I find that as the years go by I’m becoming more comfortable in my own skin. By that I mean that I’m not overly concerned about my appearance anymore. I do my best, but not as much as I used to, and I’m very happy about it.
I used to stress out about how I looked, and would spend way too much time in front of the mirror trying to fix or hide ‘flaws’, and wouldn’t leave the house until I had achieved the desired effect. Now, my approach is best described as ‘what you see is what you get’. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly brush my teeth, comb my hair and use a bit of tinted moisturizer, but if that’s all I have time for that’s all I do.
When you’re younger, you have a natural beauty. Unfortunately, if you believe the advertisements and read all those fashion magazines, you can develop an insecurity about your appearance. But no matter how many cosmetics you buy, and no matter how much time you spend in front of the mirror, you really can’t compete with the airbrushing, lighting and professional makeup crews in those magazines. It’s really a shame that so much time and energy is wasted on trying to emulate what the media presents as ‘beauty’ when you are younger. It’s one of those ironies that when young with natural beauty, you waste time trying to make yourself beautiful, and when you are older and beginning to fade that you can appreciate the natural beauty you once had.
Life seems to be full of ironies like that. It’s best not to try to make sense of them, but to try to learn from them. Or not. Maybe it’s best not to think about them at all, and go and have a glass of wine and watch the sunset. Or make a cup of tea and read a good book. Or go for a walk, take a deep breath and appreciated all the beauty around you. And realize you are a part of it.
But, whatever you do, don’t worry about how you look while you’re doing it. You look beautiful to me.
That is an absolutely wonderful piece of writing! You go girl!