Beauty In Aging

It intrigues me to find, now that I am into aging, that people don't see the beautiful and fascinating things that happen as the body begins to hint at farewells. In my once doctor's office shared with a plastic surgeon, there were two life sized torsos: one with a youthful smooth look and the other, wrinkled and in places, the flesh  sagging. The idea was to inspire the seeker of restorative surgery to see what could be done to avoid the rigors of aging. But, the wrinkled form, was, to me, in my thirties, far more interesting and actually, therefore, more beautiful to look at. It showed something of life in it, while the other one, was much like the trite forms of mannequins. I was left wondering why I felt this way, and have since, after all these years,  not forgotten that small experience. I know that most of us, when we begin to find places on our bodies changing, think that these are downhill marks. They are actually uphill manifestations, very common in all human beings or any others of our animal world: the graying hair, the loosening muscles and the pains. They are indications of a long life. Why we revere youth and its inherent beauties, is natural. These were the times when our bodies were on their uphill journey and able to withstand all of the challenges life presented with much ease and fast, curative powers. We didn't need then, to be thinking sillinesses such as "no pain no gain" and that kind of nonsense, while stressing our poor bodies through tortures due to our great fear of aging.  It is death that is ultimately feared, and it is a perfectly natural fear since we are all definitely heading toward the final farewell. But since we are all going to die, it's the journey, not the destination that is prime. The journey through life, is the pleasure we eke out of every day, not days designed to abuse and shun and fear the changes taking pills and gyms and other desperate measures. When the little signs of your body aging show up, they are fascinating. It is your wonderful body and you can witness one of the greatest features of it, in the up-close witnessing of its aging. This doesn't mean sinking into letting it all "go"and resigning yourself to depression, but to allow yourself to appreciate that you are part of earth's marvelous powers, those of life itself that for every living thing is changing every single moment. The lines and little blue veins that appear are like small examples of your success. What you have left behind in your life, can be reviewed in so many ways to appreciate the great gift of life you have had and one that is part of what you have in common with all other living creatures on earth. To have become old and wrinkled, crippled even, with aging challenges, is something to be happy for, when so many have been cut off from it through sickness or crime or famine or wars. You are fortunate to have survived all that has challenged you in your lifetime, and yet you persevered and won. You are here. You can see it witnessed in your body and it is not ugly, it is your badge of honour. Look up and out and with pride, grasp the changes and revel in  the truth that you are alive and can see and appreciate how your body has carried you all this way. You are a miracle!