Beauty & The Beast

 It’s a tale as old as time.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Beauty is only skin-deep.  Don’t judge a book by its cover.
On some level, we all know that the most beautiful people are not necessarily the ones we love the most.  Nor are they necessarily the most intelligent, the kindest or the most socially aware.  Beautiful people are good to look at.  As human beings intellectually programmed to appreciate art, we can’t help but admire beauty in a purely aesthetic sense.

​Of course, there’s all that stuff about being beautiful inside and out, and that’s really what counts.  Being beautiful on the inside is where it’s at.  If you are fortunate enough to blossom with true physical beauty as well, you’ve got it all.​

​When is the bloom of youth not beautiful?  And therein lies the issue with age acceptance.  Mature women are the product of experience and understanding.  Their beauty is different than it was.  Some say ravaged, some say ripened.  It’s all in the perspective.  Whether or not they are beautiful to look at, the focus has shifted to what they've done, what they can do and what they can contribute.  The need to understand and live by this must be passed on to all ages and future generations.  

There are physical manifestations of aging that can’t be avoided, although some blessed women have seemingly ageless genes.  Most of us?  Not so much.  We lose collagen and elasticity.  Facial muscles droop.  Permanent wrinkles develop.  Let’s be honest.  Compared to the way we’ve always regarded ourselves in the mirror, this is not feelin’ pretty time.  I think most women address this uncomfortable process at some point.  The least possible amount of time worrying about it is the goal here.

​What might be the key to weathering this life season?  Like so many of the other qualities acquired over a lifetime, it comes from the self.  You know you are more than what you see in the mirror.  Make no mistake, there will be days that you shine.  Like a diamond.  You’ve never been better equipped to kick some ass.  And you can still look damn hot when you feel like it.  You’ve earned it.  Go on out there and own it.​