Every year I get older. So do you. Let that sink in for a moment. The passing of time and your susceptibility to it is inevitable. One day you will end up old, and each year you will end up older. Across history as human kind we have tried to stop aging- to find some magic potion which prevents you from getting older, something which keeps us forever young.
In western culture we revere youth. People, women especially, fear growing older. Women spend 1000’s on anti-wrinkle medicine, botox, hair dye, tummy tucks, nose jobs, personal trainers all to prevent the inevitable. We hold the young up on pedestals and miss the beauty which can be found in age. Personally I think our culture needs a wake up call. I think that perhaps we need to look at our view points on age and see them for what they are- a jaded and superficial look at the world and at beauty.
Perhaps we need to redefine our definition of beauty? Isn’t it time to see beauty for more than the smooth skin on an 18 year old? Isn’t it time that we don’t limit beauty to a select selector of society but instead see the beauty in all ages, races and people groups?
May Sarton: “do not deprive me of my age. I have earned it.” Isn’t it time that we start to honour those who have walked the path before us instead of looking at them and feeling pity? I can remember growing up with my Grandmother. She lived 4 hours away from us but she would call us every week and visit every Christmas and sometimes during the year. I have never met a feistier women in my life. People say that I got my tenacity and my love of shoes from that women.
Everytime we would visit Gran she would have a packet of biltong or a peppermint crisp on our beds at arrival. Her grandchildren were her pride and joy. Our smiling faces decorated the frames around her house and all her friends knew exactly what we were up to. Every night we stayed with her she would make us a roast dinner. And nobody cooked like Gran did- to this day I have not tasted potatoes which rival Gran’s crispy outer layer and mashed interior.
Come Sunday, Gran never missed church. She and her group of friends had been attending the local church for years upon years. She would always put on her Sunday best; she had multiple shades of pink lipstick strewn around the house and it was the highlight of her week. To this day, I believe her prayers, joyful attitude despite her challenges and generous heart have shaped who I am today. No matter how many wrinkles she had, she was truly a beautiful woman.
Susan Sarandon “I look forward to being older, when what you look like becomes less and less an issue and what you are is the point.” It’s time to stop dreading the passing of years and embrace the growth, change and development of wisdom that comes with age. With age comes a softening towards life, a patience, the ability to reflect and a greater appreciation of the things that really matter. Age rewards you with the satisfaction found in a life lived well if you embrace every day that you are given and see it as a gift.
Looking at countless magazines shouting out “tips to look younger,” I wish we would promote “how to be kind,” or “how to embrace your beauty no matter your age” or “the truth about hope.” My declaration, regardless of what Women’s Health or Cosmo may tell me, is that I am beautiful. And, as I age, I will remain beautiful. I will forgive quickly, follow God and live generously. And that, my dear and beautiful friend, is what makes you a true beauty. The older I get, the more beautiful I feel.