With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.

I look in the mirror and a stranger is looking back at me......


In my head, I am still a vibrant, young-looking 35.... in reality, not so much. I try to be positive about these changes: my face has character, those are laugh lines... But it's hard. Like I said in a post a couple of months ago, I have lost control of my body. It--and my face--are doing things that I haven't approved. And never would have if they'd had the decency to consult me first.

But I really wouldn't want to be all botoxed within an inch of my life either. That's not real. And it's a shame that the unrealistic images of models and stars are held up as examples to the rest of us. If I had a personal trainer, a private chef and my own 24 hour make-up artist and hairstylist, I could look like that too. But I don't--I can't even afford a gym membership.

So I try to make the best of what I've got. Sometimes I succeed and other times... well, it's a little scary. My dream (well, one of them anyway) is to start a charity where those of us that have too much in certain areas donate some to those that don't have enough. Spread the wealth around, so to speak. Makes more sense than silicone.

In the meantime, I'll just try to wear my flaws proudly and pray people love me for my beautiful personality.