As I patted even more Hope in a Jar onto my face, I eyed my wrinkles. The day had turned out to be surprisingly sunny and I was glad I had made the effort to use facial sunscreen that morning. Too bad I hadn’t started that ritual a long time ago…
Aging is a weird thing.
In just a few months I’ll turn 57, an age which feels to me, decidedly closer to 60 than 50. And 60 is a number that always sounded kinda old to me. That is, until I started seeing it appear in the not too distant future.
Staring into the mirror, I recalled something I had read a few months back –
“I want to be old. I’m tired of trying to be young.”
Andie MacDowell
and I smiled, causing the lines on my face to deepen. Immediately, I understood the undeniable relationship between happiness and wrinkles in a new and profound way.
It was suddenly so obvious – the more I smile, the more lines there will be on my face.
I thought about the wonderful place where I’m in my life – in love, happy, and more comfortable in my skin than I’ve ever before been. After years, no decades, of being self conscious about my body and my physical appearance, I feel at peace with my looks. These days when I hear a song I like I find myself dancing without concern about how I might be perceived. I select clothes for my own comfort, not worried with how anyone else might react to a middle aged woman wearing an above the knee skirt or a two piece bathing suit. Although I remain aware of what I eat and drink, I’m finished with denying myself a glass of wine on a random Wednesday or a second chocolate truffle from the secret stash N & I maintain.
Am I thrilled to observe the crepey skin I now seem to have on my limbs or the less than tight muscles in my upper arms? No, not really.
Are these physical changes normal and to be expected? Absolutely.
Is there anything, other than surgery or other medical interventions, or the physical activities in which I already participate, that I can do to prevent my body from settling into its next phase? Nope, not a damn thing.
In a world in which many people do not receive the gift of growing old, I’ll keep smiling and wear my wrinkles with gratitude for the time I’ve been given on earth.
How do you deal with the challenges and changes you’re experiencing as you age?
DelSo 