Women are ruthless and unrelenting in their assessments of how we look. This year, I’d like to wake up each morning and say to myself, “You look like yourself” and have that be a good thing. I’m definitely moving toward that goal.
Once this past year, I looked in the mirror and said out loud, “I look like a 44 year old woman” and I smiled and left for work.
I don’t look in the mirror as much as I did when I was a kid or a young adult. When I was little, I would sit on the bathroom sink and talk right to myself. I studied my eyebrows and worked patiently on getting one eyebrow to raise, while the other one stayed put. In high school, I’d stare at my reflection in the trophy cases, trying to decide if I was worthy of friendship and a good future.
Worrying about looks is age appropriate for the young, but I even wish they didn’t have to worry about hair, weight, and how it all goes together. I definitely don’t want this for people my age and older! A young woman once told me a story of her grandmother dying. She went to visit her at the hospital and her grandmother was bright and let her know that she’d lost a lot of weight. Eeeesh. I felt sad hearing that.
If you set fitness goals this year, do it for love.
Love of your family and yourself. Exercise to make your heart beat longer. So, you can play with your kids and grandkids more days! Eat vegetables, because they fill you with nutrients your body needs to be able to live out the various vocations God calls us to do. Drink water, so you will have less headaches that get in the way of listening to your loved ones. Be aware of how you choose to spend your minutes, and many times guide yourself back to the activities that have meaning for you and your community. Look back, each day, and ask yourself: Did this day go the way I hoped? Are there things I could have done differently? Sometimes, the answer is that the day went just fine.
That you are just fine.
Other days, you’ll look back and realize that it wasn’t that great. Be kind! Make a gentle plan to do the next day closer to the values you hold dear. Pray for help. You are connected to all that is good and you don’t have to be perfect to accept that Love.
God bless you today and always!
Terra Rose
Life Without Montages 