Ah youth. I had it once. Rather liked it too.
What’s funny is that generally I still feel young. It usually takes a comment from one of my kids or a look in the mirror to remind me that this kid’s a long way from the fresh faced teenager she once was. Though I might still be able to party with the young ones, they’re not exactly inviting me to the party.
The face I see in the mirror belies the years I feel in my soul. It can be surreal at times to look at this middle-aged woman who resembles, yet doesn’t quite, the young girl I used to see looking back.
On the plus side of that the zits are gone, for the most part anyway, and I’m finally comfortable with the image before me. I’ve accepted the wrinkles, well earned by decades of love and happiness, loss and sorrow. I’ve accepted too that no amount of war paint, jewellery or fashionable clothing is going to fool anyone that the age I feel in my heart is the age I am.
So, when I look at the glowing faces of young people, all shiny, fresh and wonderfully wholesome, such as those in today’s photo collection, it’s with appreciation, not envy. Having finally learned a few things, I wouldn’t want to ever go back to when I only thought I knew things. Not even for smooth skin and youthful exuberance.
Yet, there’s no denying the appeal. Youth has a glow that can put the sunshine in a dreary day, an innocence that lightens old souls.
iCLIPART.com Fresh Faces of Youth
