I love everything about what you shared here. I'm not 40 yet, but I've had many of the same experiences you described so beautifully--the boxed dye, letting my roots grow out during covid, then re-evaluating after the pandemic eased a bit to consider if I wanted to go back to color. I even played with vibrant shades like pink and purple dyes that ended up staining my hair! When I'm 40 I might see what it looks like to let the gray grow out a bit more, but I've got a few years still to go.

Thank you for sharing these reflections. I'm going to keep in mind the "quirky friend that comes to visit."