{Wrinkles of Time}

When I was younger I remember taking frequent trips to Perimeter Mall with my mother and grandmother. After parking, I would watch them pull down their respective visors and use the vanity mirrors to freshen their lipstick before going into the mall. I come from a long line of good Southern women who taught me many valuable lessons, not the least of which is "thou shalt not enter a public gathering place of any kind without fresh lipstick". I would watch them pucker their lips and apply, and sometimes Grandmother would let me put on a little (ever so little) bit of lipstick myself. In doing so I noticed something, my eight year old lips were smooth, whereas hers had lines in them. I thought the lines were beautiful, and I was jealous. I remember mentioning this fact to her once, and she was quite appalled that I would refer to such a thing (I should probably mention here that my grandmother, even still, doesn't have that many lines, people actually used to ask if she was my mother, so she was probably not accustomed to such questioning). I could not understand her reaction, I wanted those lovely lines; they made the lipstick look so much better in my opinion!

Earlier this week upon my arrival at school, I drove in the parking lot, pulled into my space, and proceeded to pull down my visor to freshen my lipstick in my vanity mirror. After all, I was taught by the best, and I too am a good little Southern lady. It was then I saw them. Despite the fact that I have religiously applied Vaseline to my lips EVERY MORNING and EVERY NIGHT since I was 15 years old (a beauty tip from Mama) there they were. Lines.

I. Freaked. Out.

It was not the first sign of age I've noticed this year. I as approach my twenty-ninth birthday, my body seems to be looking for ways to advertise my increasing years. Two years ago I noticed that the two lines that appeared in between my eyebrows when I squinted didn't immediately disappear when I relaxed my face. Instead they remained indefinitely. In the past couple of months I've also noticed my cheeks seem a little different. Less smooth perhaps? It's hard to quantify it exactly; all I know is the skin looks different. In discussing this with my mother, she told me that when you hit thirty it all "goes downhill fast", and "don't I use any wrinkle cream"? Well, I do as a matter-of-fact. As a teenager Grandmother also taught all us girls that it was never too early to have a skin care routine. My main problem, however, is that while the wrinkles are starting to appear, I'm still getting adolescent pimples, so what's a girl to do for a skincare product?

Here's the thing, I've always found lines and wrinkles on women to be beautiful. In fact, I think most women only get more beautiful with age. So why do I recognize and admire that beauty in other women, but not in myself? I think the main reason is that as the changes occur, I see them as transforming me from the true person I am into someone I am not. As pondered on this, however, I came to a realization. Are not these lines and creases more of who I am than the smooth skin of 16? Life writes its story over all of us, in the smile lines around our mouths and the crinkles around our eyes. If we are lucky, most of our lines will settle into pleasant ones, inevitably though, there will be some of sorrow and of worry.

I made a decision that from now on when I look in the mirror and discover this line or that, I will accept them. I will know that living and loving will leave its mark, and I will cherish each one as a badge of honor; proof that I've lived and experienced in full all the joys and all of the sorrows that womanhood has to offer.

That being said, a little cosmetic help never hurt anyone….and I just discovered a combination anti-wrinkle/anti-blemish cream made by Neutrogena. This good Southern girl bought two tubes.