Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Gage d’Amitié

amities = friendship

Becoming friends with aging.

Yes. Accepting it for what it is.

Embracing history as a prize.

Announcing 51 and not thinking ahead, nor behind.

Holding the sag, the wrinkles, the extra weight, the thing called menopause as an achievement.

Letting beauty be where beauty is.

But when I saw two, not just one, but two white hairs growing long and proud in my eyebrow I stared them down… held the tweezer up aiming for attack, then realizing that those two white hairs matched my fake blond hair better than the other dark black eyebrows that I have.

I put the tweezers down.

Aging. Becoming. I am.

Changing and accepting, sometimes one without the other.

It is okay, and it is okay that I am fake blond, wearing Mary Jane's. 

I never noticed the color of someone's eyebrows before mine started to turn to white.

Maybe I'll be Frosty for Christmas.

Comments

52 responses to “Gage d’Amitié”

  1. Jeanne

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QuDEx3_Ygo&feature=player_embedded#
    Thanks for always putting a song in my heart
    I love you
    Jeanne

    Reply
  2. Linda

    Maybe frosty, but never, ever, icy. This one made me LAUGH! Thank you

    Reply
  3. Julie Ann Evins

    Its a tough one Corey but beauty comes from within and laughter is the best beauty treatment. The best faces over 40 are the happy faces and I have seen some truly beautiful very old faces (line free – no !).
    You are also living in the best country in the world for growing old gracefully and elegantly. Compare and contrast the elderly women you see in Paris to elsewhere in the world ! With Luv Jx ps waiting to learn the Marseillaise – love it !

    Reply
  4. Annie

    Dear Corey,
    You are so without vanity…I love that.
    Annie with the white eyebrows in Texas

    Reply
  5. Karon

    eyebrows are the frame of the face, an older frame always looks better on a picture anyway.
    love
    Karon (similar eyebrow situation)

    Reply
  6. jend’isère

    I thought the music link would be to Frosty not Indian flute as your shared thoughts evoke such nuances. what a theme. And your photos of the greeting messages do resemble furrowed eyebrows!

    Reply
  7. Gracie

    I’m having a bad time, me too, making a deal with my getting older. I’m having some health troubles I didn’t have before, as a sign that I’m not in my ’20 anymore (or ’30 to be honest). Luckily I’m not a dark kind of person, talking about hair or eyebrows so the changing is slow….

    Reply
  8. marlis

    no no.. not a white eyebrow..cheer up, it’s way better than the alternative and since I have a few years on you.. I can say that with a smile.
    Wear them as a badge of courage, of who you are where you’ve been. Triumphant!

    Reply
  9. Margaret Bouwmeester

    H a ha ……. we are the same age, I too went through the eyebrow thing too. I have to pluck mine cause my fake hair color is black!!!
    I enjoyed your posts of your trips and all of your adventures!!!
    Hugs,
    Margaret B

    Reply
  10. Kathie

    Thank goodness for eyebrow waxing! Now I only have to tweeze the occasional stray brow any more.
    Corey, I’m putting the books in the mail to your mom today, so please alert her of their expedcted arrival next week. I hope your family there will enjoy passing the volumes around and reading them, before bringing them to you on their next visit.

    Reply
  11. Karin

    My gray eyebrow hairs showed up when I was 49. They’ve been joined by more, along with a few strays in my hair that showed up this year, just in time for my 51st birthday. I rather like those silvery threads that shimmer in the sun. They give a lift to my very dark brown locks. 🙂

    Reply
  12. Kathie

    The best part about aging is considering the alternative ;-)))

    Reply
  13. Rebecca

    Oh, I am with you on this. I turned 51 this year (although everyone always pretends to be surprised by that, my friends are very kind, and perhaps a little nearsighted in their old age) and the number always surprises me. I started going grey rather young, and my hairdresser always told me that going grey was natures way of saying “lighten up!” I love that idea. I stopped coloring my hair last year, and I must say I love it, but I also think going blond instead of grey is an acceptable alternative…lighten up, indeed!

    Reply
  14. Marcie

    Hi Corey,
    I haven’t commented in such a long time. I do read and enjoy your blog so much.
    At least the unwanted hair is in an eyebrow, not an inch above,,yep they do that. Plucking is a part of getting older,,,just get a good magnifying lighted mirror,,,that is always scary to look too close, but a girl has to do what a girl has to do.
    Take care
    Marcie

    Reply
  15. Paula

    I have a few years on you and have lots of grey in my hair but my brows are still light brown…..go figure.
    It is love that keeps us young.

    Reply
  16. Cindy

    You seem to be dealing with it much better than I am. The eyebrow hairs are nothing. It’s those pesky chin hairs………argh!

    Reply
  17. Marie-Noëlle

    Sometimes I feel I can manage… and other times I can’t …
    Thinking of you !!

    Reply
  18. Lieselotte

    Corey, I must tell you this story : During your stay in the US I googled, looking for your hometown Willows, when I came across an older blog post of yours, showing your original hair colour ( which is just like mine USED to be before I started dying ). But my surprise ( Corey is NOT blond ) was so big that I saved those picts of yours on my PC. Now, as far as the eyebrows are concerned, have you noticed that they do not only turn grey ( which can be helped by dying them ) but also grow incredibly long so that they need trimming ? At least mine do. Is that normal at the age of 50 ß

    Reply
  19. Shannon

    Each day I wake up, I realize how fortunate I am to be growing older. With all of the tragedy, illness, accidents that take people too soon, we’re lucky to make it to old age.
    Now as for grays, I used to pluck them every time I saw one on my head. Now there’s too many to keep up with! LOL.

    Reply
  20. La Framéricaine

    I have frequently told the lovely young woman who does my eyebrows that she could make a fortune by simply courting the “women of a certain age” contingent.
    I always used to do my own but, naturally, with bifocals for both close and distance work, I can no longer “see” to pluck my white-infested eyebrows. I need glasses.
    But, I must say that what I found most reality-bending was the white pubic hairs. Now one ever mentioned those in junior high school during those little classes on “becoming a woman.”
    Whatever… It’s been a long time since I was 51, ma chère;>)

    Reply
  21. Erin

    oh you.

    Reply
  22. laura

    Seriously? You’re 51 and JUST NOW have the white eyebrow hair issue? i just turned 40 (in May) and have been coloring my hair for 15 yrs as well as noticing those pesky white eyebrows for the past five. AND I’M ONLY 40!!! WAHHHHHh….
    oh well, i totally expect to be either bald or a bleached blonde in about 5 more years so
    PARTY ON! Whoot!
    (oh and a light stroke with a nicely colored eyebrow pencil can eliminate the white shining from above your eyes!)

    Reply
  23. poppy fields

    My brows are going white too and I thought the same thing as you…now they’ll match my highlighted hair 🙂

    Reply
  24. martina

    Oh so easy to relate to.

    Reply
  25. splendid

    oh how young i feel today reading all these comments. i have been battling the stray neck hairs for a while ~ i pluck and then forget and they reappear so quickly again and are usually pointed out by my youngest doll. i am on the cusp of my 45th birthday and i am so excited! I love birthdays, like kathie said it beats the alternative. You all give me so much to look forward too…i think my 50’s are going to be the best decade yet!
    thanks

    Reply
  26. Denise Moulun-Pasek

    Corey, like you I am 51 and wouldn’t trade it for anything. À notre âge, “on devient en pleine possession de son pouvoir”. Wrinkles, lumpy bumps, forgetfulness and all. But man, life is a whole lot more fun.
    My boys are 20 and 17.5 and I am freer to enjoy myself and I make sure that I do. This age rocks!

    Reply
  27. Lorelei

    I only pluck the wiry eyebrows that seem to have a mind of their own….hopefully the rest won’t look like a skunk…. Have a great day everyone and I hope the sun is shining on you.

    Reply
  28. Marilyn

    My hair started showing grey/white hairs in my 30’s and I thought about how many years I would have to go through the ritual of coloring my hair and decided to not do it. I still use a soft grey/brown on my eye brows, but in my 60’s now I get so many comments about liking my grey/white hair. It sure has made life easier for the hair and for me.
    So just now at 51 seeing grey hairs in your eyebrows is pretty darn good.

    Reply
  29. isa

    Like fine wines, I say. I have a wild white eyebrow hair, myself, and I just don’t understand where the time went. I feel especially old lately. My son finally figured out that I have turned 30 each birthday for a while now… a long while. I’m surprised he didn’t catch it sooner. Ah well… this year it really does feel like I aged 10 years!
    You tackle aging, like everything else you do, with such grace and humor.
    xo Isa

    Reply
  30. mindi

    Corey you are too funny! You are beautiful!

    Reply
  31. Diogenes

    You’re a youngster Corey.
    I’ll be 53 in January. Ugh! Botox and I are well acquainted.

    Reply
  32. pam

    Corey,
    You and FH only seem to get better with age; it must certainly be a French thing! I only wish I was as comfortable in my own 52 year-old skin as you seem to be in yours. I love your candidnesss and honesty, and for always keepin’ it real, even in the midst of living in Paradise.

    Reply
  33. carolyn

    Believe me, more than too white ones will start looking weird. They really stick out. Professional eyebrow groomers, actually dye brows. I’ve been wanting to see if it’s for sale, as in do-it-yourself, but I keep forgetting.
    Luv the pic and how it ties in.

    Reply
  34. Charles

    At 27 I have hardly any hair. LOL!

    Reply
  35. Celeste Coelho

    Ha
    Welcome to the club Corey.

    Reply
  36. Carol

    Corey, your attitude will always keep you young!
    My hair stylist used to color my brows along with my hair, but I’ve now given that up since my hair is thinning.
    For those interested, I noticed a product in the newest Vermont Country Store catalogue for coloring eyebrows. It’s supposed to last for six weeks. There are a few applications in the package.
    Unfortunately, the eyelashes are the next to go, but I wouldn’t know about that yet…
    Yesterday’s post was such fun! I hope it’s not too late to sign up.

    Reply
  37. Gypsy Purple

    Hi there…I`m back in blogland and catching up on all the 100`s of fabulous posts I missed out on…..and here you are still blessing us with some magic every day…..missed you –Gypsy Purple -Chamara

    Reply
  38. Kimberly

    Corey that is hilarious! I pluck my white eyebrow hair and then call my Mom and tell her the news which she just laughs and laughs. Blessings, Kimberly

    Reply
  39. Helen

    64, dyed hair and wearing Mary Janes too!
    Kindred spirits! :^)

    Reply
  40. Jeni

    Wow, what a hot topic. This post made me smile! Thanks for putting
    laugh lines on my face! I’m at the trying to be comfortable in my on skin stage as I’m very near (counting days) to the big 50 mark. I have always been a blond so thankfully I have that covered. I especially liked your quote “changing and accepting, sometimes one without the other”. Your writing is ‘spot on’, and your attitude Rocks!
    ps. also please forgive the type Os, cause the eyes are going too!

    Reply
  41. miss*R

    you are a beautiful soul, whose words always seem to help me at the perfect time.. here I am worrying about aging too.. I am just a tad older than you.. 52 next January..
    but tell me.. what do you do about chin hairs?

    Reply
  42. joanny

    Corey
    Oh this is a serious topic today– we are not allowed to age gracefully here in the States, Our movie stars are ageless, and to top it off the top 10 heart throbs are getting younger and younger — they look the same age as my sons…Yikes — and the female stars are a size two, and air brushed. Beautiful and all plastic barbie and ken dolls,–
    So when I look in the mirror — I remember the British movie ‘Shirley Valentine’ 1989 – who found a new awareness of who she is and what her existence can be with just a little effort on her part.
    Having said all this, it’s one of the funniest films I have ever seen. …the film “Shirley Valentine” (1989) directed by Lewis … when her Greek lover who likes her in spite her of her extra weight, saggy boobs and the stretch marks. …tells her how much he loves her stretch marks because they are “part of her and show life” …..
    Shirley looks from him directly into camera and says, “Aren’t men full of shxx!
    As we age we need to be kind to ourselves and be that ‘Greek Lover’ inner voice – that inner dialogue that accepts ourselves and finds value in our inner most self. Then we can pluck our eyebrows with confidence.
    Joanny

    Reply
  43. herhimnbryn

    Oh, how this resonates!
    I don’t recognise my jawline any more, there is more grey than brown when my hair is cut and my feet ache! But I love being this age, truely I do. There is a new confidence. But I do have to put my glasses on to pluck my eyebrows now!

    Reply
  44. denese

    Happy Birthday Corey! As a 51 year old too, I understand.
    Denese

    Reply
  45. Marcia

    It is easy to pluck eyebrows and chinhairs, but thinning hair, that is what gets me. I grew my hair shoulder length and pulled it in a pony tail so it didn’t look like it was thinning. Now I have discovered I have osteopenia (very very early stages of osteoporosis, which can be reversed, but since I can’t pull my hair back without screaming in pain, I have decided to have it cut . My hair is a good color white that looks more like platinum. Getting old is actually quite funny. I can’t even imagine that I was 80 this summer. It is so unreal to me and everyone else. What does someone 80 look like…sometimes like I do I guess, but I don’t look like some 80 year olds who look 80. (;=_) I don’t suppose I look younger than 80 but how does one tell? It makes be laugh, I know that.
    thanks Corey..great post!!

    Reply
  46. Miss Maddie’s

    You really know how to provoke the thought of ageless aging… yes that’s the term I use. As our bodies age and the things we thought would stay the same forever begin to change, sometimes abruptly others subtly we realize that we are not the same as before. But if we look at our loved ones, family and friends they are enjoying the same experience. So even though we are aging it is ageless for with all those gathered around us that we love, time is infinite.
    Susan

    Reply
  47. Jennie@clusternavigators.com

    Excellent approach to the whole grey hair scenario….may the force be with you as they say!
    Cheers
    Jennifer
    Speaking to you from Godzone…or New Zealand!

    Reply
  48. PattyG

    Corey, I Turned 53 this year and have noticed those stray grays in my brows but…I have ash colored hair and use a pencil to cover them…my enemy is thinning areas. No problem, life goes on…and women get stronger and more defined as they get older…at least that’s what Oprah says :-)!

    Reply
  49. kas

    You are so gorgeous ~ French Husband is lucky to have you!

    Reply
  50. debra

    My grandmother was 101 when she died. When asked how it felt to be 100, she quipped, “Fine–if you consider the alternative.”

    Reply
  51. Dee

    I like the embracing part of it. The gray hairs not so much. Also, what’s up with the thinning eyebrows?~~Dee

    Reply
  52. bee

    I had to laugh at what you said about “being frosty for Christmas”, that was so cute, I have been plucking my white eyebrows. Nothing is growing in their place, I will have to draw them on now, I guess.
    I am 56 and it seems like everything, all of a sudden just dropped, how does this happen so fast?
    Laughing is good for the soul. Thanks.
    Betsy

    Reply

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