I experienced a first mid-way through my monthly haircut. I looked down to find clumps of hair with more gray hair than black.
That got me reflecting about the passage of time – from the perspective of haircuts and barber shops over the years.
Funnily, the first thing that crossed my mind was a comment from someone who said I’d grow to experience the importance of a more expensive haircut than my erstwhile 10 pound staple.
I never have. The cheapest haircut around has worked just fine.
I thought about how I resisted haircuts through my teenage years. I also remembered my first semester of college – I refused to cut my hair for those 3 months because the thought of paying 10 Singapore Dollars for a haircut felt preposterous.
I got over all that.
Fast forward to today, I am borderline religious about my once-in-4-week haircut. It has become a family joke.
My mind then flitted to a random collection of ups and downs over the years. Of the many victories over the years, I realized that the most special ones were private victories. Eating better, exercising more, keeping my word more, responding instead of reacting more often, learning to keep my mouth shut and not needing to have the last word more than before, becoming better friends with equanimity, and so on.
These victories got me thinking about the battles I am currently fighting – attempting to reach for books instead of empty calories on my phone for example. Works in progress, we all are.
It occurred to me that I often find myself grateful for the people around me, for experiences I’ve gained, and for things that I value. But perhaps the greatest gift of them all is simply the ability to witness the passage of time.
Gray is good.
