Hey, give me back my wrinkle!

These were my words to the photographer who touched-up my recent business headshots. She did a beautiful job editing out my wrinkle and had no idea that with a few strokes of her mouse, she was erasing something I value. Assuming I would want it removed, I was adamant about having her start over again, making any other changes she wanted, but leaving my adored wrinkle.

You see, that wrinkle represents something... something important: It represents the 45 years I have invested in understanding who I am and how to make a positive contribution to this planet, and leave her inhabitants better for my being here. I EARNED that wrinkle!

With so much emphasis in our society on youth and flawless, external beauty, I stand for something else: a more graceful, peaceful journey to embrace and adore the many indicators of aging. I may be bald, but I have gray hair. My skin is thinner. Hair is sprouting in the strangest places and is sparse in others. And what happened to my upper arms? My Pilates teacher says it's changing hormones. Whatever the explanation, it's kinda weird.

Committed to being an excellent steward of my precious life resources, it just makes sense to invest my time, money and effort in celebrating the work-in-progress that is I. Honestly, even the thought of how much energy it would require to struggle and fight the process of maturing leaves me yearning for a nap. Yes, there are changes and adjustments, but looking back, no stage of life was free of the necessity to be flexible, so why should this one be any different? Life is, after all, in perpetual motion. Change is inevitable and the more willingly I bask in the truth of what is, the more free I am to be the most glorious and free version of myself.

Besides, removing the inevitable indicators of our age with technology changes nothing. As time goes by, it only reflects our inability to embrace what's real and true, and prevents us from loving what is so lovely about ourselves when we love ourselves without condition. When you think about it, can you expect others to love you when you don't?

I am leaving a legacy and sometimes that is represented in the most peculiar ways. For me, it's reflected by my forehead wrinkle. So, lady, give me back my wrinkle!

(BTW, she did.)