How I Became Green | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: How I Became Green | Previous Challenge Entry
By Dalyn Woods
08/23/11
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Remember the Wordless Book song? It was a simple book with different colored pages, black, red, white, gold and green. I sang that song in Sunday School, but never knew how deeply it had affected me until the day I colored my hair.

My chestnut brown hair had become mousy, lifeless and there was far too much gray showing up. Not the snowy white of my mother’s hair, but a dingy, dirty gray. And, oh yes, one of the pesky 0 birthdays was approaching. So, I made the decision to color my hair.

The model on the box was so pretty. I couldn’t wait to get home and transform myself into her. (Hair color reduces weight, age spots and wrinkles, right?) I eagerly read the instructions before I made all the necessary preparations and mixed the potion. I waited the prescribed time and then did the big reveal, whipping the towel off my head to find my hair a rich, shiny bro…. BLACK? My hair was jet black. Maybe if I dry it… but no, black it remained. Now, my pale skin rarely sees the Florida sun, mainly because I have two choices in skin color – ivory white or lobster red. Neither one really compliments black hair – I looked like a Goth teenager.

I balled my hair on top of my head, crammed a hat over it and ran to the store. Light golden brown will be good I thought. The model’s hair was gorgeous. I rushed home and began emergency dyeing. I paced, fussed and alternately tapped my fingers and toes. Finally, the allotted time passed and I whipped off the towel, thrilled to reveal my new, beautiful, golden bro… RED? Not a beautiful auburn that I admire on my friend, more like Ronald McDonald’s twin.

Maybe I just needed to go lighter. Ash blonde, that looked good. They say blondes have more fun. I’ll go blonde. After 30 anxiety-ridden minutes, I tentatively eased back the towel to find blon… YES! Beautiful, wonderful, gloriously normal blonde hair. So glad I had finally solved my hair woes, I donned my bathing suit, SPF 70 and headed for the pool excited to try out this new blonde look.

As I dived into the chlorinated water, I thought about that Sunday School song. The black of sin, the red of his blood, the white of redemption that my hair was becoming under the dye, the beautiful blonde gold of heaven… I had covered all the colors but one.

I exited the pool and did a double take as I passed a mirror… the green of growing from my failures and leaning on error-free arms.

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