33 and mother nature is not so kind

So, I sit in the haircut shop the other day waiting for my son to get a new “do” and I’m of course BOMBARDED by all of the “rags.” I use the term rags very liberally here. What do I mean by rags you ask?  Well I mean People, Cosmo, In Style and their ilk. I can’t help it one calls to me, I have to pick it up. It’s one of their, “Most Beautiful” issues and then it begins. You know what I’m talking about, every woman does. You start to feel less… every flaw, every drop of fat, every pore, every piece of clothing is no longer good enough. You may have felt great, clothing perfect, hair perfect, and thought my butt looks G O O D in these jeans. Now that you’ve touched the rag however that’s all gone. I swear the rags are made by vampires. Vampires that suck away ones ability to feel good about themselves in the skin they are in.

Well you know what, screw every single one of them; at 33 I have:

• Wrinkles
• My hair hasn’t been done in God only knows how long
• My butt is so much further south than it used to be
• My breasts which have never been one of my assets and have seen way to many push up bras are now more depressed than ever

And you know what I DO NOT GIVE A DAMN! That’s right I do not give a damn. Like it? Great! Don’t? I do not care!

• Every wrinkle is because I laughed and smiled as much and as often as is humanly possible. I love being blessed enough in this life to have so many opportunities to smile and laugh.
• Hair is clean and long and I still get a thrill messing with it. Those streaks that are fading aren’t from a damn two hour torture stint in a beauty shop they’re from being out in the beautiful sunshine sitting on the swing with my son, they’re from playing with my dogs outside, they’re from many hours spent in an herb garden that I adore.
• The stretch marks on my breasts and their general lack of perkiness are because I nursed a child that I didn’t know if I was going to be able to bring home and for that I will always be grateful!
• The butt… well it’s still there and let’s face it if I really wanted to I could eat less of the food that I like and exercise more. Guess what I am healthy and so is my gear in the rear. I’m not going to miss out on food just to maintain a size 2 world be damned! I am not overweight and if the rear view bugs you I’m guessing you know what you can do!  If you aren’t sure what to do send me an email and I’ll gladly reply with a lengthy email on where you can go and exactly how you can get there.

For every one of my friends who looks at themselves and doesn’t feel good enough.  For every woman who looks in a mirror and can’t smile.  For every time I’ve looked at myself and judged every single flaw real and imagined I QUIT!!!  I am not going to worry about what’s failing me on the outside.  It’s time to face facts, what’s outside is going to rot away one day very soon and no amount of botox, surgery, or lipo is going to change that fact. I will worry about what I believe is going to live on long after I do; my legacy as a mother to a child and the soul that I believe will live on forever that’s what I’ll be working on.

Don’t get me wrong I’m not giving up on myself.  I’m not going to a commune to live as a nudist.  I’m just accepting myself exactly as I am.  Now however, I’ll have the presence of mind to realize that what others and I myself have seen as flaws are really all about perception. I choose to look at what most would consider to be a flaw or GOD forbid a sign of aging and recognize each and everybit of it as a blessing.

So take the rags and put them to good use, start a compost heap or start a campfire with them then make some awesome s’mores (probably not a good idea to actually roast a marshmallow on top of the fumes they put off though). Really that’s all they’re good for!