Dear Ones,
Grab a box of tissue! This is powerful and personal.
Some days at 62 I feel vibrant, playful, radiant, centered and wise. Other days at 62 I feel weary, wrinkled, lacking energy and depleted. Some days I feel compelled to wear make-up because it reflects my inner beauty unhindered by what other think. Sometimes I wear make-up to cover the dark circles under my eyes and want to hide out for fear of what others will think. Which is true?
Real beauty does not live on my face nor is it defined by the color of my hair or the number of wrinkles and creases, but judgments layered on by comments and culture for so many years have made it challenging for all women to discern the truth of who they are.
Yesterday I spent time with Peggy Webster of Total Image Solutions (http://www.realtotalimagesolutions.com/#!peggyrose-webster/c1yex), an amazing woman and a talented hair stylist/entrepreneur from Tacoma, WA who wonders and wanders about life and who has dedicated many years to fostering the beauty of women.
We came together for a ‘catch-up’ session and our conversation soon turned into reflections on aging and the true meaning of beauty. We both marveled at the wisdom and raw places that fell our of or mouths as we shared about our experiences that we suspect are common to other women, too. It was almost a sense of relief to speak all of this out loud.
Peggy grabbed her phone/recorder to capture what she decided would be an interview post on her blog. As we admitted the thoughts that bump around in your heads, often judgmental ones, we sensed we were not alone, but rather channeling the silent thoughts so many women have about what gray hair and ‘story lines’ mean to us as we wade through the judgments, self-criticism, and cultural conditionings to discover what is really true about what it means to be beautiful.
Whether gray or colored, short or long, lines or not, beauty is an inside job! Free yourself of judgments… yours for others, theirs for you, and most of all yours for yourself. We often judge ourselves most harshly I think to ease the sting of the judgments we fear will come from others. How would your life be different if you freed yourself from the criticism and believed that you are beautiful, imperfections and all.
Make your beauty unique to you. Whether flattering or not, let what others think of you be none of your business, not the defining moment of truth. Humbly believe your judgment-free voice first. Thank the critical voice for sharing and turn that volume WAY down. Surround yourself with only those who notice and celebrate the real and beautiful you. Read about Wabi Sabi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi). Experiment with life. Notice and focus on the beauty beyond wrinkles. Loving what is becomes the secret to looking alive and youthful.
Dare to live your beauty out loud!
Rhonda [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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