Act your age! You look great {for your age}. Age is just a number. Age is a state of mind. She shouldn’t be wearing that {at her age}. She’s aging gracefully. She’s really starting to show her age.
Seriously People?
It’s no wonder we’re totally consumed, confused {and in denial} about the process of growing older.
Trust me ladies, getting older isn’t really that bad, and isn’t it better than the alternative?
Take a peek at Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Aniston who look amazing {over fifty}. Cheryl Ladd, Susan Lucci and Christie Brinkley are all gorgeous {in their sixties and seventies}. Women are living longer, looking better, staying fit, healthy and strong well into their eighties!
How about we try to accept the aging process…or even better, let’s embrace it!
Mirror, Mirror on the wall…
So tell me mommas, how are you feeling about your reflection in the looking glass these days? Do all you see is how old you look? How tired? How much you’ve aged?
Just. Stop. It.
Look again…
Do you not see the joy that came from nurturing your sweet baby? Do you not see the pride that came from raising a kind, funny and thoughtful kid? Do you not see the sacrifice of a momma on her knees who prayed for that wayward teenager? Do you not see the confidence of the woman who juggled work, household and family 24×7? Do you not see the compassion of a parent, wife, daughter, sister, friend who tried to be everything for everyone? Everyone, except maybe herself.
Look closer. That’s you, friend.
It’s so easy to see and focus on our flaws.
But we are so much more than that.
Let’s not give the looking glass that much power over us.
Just for today, let’s embrace that reflection and see who we really are.
Your eyes that may not sparkle as brightly as they once did, that may droop a bit around the eyelid, that may be puffier than you’d like and that seem to be surrounded by tiny lines, have seen the most amazing and wonderful things. Maybe it’s your baby’s first step, your toddler’s graduation, your teenager’s first prom, your grown child’s wedding. Every joy, every sorrow, every sunset, every magical moment; permanently captured by those gorgeous eyes of yours. When you look at yourself in the mirror, let’s see all those memories.
Your lips that may not be a plump as they once were, that may have a few creases around the edges, have smiled and laughed for decades! They have served you well. Remember your first kiss? Your “I Do” kiss? Your skinned-knee kiss? Those pesky lines {I refuse to call them wrinkles} that appear around your mouth are well-earned. Years of happiness, joy and living are represented there. Let’s see all those years of smiles and laughter.
Your skin that isn’t as tight or firm as it used to be or areas on your body that aren’t as lifted or perky as they once were, have endured life with you. Let’s learn to see our passion for life when we look in the mirror. Let’s allow ourselves to be reminded just how much we’ve lived and loved.
Your age reveals so much more about you than just how you look in the mirror. Every joy and sorrow of your life are reflected there. Time spent with your kids, your family and people you love {and people you’ve lost} is reflected there. Your future hopes and dreams are reflected there.
Do you see her now?
The amazing, unstoppable, beautiful you?
Maybe beauty doesn’t come from the store…
Women spend hundreds of dollars a year on anti-aging creams, beauty supplies, make-up and hair products. We get facials, massages, treatments and fillers. We take supplements. We get waxed, peeled, plucked and tucked.
And it works!
We feel beautiful.
Until we don’t. Until the mirror. Until someone says, “You look pretty good {for your age}”. Those three little words. Ugh!
But here’s the deal ladies. The truly beautiful YOU reflects the woman you are on the inside::your life, your experiences, your strength, your resiliency, your faith, your passion. Surely that only gets better with time. Right?
So yes {of course}, take care of yourself! Color your hair if you want to. Moisturize your skin regularly. Leverage beauty products and techniques that work for you. Get enough sleep. Drink enough water. Exercise. Always wear sunscreen. Buy the concealer. Try the red lipstick. Just be you.
But please, don’t get hung up on the number or the reflection in the mirror.
With age comes wisdom, maturity, grace, poise, acceptance.
With age comes contentment, gratitude, confidence, peace.
How about just for consideration, you allow your inner beauty to face that looking glass everyday; not with melancholy thoughts of what used to be, but instead with a thankful heart and hope for the future?
Aging with Grace
My mother-in-law will turn 93 this summer! Her husband of sixty-nine years died a few years ago. She’s learning to navigate her new reality…being single and being alone.
She’s changed a lot since his passing, but in good ways {though I know she still misses him}. Since she’s no longer his caregiver, she’s traveling more and enjoying it. She’s making new friends. We went shopping when she visited last year and she asked me to take her to a lingerie shop {I didn’t ask too many questions}. She wears lipstick more often than she used to. She takes the stairs instead of the elevator to her 6th floor apartment. She wears fancy hats to church. She eats healthier. She confided to me that she feels more beautiful than ever {and more sexy}!
C’mon mommas, let’s be like her.
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