By
Sarah Van Hook © 2012
Looking
at your face in the mirror—your aging, changing face—can be a dangerous
activity. It can stir up feelings of insecurity and self-consciousness. Yet
this morning as I gazed at the crow’s feet debuting around my eyes, I felt
proud. With my thirty-first birthday around the corner, the feelings of “I’m
getting older!” are only natural. But these wrinkles are not traitors to my
age. They are boasters to my life.
My
facial wrinkles, displayed for all the world to see, show the tears I’ve shed,
the laughter I’ve spread, the pain I’ve suffered, the stress I’ve survived, the
life I’ve shared. A life full of sorrows and successes, each one a contributor
in its own right to the person I’ve become; the person who, despite the
hardships, has become better with age. My wrinkles show those younger than I
that I’m experienced. They show those older than I that I’m no longer an
ignorant youth. They show my contemporaries that I’m their equal. Most importantly,
my wrinkles show the world that I have lived!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sarah Van Hook is a non-traditional student attending school in Arkansas. She will graduate in December with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. She will be going on to earn a master's degree in Social Work. She can be contacted by email at gsezine [at] gloryandstrength.com.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sarah Van Hook is a non-traditional student attending school in Arkansas. She will graduate in December with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. She will be going on to earn a master's degree in Social Work. She can be contacted by email at gsezine [at] gloryandstrength.com.
