I am beginning to feel my age. During the holidays, I found myself yawning and drawn to take a nap during the middle of the day. The only time I have been able to nap over my lifetime was during the first trimester of each pregnancy when the strain of exponential cell growth was too much to bear.
Was it all the food? Was it my lack of routine? Was it all the parties and people and small-talk that wore me down? I’m not sure, but I really felt it.
On Monday morning, December 28th, I woke at 7:00 am (way later than my normal work day wake up time) and felt like it was the middle of the night. Aaaaaggggghhhhh. I looked in the mirror. In addition to the wild hair which protrudes from my head due to an overabundance of hair products and a very active sleep pattern, I spied an additional eye bag. What the . . . ? Was it all the salt I consumed yesterday?
I am getting older. The passage of time now increases wisdom and patience.
So, as I looked at myself in the mirror, I realized that a smile was the best cosmetic potion I could possess. Oh, don’t get me wrong, . . . I’ll still pay way too much for retinol and cleansers. My love for hair products and make-up techniques is legendary.
But, in my make-up bag, I’ll have to draw on a new beauty secret. Underneath the brushes and boxes of color I apply daily, will lay a grateful and happy smile. I will put it on just as I apply mascara so both can enhance my face and show my true beauty.
Yes, that smile is my new secret. It’s also free. All I need to do is let go of the troubles I can't fix and the worries that do nothing but weigh me down. A smile comes from changing my focus from what is wrong in the world to what is right.
It’s really all so simple. It took all these years to finally figure it out.