01 Oct The Importance of Nose Hair

In the infamous words of Joni Mitchell…

Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone? (“Big Yellow Taxi” – 1970)

For instance – selling my first-release copy of The Beetles [White Album] at a garage sale (dumb).  For $2.00 (dumber).

Another for instance: nose hair.

Six months ago I was kvetching over the fact that I had reached the point in life where I needed to address some unruly nose hairs that were a bit, shall we say… showy.  It’s not that they were growing wild or anything like that; it’s that they’d turned white!  And perhaps that’s worse.

I think I was in denial about it until my friend, Mary Clayton, just flat out said, “There’s something white in your nose!  Is that your nose hair?” She is a good friend.  Honest.  The kind that will tell you when there is spinach in your teeth… or nose hair showing.

Now, the reason that some of my nose hairs had turned white is a long story… a pigment issue.  Chalk it up.  This might not be a problem for the average person, but when you are above average in height (5′ 10 1/2″) most people are literally looking up to you… or looking up your nose.  And it’s a problem.

So, now I was faced with the challenge of trying to hide or diguise my white nose hairs; I could always have them dyed, or stick a mascara wand up my nose.  Or not.

The other option?  Nose hair removal.  I tried plucking one out with my tweezers.  What was I thinking?  I don’t believe that even natural childbirth could hurt that bad.  Never again!

Then I remembered the clever little gadget John uses: the Panasonic Personal Grooming Device (aka – the ear and nose hair trimmer).  It’s the thing I affectionately refer to as “the little nose hair weed-whacker”  That was a bust, too.  It freaked me out.  I couldn’t even get the thing to fit inside my nostril and thought it might remove more than the hair if I tried!  (TMI)

What’s a girl to do?

Now I was obsessed with finding a solution.  I finally “came out” about my nose hair issue to another friend who offered me her handy remedy: a very tiny, very sharp pair of cuticle scissors… used with the greatest caution.  Well that worked, but not without nearly piercing my nose the first time (and that was not the look I was going for… at 51).

But, finally… they were trimmed far enough back that they couldn’t be seen!  I felt such relief.  Such freedom from unwanted nose hairs!  What could be better?

And then came chemo.

Chemo makes your hair fall out.

Chemo is not a respecter of hairs; it takes aim at all your hair, and makes all your hair… all over, fall out.  Including nose hair.  (I know… way TMI)!

“Great!” I thought, “No more nose hair… at least not for a while.  Problem solved… again!”

Not so much.

It was only after I didn’t have any nose hair that I realized how much I needed my nose hair.  Nose hair is my friend!  Nose hair keeps bad stuff out… things that can get into your airway and cause illness (like a sinus infection… thank you very much).  And nose hair keeps other stuff… from, um, running out.  Nose hair is a good thing.  A very good thing.  Why do we go to such extremes to eradicate it?  Because.  We just do.  To the tune of a multi-million dollar business!

Well, who knew I’d actually end up missing my nose hair… even more than I miss my first-release copy of The Beetles [White Album].  But I do.

You are probably wondering if there is a moral to this story… or if there’s even a point to it (and now, so am I).  I did so hope to have some profound moment here… some redeeming thought, but it’s just not coming to me yet.

Maybe I don’t have to have a point.  Maybe this is just a blog to share life with you today and say, “Hey, the very thing you are complaining about today, could end up being the thing that you miss tomorrow!” How’s that for profound?  Is that what Paul meant when he wrote to the Philippians, “Do everything without complaining…” (Phil. 2:14, emphasis added)?  Hmmm.

What I really want to say is… life’s an adventure. Enjoy the ride!  All of it.  And make the most of now!  Because it always seems to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone!

Pressing on with Him…

Punky