Embracing the Greys

I took an unintended break from writing. My journal has been starved for weeks. The pages have a few scarce phrases but the lines have been naked for a while. It has been a time to be quieter and still!

I saw a post on social media this week as a young lady celebrated her birthday with a reel of beautiful photos; "so this is what 19 feels like!" Youthful, bright, and expectant!

I smiled and thought to myself with a hit of internal sarcasm; "so this is what almost 44 feels like!"

Reality Bites

My husband has just 2 grey hairs; they are countable and removable. I have more than 2200!

He told me to "embrace the greys!" which is easier said than done. Removing is impossible without bald patches and recolouring is a two-week temporary coverup.

I honestly don't love them but am gradually coming out of denial, having given up on the packets of dyes a few months ago. I am accepting genetics are not in my favour in the head covering department! (My Grandmother had amazing white hair; I expect this is my eventual destination!)

Understanding Grey's Significance

Grey is primarily used as a background; for ID photos or for selling an item online. Somehow it helps other people or things to stand out—the simple trick for showcasing on a stage.

Fashion bloggers and influencers say grey is trending in timeless elegance and versatility because many colour combinations pair so well with it. I am obviously not a fashionista as I only have two items of grey clothing reserved for corporate affairs where I am required to merge and blend into the crowd (which is hard as a minority caucasian.) In these rare events, I usually choose a different coloured accessory to break up the monotone.

Grey has felt more lifeless than timeless for me; gravestones and decrepit buildings ready for demolition. Giant concrete overpasses blockading the light in Manila. Cement brick block towers in overcrowded cities. Drab hospital corridors, factories, and school uniforms. They all moan with formality, manufactured fabrication, and conformity.

The word achromatic describes grey; it literally means without colour! Maybe that is why I disliked it so much.

There may be 50 or 100 or more shades along the spectrum. With names like slate, charcoal, arsenic, or ash to indicate a lacklustre position along the vast expanse between black and white. The names themselves have a dreary lack of expectancy. The space in between darkness and light is no man's land.

The Grey Shift

When we moved house the first thing we did was repaint our entire home as it was BRIGHT orange on the outside and yellow throughout the inside.

The before photo with the orange paint

Grey wasn't my first choice for an exterior but we realised it was the only contraster without extreme hours of laborious work to redo everything.

Grey unexpectedly became the transformer! It actually draws the eye to other features that were previously invisible behind the blinding orange that dominated every flat surface.

The intricate stonework is now the special feature. The variegated plants are extravagant artworks on a blank canvas. Achromatic is the picture frame!

I even bought grey curtains and somehow find them calming after noisy bustling days.

Grey pulled other things into the forefront and has become peace after the chaos of traffic jams and overstimulation.

A Greyer Season

A successful high flying friend, living and loving her dream job, says this is the decade to pursue my career. Now that my kids are all teens+ (two are off to university soon....more about that next time), I supposedly have more freedom, time and opportunities.

I am known as the pioneer, the strategist, the visionary who sows dream seeds with the map and foresight to help them grow and flourish.

I think flourishing now involves me embracing grey. This is where I let others come forth and be seen.

I have moved to the background and suddenly everything and everyone else have increasing vibrancy.

Sitting still and watching the birds dart back and forth along the electrical wire and flitter over to the ledge above my head. Listening. Stroking a sweet puppy.

Small things are filled and fueled with a thousand hues, sounds, and textures.

Watching others come alive; bursting forth in verdant greens and growth. Grey feels like a newfound ability to breathe and see. It is the reframer and the reset button.

I am wondering if this reframed perspective has a greater purpose.

I know it is an ordained time. I don't want to miss its value or rush on ahead.

Greyscaling

As grey moves closer towards white the shade names alter. Tones move from stones and raw materials into expensive luminescent metals. From steel to aluminium, platinum, titanium, and eventually silver; The colour of refinement and redemption.

Perhaps the 2200 increasing volume of silver highlights across my scalp are to remind me that the eventual goal is purity and full redemption.

Both require the removal of dross; the scum that rises to the surface with the heat of molten silver is required before anything valuable can come forth.

I won't rush the process. I hope I am gradually moving from seemingly drab stone shades towards something more precious and measurable.

Silver and white gold usually hold and showcase emeralds, sapphires and diamonds. You can appreciate the beauty and design of jewels against the background of simple purity.

This is the goal. Here we find the strands of wisdom and can finally embrace and appreciate their hidden value!