Your First Gray Nose Hair Might Have a Secret
It's always the unexpected things that change your life
One morning, there it was. Sticking out proudly. I couldn't look away. It had my undivided attention. And suddenly I began to laugh.
I’d never thought that a simple gray nose hair would alter my perspective on life. I mean, honestly, I’m 44. I’ve had gray hair in my beard since I was 31. And I have a few grays speckled about, but my hair is so thick that you can barely notice it.
It’s not that I mind the gray, or loathe it. I actually welcome it. And I find it distinguishing. But a gray nose hair? I have to admit I was a bit offended at first. Like, really? It’s that time already? I’m finally—old?
My life wasn’t over though. In fact, it was the beginning of a new way of thinking.
“The world tomorrow will belong to those who brought it the greatest hope.”
~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
I used to think that planning everything was the best way to get through life. And planning does help—sometimes.
But the best things in life are always unscripted.
So the nose hair made me giggle. I probably looked like a fool to my 4-year-old son who started laughing at me as I laughed at myself. And that’s when it really hit me.
I’ve spent my life worrying about appearances. And I’ve gone through great troubles to strive toward perfection in everything that I do, especially when it comes to my appearance. But really, it’s all fleeting—all appearance is.
The truth is, those with an innocent heart (like my son) don’t see us for our appearance; they see us for who we really are, for how we make them feel, and for the goodness that we bring into their lives.
We find these people throughout our lives. Or… they find us.
We’re so saturated with imagery in this world that we tend to forget about what’s really important, about the stuff that really makes life worth all of our tears—about the people who love us, grays and all. Despite this, our obsession with imagery has become even more pervasive as time has progressed.
But an image is nothing but a shell, a mask that we all wear in front of the world.
When the world finally touches you on the shoulder, usually before you ever make it to middle-school, things change. We change. This is when you put on your first mask. And you’ll also spend the rest of your life trying to pry it away from your true face. I know I have.
So what’s the secret of the gray nose hair? It’s actually quite simple…
Embrace change as it happens. And above all, strive to show the world your true face. Speak about what you love, no matter how weird it is. Because we’re only here for a short time. So we might as well spend that time wisely, focused on what we love the most—not on our appearance.
It’s OK to be critical sometimes. And it’s OK to laugh at yourself from time to time, too. It’s OK to cry. And it’s even OK to be angry. We’re all human.
And one day, we’ll all have a nose-full of grays to prove it.
Embrace your true face. And show the world your true heart as if nobody is looking.
We all need more of that.
Travel well.