New wisdom with first white hair
I was in a state is disbelief when my husband noticed my first strand of white hair on my head. My instant reaction was denial. I was convinced that the sunlight was bouncing off my head and did some optical illusion trick on him. But alas, at age 33, I was shown proof in the mirror. This was the first piece of evidence...I was indeed getting older. Unimaginable!
A few days later, as I was replaying this watershed moment in my head, I found myself examining my life thus far: what I had been keeping myself busy with, my priorities in life, and the state of my happiness. Then, a feeling of calm contentedness came over me. I had nothing to fret about...I was actually happy.
This feeling was different from the euphoria of winning a tennis match or a successful launch of a product. It had a steady-state serenity to it. Oddly enough, it was not quite something I'm used to. As a goal-oriented person, I've always found intense happiness when I accomplished my goals. This feeling usually lasts 1 or 2 days...maybe at most a week. But once I have reached a goal, my knee-jerk reaction is setting the next goal immediately. Hence, my happiness is often short-lived. So, like a drug I seek, I must attain my next goal.
If this new strand of white hair were to symbolize a new-found wisdom, I would say that I've realized it's not just the goal that is to be enjoyed but the journey of reaching it. For example, simply noticing the fact that so many moving parts somehow work so well together in a workplace can now put a smile on my face. (Gosh, I AM growing old...ahem, getting more mature!)
Perhaps my 2nd strand of white hair will be greeted with some glee as to what new wisdom I will discover. But for now, I think the first piece of wisdom will last me for quite a while.
A few days later, as I was replaying this watershed moment in my head, I found myself examining my life thus far: what I had been keeping myself busy with, my priorities in life, and the state of my happiness. Then, a feeling of calm contentedness came over me. I had nothing to fret about...I was actually happy.
This feeling was different from the euphoria of winning a tennis match or a successful launch of a product. It had a steady-state serenity to it. Oddly enough, it was not quite something I'm used to. As a goal-oriented person, I've always found intense happiness when I accomplished my goals. This feeling usually lasts 1 or 2 days...maybe at most a week. But once I have reached a goal, my knee-jerk reaction is setting the next goal immediately. Hence, my happiness is often short-lived. So, like a drug I seek, I must attain my next goal.
If this new strand of white hair were to symbolize a new-found wisdom, I would say that I've realized it's not just the goal that is to be enjoyed but the journey of reaching it. For example, simply noticing the fact that so many moving parts somehow work so well together in a workplace can now put a smile on my face. (Gosh, I AM growing old...ahem, getting more mature!)
Perhaps my 2nd strand of white hair will be greeted with some glee as to what new wisdom I will discover. But for now, I think the first piece of wisdom will last me for quite a while.
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