Age, Beauty, and Health

I am reminded every day of my age by looking in the mirror, remembering my oldest daughter’s is 24, and by the wisdom (and trivia) that I have acquired over the years.  I’m not going to write about mid-life crises or anything like that.  On the contrary, I believe that neither your state of health nor your beauty  should have one iota to do with the number of years you’ve been on the planet; unless, of course, they are better because you have made a few more mistakes and learned from them.

Journey of a Woman

Last night I had a dream that starred my mother, my oldest daughter, my youngest daughter, and me.  I woke up wondering what it meant.  It wasn’t long before I realized that it was about the stages of a woman’s life-her journey.  This really made sense considering the four of us were traveling.  It was an example of one’s life span; well, my life span.  But I thought it was interesting enough to share.

I thought about each stage of life that the women in my dream represented.  They were all beautiful, useful, full of energy and life; they owned the present state of their existence.  We were together, but individuals; we had jobs to do as each of us was important to the trip.  We learned from each other.

Doubt Must Go

I shared that to say this; many of us can doubt ourselves at certain points in our life’s calendar.  We question our beauty because we are 40-something; we question our health because we are 60-something; and we question our wisdom at 20-something.  You know what I’m talking about.  The bad thing is, those feelings of inadequacy might have more to do with the world’s influence through media, ideals, and expectations than they do with our own evaluations.

Believe in Yourself

The world gets judgmental and stereotypes us; we have to get tough and stand our ground.  Refusing to fall into a category or age group is something that takes a strong will to avoid.  It also takes belief in who you are as a woman, a mother, a wife, and a human being.  I really believe that a woman has to understand this, act on it, and  then live in the true happiness that self-love brings – regardless of age.

This is similar to the post I did on labels a few days ago.  I’m just saying that we need to be careful about how we see ourselves.  Know that you are beautiful at any age; and with some determination, you can be as healthy in later years-even healthier- than you were as a youth.  I hope this post speaks to you on a level that you can hear.  Be well and beautiful-no matter what.

Photo by Witch of Nature