Undeniably, we live in a youth oriented culture. But before we start complaining about the unfairness of it all, we might take a brief stroll down memory lane and remember we boomers share in the tiniest bit of responsibility for initiating society’s focus on the firm of flesh. With attitudes like “don’t trust anyone over thirty,” we certainly flaunted our share of disdain and hubris while living on the youthful side of the generation gap. Anyone care for a heaping dose of karma?

Even more telling, as the original “forever young” generation who’s beginning to show some definite signs of wear and tear, we’re busily huffing and puffing away at the gym, going under the knife for a “rejuvenating” lift, and running to our hair stylist for highlights and camouflage—all in the hopes of drenching ours aging bodies in those fabled waters of the fountain of youth.

In truth, I confess that I love what my own stylist says as she prepares her foils and paints my roots a fetching shade of blonde. “I’m bringing you back to your natural color,” she remarks with an admirably composed straight face. Yeah, right! Maybe in the third grade! Nevertheless, I doggedly ignore the fumes of the chemicals, submerge myself in the delusion that “blondes have more fun,” and consider my dye job a health treatment. (Perhaps I’m acting as a prime example for all those jokes referring to the intelligence of us gals with flaxen hair!)

Despite the rush to root revival to which many of us succumb, there’s a new wave of independent and courageous women who are going gray with pride and gusto. Maggie Rose Crane is the author of Amazing Grays—A Woman’s Guide to Making the Next 50 the BEST 50 (Regardless of your hair color!).

Confronted with her own issues regarding aging, Maggie watched with astonishment as her skin began to lose its elasticity and age-related crinkles began to form upon her face. Furthermore, she was “mildly horrified when my tummy morphed into a permanent flotation device.” Smile lines etched in deeper and Maggie found it necessary to color her hair more often. When she finally made the decision to stop dyeing her hair, Maggie came face-to-face with her fears about aging in a youth oriented culture. And so began her “not-so-graceful quest to aging mindfully.”

After dealing with and overcoming many of her own issues about growing older, Maggie wanted to share her insights with others. Her book offers a message of hope and inspiration; she exposes the fears and anxieties that haunt many maturing women and goes on to reveal how to mindfully navigate the turbulence with wisdom, perspective, and practice.

As I love talking with women who are embracing life on the feisty side of fifty, I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Maggie for Feisty Side of Fifty Radio. I invite you to take a listen. As always, the interview is a brief fifteen minutes, so take a bit of time for yourself and hear what she has to say. For those who wish to find out more about Maggie’s book, here is the link to her website.

There can be little doubt that boomers like Maggie are truly changing the spirit and style of aging. Yes, we’re a generation remarkable for its sense of passion and promise and a couple of gray hairs or “flotation devices” emerging from around our middle ain’t gonna stop us now. So go ahead: sprout those grays, wear them proudly, age with gusto, and show the world just how feisty a woman over fifty can be!

 Workshop in Walnut Creek, CA

Don’t miss my upcoming class, Menopause: A Woman’s Journey to Wholeness, at Elephant Pharm Walnut Creek, CA on Sunday, January 25th, from 1 to 2 p.m.

Click here for more information