There is no doubt about it….I am getting older everyday.  Shocker right?  With the line of work that firefighters are involved in, age does have an impact on everything we do.  The funny sounds that seem to appear every day when we get up.  Are they not awesome?  Well let’s not discuss those things today but yet focus on how the girls are “seeing” the horrors of old age!

It was a quiet day like any other day.  Actually it was a little too quiet as in the girls were not making too much sound.  This is highly unusual in that someone is ALWAYS making some sort of noise in or around the house.  This led me to an investigation.  I checked downstairs and the lights were off.  I checked the first floor and still nothing.  Hmmm….where could they be.  The door to the master bedroom was closed but I heard a little commotion behind it.  I quickly flew up to the stairs to see what was truly going on.  I kicked in the door to the bedroom and still nothing but the bathroom light was on and there was a muffled discussion going on.  Hmmmm…What could it be??

To my surprise, I saw Mary leaning over the sink with her hair over her head (think Cousin Itt from the Addams Family).  She wasn’t alone though!  Milana was in the room with her.  Milana looks at me with a slight expression of surprise on her face.  Here is how the conversation goes:

Daddy:  Milana what are you doing?

Milana:  I’m helping Mommy with her white hair.

Daddy:  (giggles are ready to explode out of me)  You are doing what?

Mary:  She is helping me with my gray hair.  Do you have a problem?

Daddy:  I guess not.  Have fun.

In the past this used to be an individual affair as Mary did this on her own….hiding out in the bathroom like everyone would have chased her out of the house with pitchforks and torches if we found out.  What is worse is that she has now recruited Milana to help her with her “dirty little secret”.  Apparently, the gray hairs is a big deal with women and they hunt them like Luke Skywalker hunting down Darth Vader.  Annihilate them at all costs and spare no prisoners!

After this episode is over, Mary comes up to me to let me know that I have gray hair.  She noticed it is my 5 o’clock shadow.  She tells me it is becoming more pronounced.  My response, “I don’t care”.  It makes me looks more distinguished.  I am getting closer to my idol….007!  Shit…I have a lot of things that are proving that I am getting older.  I have gray hair.  Maybe it is time to start dyeing my hair.  Nah…that just seems like a royal pain in the ass and waste of time.  It’s like cutting grass.  As soon as you are done, you’ll be doing it again.

I’ve been told that I am balding.  OH SHIT!  Wait, not really a big deal.  It has been a good 45 year run and I’m not there yet.  I could do some bad ass comb over maneuvers to see if that might work.  I could go the route of Brian Urlacher and get some plugs put in.  Both options really are not important to me.  Bring on au natural!  I’ll just let time takes its toll on me….I’ll just cut it short and it will look normal!

This age thing is something that we cannot change.  It keeps creeping up on everyone every day.  As quickly as I see my girls growing, I know that I am aging just as quickly.  I wish I could slow it down to make sure I do not miss any of the important times in their lives but we all know that that cannot happen.  The best I can do is enjoy what I have and not sweat the small stuff like gray hairs, balding head or sagginess in other areas:)~~~~