Fade to White

Her long auburn tresses shone as the trickling rays of sunlight entered her room. She sprung out of bed ready for the challenges of a new day. She was young and vibrant with a passion for living.

The heady aroma of shampoo filled her nostrils and the spray of the shower prickled her skin. She meticulously followed her morning routine, never straying far from the ritual. She was, perhaps, a bit OCD about it, but it suited her.

She let her hair air dry while she put on her makeup, then pulled out her hair dryer to finish the job. She prided herself on the fact that her hair color was natural, a rich chestnut with gold and red highlights. It was her pride and joy.

Years passed quickly. She married and had children, all blessed with her gorgeous locks. One morning she noticed something disturbing as she was brushing her hair. Flecks of grey gently striated her hair. How had she not seen them before? As she looked more closely she realized that they accompanied the faint lines beginning to form at the corners of her eyes. She looked away, not wanting to acknowledge what was happening to her.

She was in denial. She began to replace the grey strands with color from a box, followed by frequent trips to the hair salon, where she endured the endless task of restoring her auburn locks. Each time she visited, more and more color was applied as the grey seemed to multiply. She was entering middle age and the challenge of the changes that came with it.

More years passed, and she watched her children grow and leave the nest one by one. With each departure her hair took on a gentle silver color, gradually covering her entire head. Coloring it became an almost insurmountable chore as she spent more and more of her days in the salon.

As she entered her older years, her golden years as they liked to say, she began to see herself in a new light. Her hair turned yet again into a snowy white, accenting her still beautiful skin and with it came acceptance. She was alive, healthy and happy. She looked lovingly back at the rich, dark color that once defined her, or so she thought, realizing now that she was the same person, perhaps even better and she was still beautiful.

Her final days were lived out in peace and tranquility surrounded by silver and grey and white. And when she wanted to revisit that time of auburn glory, she only had to turn to her granddaughters for the memories.