Brave: Ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage. People who are ready to face and endure danger or pain. Endure or face (unpleasant conditions or behavior) without showing fear: “we had to brave the heat”.
“Oh,” she gushed, touching my arm. “You are so brave.”
Brave is a word that is usually applied to someone rushing in to save a child from a burning building. Someone fighting for their lives with great courage and grace is brave. For others, being brave means standing up to a bully, or working hard to right some other injustice in the world.
It is a battle cry to stand up to whatever life dishes out – Take heart! Be brave!
So what incredible form of bravery was this woman referring to?
My gray hair.
This post is prompted by a press release I received this morning. They wanted to know if I’d like to review some new shampoo specifically for gray hair (Menno Alert! Did you say you’d send me something FREE?)
In part, their e-mail said,”…a recent article in the New York Times discussed the importance of embracing silver strands, calling it a “visible protest against the cult of youth.”
Wow! Not only am I brave, but every time I walk out the door I am visibly protesting a cult. Who knew?
It reminds me of another ‘You’re-So-Brave’ compliment I received once. I didn’t know the woman very well, but well enough to exchange pleasantries. She had noticed my MedicAlert bracelet warning of my severe allergies to penicillin and sulfa.
“Oh,” she said, “You’re so brave. I’m supposed to wear one of those too, but… I’m so vain,” she giggled apologetically, as if to say, who could possibly blame her for wanting to look as good as she did? She continued talking as she expertly outlined her lips, “I guess I just care too much about my appearance.”
Like some of the gray hair comments I receive, the often not-so-subtle-subtext is that obviously I don’t give a shit about what I look like (to be fair, some people are genuinely nice about my hair, and to them I say, thank you!). I continued watching her as she coloured between the lines of her lips. I think my mouth probably opened and closed a few times, empty of sound and connected to no thoughts. I probably looked like a gasping goldfish flipped out of its bowl (in short, I had nothing to say, though I still think that in a contest of Vanity versus Death, one should probably wear the bracelet).
But sometimes I think that maybe I truly am brave; especially here in Vancouver’s Yaletown where the altar of youth is heaped and overflowing with offerings of Botox, collagen, silicon, and that spawn of the Devil…Spanx.
I said yes to the offer of the new silvery-enhancing-visibly-protesting shampoo. After all, if my hair is my rebel signature, I think it’s best to get all the help I can get…especially if I am still daring to wear my bracelet.
Related articles
Be sure to let me know if the shampoo does wonders for your gray. I’m sure mine could use a little brightening. Long live Natural!