The Body Not So Beautiful Anymore

 Part One

There are some things that cannot be denied as one ages. These things may differ from one individual to another, but certain changes in one’s body can be overlooked, ignored, and disregarded for only so long. The inevitable time comes when the unavoidable must be faced.

The body is changing.

The body is aging.

I am changing.

I am maturing.

It might be the gray hairs. But modern technology has allowed us to successfully cover the grays. This obvious fact of aging can be concealed for as long as we like.

It might be the sagging – knees maybe, but usually breasts. They are not where they used to be and bras can do only so much magic.

It might be the facial lines. These can be lotioned, massaged, covered with make-up, botoxed, or plastic surgeried away. Most of us, however, deal with the lines everyday. They implicitly remind us we are not the kid we used to be.

It might be thickening of the waist. The amount of exercise, careful dieting, and/or surgery required not to experience this aging effect takes more money, time and effort than most of us are willing to devote, and eventually destiny wins. It happens and we deal with it.

Our eyesight is no longer 20-20. We face a decision: glasses or contacts. Those with poor eyesight most of their life made the decision while still young and cute. The rest of us struggle with the dilemma.

I opted for glasses years ago.  Here are a couple of reasons I wear them, and several additional motives others may decide to wear glasses:

            They hide wrinkles and lines around my eyes.

             If I wear bangs, the glasses and bangs combination hide half my face.    

            Glasses are environmentally friendly. I am not continually throwing out plastic contacts and containers.

            Glasses are a wardrobe accessory and can make a fashion statement.

            Glasses are a comfy security blanket, a screen between you and the world.

            Dark glasses hide a lot – red, swollen eyes, tears, a hangover, black circles...

            Glasses that change with the environment, becoming darker in the sun, reduce the need for sunglasses.

            Glasses can make a person look smart.

My sister-in-law showed up this past weekend with her new contacts. She was tired of swapping between her reading and other glasses, and was always misplacing a pair. She tried bifocals, but could not get accustomed to them.

She was amazed, looking in the mirror, at the lines and black circles suddenly appearing around her eyes. She now diligently covers them with makeup, and bought powder for that purpose. She is getting used to the contacts, wearing them a little longer each day. She cannot wait to totally ditch her glasses.

Maybe I am just lazy. I wear bifocals. The lenses transform when I move indoors and outdoors, shading darker or lighter as needed. I occasionally misplace them, but not for long. Living in a small house reduces the places I can leave them and the amount of time required to locate them once again. And I do not really want to spend the time and energy attempting to look good without glasses.

There are other alterations occurring as I move from tall, svelte woman to short, zaftig older person. (watch for my next blog post!)

Except I was never tall. Or svelte.

Some things never change.