Monday, September 14

a 'challenge of the utmost kind'... part one

on reflection, finding a nose hair long enough to make a grown man of 74 weep several weeks back, was perhaps a good thing.


at the time, after getting over my initial "OMG!!!!!" horror, and staring at the culprit, no longer in the offending place but rather between my thumb and finger...
thoughts of "how long has that been there?" and then worse still, "are there more where it came from?" i confess i did not see it as a positive.
then i began to think, if indeed it would qualify for a world record of some sorts, wondering should i be calling the Guinness Book of Records to record my discovery. it seemed quite possible they may be interested but then it dawned on me,
a) to count as a record the extraordinarily long nasal hair probably needed to still be attached in some way to have proof of original ownership and
b) did i really wish to go down in history, however briefly as the woman with the longest nostril hair.
quite honestly, no i did not.


and so having spent rather too long on the 'hideousness' of my discovery, i did what i usually do in these circumstances...
i went into denial, i did not glance at a mirror for the rest of the day.
allowing myself to go with smudgy eyeliner, oily forehead and perhaps another hair protruding, and be none the wiser.

this little 'moment' added to the other 'moments' i've had along the way in the past few years.
the graying hairs,
the sagging bottom,
the wrinkles that can no longer be passed off as laughter lines,
the moustache (oh yes i know it's there, mocking me)
the rounded shoulders,
and now the nostril hairs...
this time last year i was on the verge of turning the big 4-0, in the blink of an eye i am now standing on the doorstep of 41, with a nostril hair in hand.


but do i care dearest readers, does my little heart beat a little quicker and my throat constrict a little bit when i think of the number 41?
no it does not (gasp!), how strange is that coming from the woman who took several months or more to get over being 40.
well the thing is, i have a secret to my 'not caring ways' and that secret has been in the way of a 'challenge'....

i'm not saying i've completely come to terms with the 'older' person that stares back at me every morning but i have come to accept who i am and with this i have set myself a 'challenge' for the coming year,
a challenge to distract me from turning 41 in less than a week,
a challenge to make different choices for myself and best of all,
a challenge that excites me and helps me ignore things like 'a nasal hair of the worst kind'...

she will be back tomorrow with part two... the reveal ~ Tif

32 comments:

Gigibird said...

nasal hair Tif is easy to deal with.
If it can't be plucked it can be waxed. The mantra of the over 40's.
Niella Lawson has a lot of nose hair and it hasn't held her back.
(I shall email you some over 40 beauty tips)

Tracy x said...

yikes......
i am not sure what else to say :)
t x

Elissa said...

several years your junior, i have two random, very long hairs: one which grows DIRECTLY in the middle of my forehead and one on my cheek. i would love to know your secret. ;-)

Anonymous said...

Aw, I bet you just inadvertently sniffed a hair in and you just thought it was one of yours. Maybe it was Olive's? :) Thank you for the smiles, as always.

dottie angel said...

gigibird... but nigella can cook and has large bosoms which help distract from her nasally issue. i know this to be true because i've never noticed her nose, only her fab cooking skills and even fabber curves... i am a disaster in both of those departments, thank you for the emailed tips ;)

tracy... you are way too young, i would not expect you to know what to say my lovely 'thirty something, it's all gonna come your way one day' buddy ;)

elissa... thank you for making me feel okay, and giving me the confidence to look closely at my forehead :)

sonja... quite simply, i think i love you :)

Lola Nova said...

Alright you, what have you got going? You see, I am rapt with attention - for 41 is only a couple months away for me. And frankly, until I read your post just now, I hadn't given it a lick of thought (hardly). Are you writing a book? Are you crocheting a bikini and entering an Iron Man/Woman contest? Are you about to open a petting zoo? Worlds longest bunting perhaps?

Waiting for the next installment... don't know quite how I'll manage (where's the chocolate?).

Anonymous said...

As someone hovering close to 52 I wonder if your challenge would have a lycra content and stretch.....?

E

Who would gladly take the odd nose hair over hot flushes ... lol

Laura said...

I've got a couple of those offending looonngg and disgustingly sturdy hairs.....growing out of my neck, which grows back, and one in the middle of my forhead, would you believe it. I swear the one on my forehead grew overnight, or I would have noticed it. And, like you, I was thinking 'how long has that been there?'. Oh the horror! And I'll NEVER get used to getting older. NEVER! I'm going down fighting. I still feel 25 (I'm 48...gasp).

Schönes und Gutes said...

Love your photos!

Jeannette said...

Okay, now you have me wondering (panicking) if I have a hair in a place where it shouldn´t be!
Thanks! ;)

. said...

At least it wasn't coming out of your ear..I kid you not! Why would there be a random hair follicle in one earlobe? Not even hoary old codgers or warty women with a love of gingerbread and chubby children have hairy earlobes.

suzy said...

Don't worry. It was probably a very pretty nasal hair.
x

Elaine from L.A. said...

Hirsute nostrils aside, Tif, just you wait until you're staring down the barrel of 60 :~) And you know you're really getting old when a twenty something refers to something from your childhood as "antique". Hummph. Anyway, you're delightful!
{Elaine}

Anonymous said...

That story is truly funny.

The apron is truly sweet.

And I am truly jealous of your photog. skills. :)

~ Junkyard Jennifer said...

A single stray hair in an unlikely location on a woman is disconcerting to say the least! If it'll help to know, it doesn't make you feel much better when you find a single stray hair on your chest, either. (Just sayin'.) ;)

Fabulous photos. I love the contrast of the dark--more 'masculine' color of the boots and dark dress and the lighter 'girlie' granny chic items. It's a great composition.

I'm on the edge of my seat! Can't wait to hear about the challenge.

~ Jennifer

Michelle said...

Tif...
can't wait to part too...
sounds inviting...but then again you do tend to "worry me" sometimes...
Please no bungy jumping or hanging upside down for long periods to stop the aging process...
I feel too old for either...
Now 2 1/2 months your senior...
You spring chicken you!!!

Ruxandra said...

well....i don't really know much about nasal hair.but i love the photos.

Unknown said...

ooooh another mystery... i'm on the edge of my seat waiting for you to reveal all... :)

just a thought, but you could ask your man to get you a nasal hair trimmer for your birthday... i think that would certainly out-do 'panini-maker-gate' of last year!!!

your wee blankie is looking fab btw... :)
have a lovely day my dear,
emma
x

karenshopes said...

Just wait till your 50 you'll have a full beard.....lol
Karen

Cindy said...

it's the whisker that i can feel under my chin but just can't pluck that makes me crazy. love your post and the photos, as always.

mamas collection said...

Just left my mirror and my incessant chin hairs so I know of that which you speak, however, I would like to say that on the cusp of 56, I have never been happier or content....Lovely place to be; still some energy but TONS of 'wisdom born of pain'....Embrace it as growth rings in a terribly grand tree....

Anonymous said...

forget the nose hair...where'd you get those boots???
love your posts!
-richelle-

Mary said...

You have the most wonderful taste! I love this outfit, and your apron wrap is gorgeous! Can't wait for part two! :)

alexkeller said...

hmmm. i'm a year older, and according to my husband and his otoscope, i have hairy ears. how romantic. as far as the rest of me goes, i swear heidi klum has stolen my legs, and various other models and celebrities have made off with other body parts while i slept. on another note, i like the little stool you're standing on.
yours,
42 years young

Francesca said...

how good is gigibird, emailing you tips! what a pal. she must have a very high definition telly to notice nige's nose hair, i will take a closer look next time she's on.
you make yourself sound like an old hag! nothing of the sort, you're a cracker! i have aged about 5 years since i had gus so we are now both 41. xxx

Francesca said...

plus you are also really cool. and i can say that coz i'm like, down with the kids. yo. x

walter and me said...

Oh nasal hairs, yes been there, and dare I say it, one from the chin...vigilance is required, that and good tweezers. But woo hoo to the forties, I love them! Life gets better and better. Love your challenge, you go girl, you CAN do it!

Capricious Traveler said...

Beautiful apron.

xo.sorcha.ox said...

I LOVE this idea!
I am so excited to give it a try, but first I need to sit down and determine some T&Cs.
So, we'll see... :)
~S.

Kate Kelleher said...

I nearly wet myself laughing reading your post, and then when I read your comments...there was no hope! Ha. x

Anonymous said...

Your graphically detailed and humourous account of your nose hair is my greatest read of the week! I love your challenge and will join it asap. The way you put your thrifted fabrics together is
Genius! Chele x

wynzia said...

oh my...i laughed so hard that i couldn't breathe...i love when that happens. to say i'm happy to have found you is quite the understatement.