R.A.D.I.C.A.L. Thoughts

" ... being young is great, but being yourself is better."
Veronique Vienne in The Art of Imperfection ... Simple Ways to Make Peace with Yourself

Whether you consider yourself young or old doesn't matter as much as how you consider yourself, period. Many of our ex-husbands most likely had a relationship with a younger woman. Some a little younger. Some ... waaay younger, as in our daughter's age. After my divorce I would look in the mirror and see, not my fun sort of funky self, but my old, tired frumpy self. But that was more a response to how I was feeling than how I was in reality. And when we are tired from not sleeping and sad from the whole divorce thing, wishing we were younger doesn't help our physical appearance and it certainly doesn't help our outlook on life or our enthusiasm about the day. And it doesn't help to try to act or dress or be 20 years younger than we are. An article I read in the Wall Street Journal by an image consultant said something to the effect that if you are 50 and trying to look 30, you are probably going to look older than 50. So give that up. Concentrate on maximizing who you really are. No matter what your age, appreciating the strong, capable, fun, vibrant, wise, wild woman you are is the first step to being able to smile at the world no matter what is going on. Just for today celebrate your best, wonderful self! Smile! Laugh! Be Lighthearted! God made you exactly who you are and that person can become better and more beautiful every single day. Living God's way with joy and accepting today as our own potential-filled gift pushes worry about our age into the background where it should be.

"Charm can be deceptive and beauty doesn't last, but a woman who fears and reverences God shall be greatly praised."
Proverbs 31: 30 - The Living Bible