The greyer the hairs, the fewer the cares

I have found the answer to why we find our parents so embarrassing when we are teenagers.

It's because they are so old they don't care.

One of my favourite sayings is-

"Don't be afraid to laugh at yourself, you might miss the joke of the century."

And that is delightfully true. Nowadays I recognise the fact that I am a 'grown up' because I'm giving less of a crap about what I look like or whether I would be embarrassed and more of a crap about getting stuff done or being with loved ones in the time it would have taken to do makeup etc.

Recently there were 4 memorable situations where I really came to realise that old Joana would have been flabbergasted at how present Joana was so nonchalant about being a total nerdburger.

1. I went and sat at a cafe with a fully swollen and infected eye as I waited for the pharmacy to open. Yes, I did feel as ugly as a pirate at a poodle pageant, but I realised that the new-school Kensington hipsters were not really looking or probably unable to see through their vintage glasses anyway. Whatever.

2. When teaching a dance class I got so excited I did a move that resembles a freshly caught salmon flopping around a boat, but standing up. At the end of this marine movement I saw a choreographer who I have a school-girl crush on laughing at me through the window. Instead of being an awkward turtle I went and spoke to him and hid my salmon ways by making a smart comment about his hair. Sassy.

3. This weekend I had to have my arms painted red as part of a short film I was acting in. I realised I could do a pakaru job of washing my arms on location or leave them red and shower at home...SO I walked home with shoelaces undone as the red arms were not going near my new white shoes, red arms, bag open and makeup half on half smuged. What was my slick hair-do was then resembling the lint you pull out of the washing machine. The pic below is from the film. Classy.

4. After gate crashing a baptism (as you do) I was playing footy with the srogs- kids aged under 5. One of them kicked the ball super fast; luckily my face caught it. 

Boing.

Then when he threw it over my head and I ran to get it I tripped over my bag, and not in one of those "hop skip jump" trips but more "lets' inappopriately flash an amount of thigh to try not to fall flat on face" kind. Cool.

Look, grooming and appearance are important, not only if you are a poodle in a pageant but also if you are a person in public. But remember if you are worried about how you look, everyone else is worried about how they look, or come across. Yes, studies have shown that more attractive people get jobs, but so do hard working people, genuine people and determined people. 

AND, the main thing that comes with age, is confidence. That's your best accessory. It can make cold-sores vanish, social situations not longer awkward, and instantly make you look taller and thinner. 

So if you have a debilitating debacle that drives you to despair, just toss your grey hair and lose those cares!

Jj