! Good to see you and thanks 🙂
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Scary stuff but of course it’s worth it. At least we have the chance.
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The chance is the thing Annie, exactly.
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I try to live with no regret but as I get older the more I find the appear but they are never about things I did or choices I made they are always the questions never asked and the stories not shared. It is sad that often in youth we dont appreciate that we should take the time to slow down and talk, then more importantly listen. When I had my spinal op I wrote letters to my kids, then for a few years I wrote one each new years, now I think maybe it is time to restart that and add letters to my grandkids. Sometimes growing old means we lose ourselves in so many ways, I am watching my dad fade away with dementia and my mum falter and seem unable to motivate herself to do better. I want to be sure that the memories I leave are those of joy and laughter and a life well live with vibrant pinks, blues and purple embracing the grey xxx
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I love your pinks, blues, and purples. Your letters are a wonderful idea Paula and will absolutely be part of your written legacy, just in a different form. What you’re going through with your parents is such a difficult path, for all of you. You’re in my heart my Queen, and always in my prayers. xoxo
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