Go into your local store and you see it. Row upon row of beautifully packaged potions all claiming to 'Reduce visible signs of aging!', or 'Erase fine lines and wrinkles!' or some other phrase designed to make you insecure and shell out mega bucks for the promise of looking eternally young. I admit, I'm a sucker for those fancy packages and slick marketing. I gaze on them, pick them up and read all the wonderful descriptions and fancifully named active ingredients, dream about having the perfect, wrinkle free, smooth skin that only this product...or maybe that one...or what about this system?...can provide. But why? Was I happier when I was younger? No. Did I know more, was I smarter? No. Did I have healthier skin, or fewer blemishes? No.I am actually happier and more content with each year that goes by. Each year brings joy, grief, contentment, peace, and upheaval, resulting in learning, growth, laughter, tears, and becoming more comfortable with who I am and where I am. I have earned every crow's foot, every laugh line, and every worry wrinkle. Those gray hairs? The first ones showed up when I was teaching my oldest to drive. The rest...well, I have one young adult and two teens. 'Nough said. When I think about it, I don't want to erase those things. Those 'signs of aging' - well, they're signs of living a full life. They're signs of growth and hard earned wisdom. We should be proud of them.I'm still going to take care of my skin. I'm going to eat well, drink plenty of water and tea, and continue to use nourishing natural products so that my skin is clear, glowing, and healthy. But I'm going to choose to be proud of my signs of living - because a smile, kindness, confidence, and a joyful attitude are what make you beautiful, not the fiction of youth.What do you think? Are you proud of those 'signs of living', or do you try to erase the 'signs of aging'? Let me know in the comments below.
