This week I looked in the mirror. I used to do it all the time but now I'm a mom to two girls. Looking at myself in the mirror is something I rarely do (and honestly, don't WANT to do anymore). I might look in the mirror once or twice a week now when I'm in the car on the way to church putting on a bit of makeup so I don't scare the kids in my choir or Sunday school class. Even then, it's a cursory glance in between passing books to my toddler and putting the paci back in the baby's mouth. When I took a good hard look, I was a bit shocked and dismayed by the image staring back at me. There were WRINKLES! I had seen them on other people my age so I don't know why it came as such a shock, but it did.
At first I started to feel a bit depressed, then I thought of a PBS broadcast I had seen about aging. In it there were images of aged people who had obviously lived a full life and had the wrinkles to prove it. Their wrinkles told their life story. People who worried, had a lot of wrinkles in between their eyebrows, people who smiled a lot had more wrinkles around their eyes. I remember watching that and wondering what my wrinkles would say about me when I got old. I just never thought I would be seeing it happen so soon.
So, after I caught my breath from the shock, I took another good hard look and decided what I saw wasn't so bad after all:
Wrinkles in between my eyebrows say: "She is a thinker"
Wrinkles on my for-head say: "She is open"
Wrinkles around my eyes say: "She is a smiler"
Wrinkles around my mouth say: "She is happy"
So the next time you glance in the mirror and aren't happy with what you see, don't be afraid to take a closer look and find the GOOD side of YOUR wrinkles!
Wrinkles do tell a story! What a beautiful post - from a BEAUTIFUL woman, wrinkles and all!
ReplyDeleteHi Heather. I love this. The photos and the story! Your timing is impeccable. I'm struggling with the wrinkles but I'm determined to see the good side as you have described it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a brave post to make!!! And I love it! You're beautiful and so are your words. Such a positive way to look at something that can be so depressing. I look at my hands often and think, "gosh these hands look old." or my crowsfeet around my eyes. Never thought of those as a good thing....until now.
ReplyDeleteI loved this post as I am starting to get them too! With Grayson in my life now, there is even more laughing and smiling going on so the wrinkles are getting deeper. Honestly now I am looking forward to them. In fact, I might not buy that wrinkle cream I was going to pick up today!
ReplyDeleteAwesome!!
ReplyDeleteYes, sometimes wrinkles are a good thing. When I turned 30, I rejoiced. Why? Because I felt like people would finally take me seriously. LOL. Maybe wrinkles do the same thing...
ReplyDeleteThose lines aren’t bad at all. You can manage to lessen those by engaging in healthy activities. The best thing to do is to first eat fruits and veggies. I’ve been running every morning, and it’s been my hobby for months. I think you should try that too. These two activities would help detoxify the skin and muscles, which can keep our skin from aging.
ReplyDeleteLauri Hersh