Last night I made a shocking discovery.

It took me completely unawares.

I thought it was a trick of the light at first.

It's my 43rd birthday this weekend but I just wasn't prepared for what I'm about to reveal.

I've got Salt & Pepper hair.

Grey flecks scattered throughout.

I must be getting old.

I certainly don't feel old, my brain still thinks it's a teenager.

My body works pretty well and does everything I ask of it.

So where did the flecks of white hair come from?

Fran in her supportive and unsympathetic way pointed out that it's been there for years, like the white hair in my beard (I'm convinced that is from Daisy malting on my pillow and it getting caught up though).

In a finishing blow she pointed out that my short and curlies have a few white bits too.

I've been thinning on top (spiralling crown) for nearly a decade now but was under the illusion that the colour was still going strong.

Salt and pepper hair suggests that I might have to grow up and become a little more adult.  Although one of my best friends has had salt and pepper hair since we were teenagers and she certainly wasn't a grown up then ;)

Here's the thing and the point of this email.

Our age, particularly aesthetic signs of age really don't matter.

We are all individuals, there is no set pattern for what we should look like, have accumulated or type of person we should be at any point.

We should just aim to be the best version of ourselves that we can be right now.  

I know I'm not the best version I can possibly be but I'm working on it and try to improve a little each day.

With all the love around at the weekend in the media and Facebook for Valentines, it became apparent that we really need to love ourselves before we can be truly happy.

I'm happy with who I am as a person and love the role I play in improving peoples health, a little fleck of fresh colour won't change that.

Learn to love who you are and what you look like, that doesn't mean you can't strive to improve it just makes things easier for long term health.

Darren 'Clooney or just for men' Checkley