I find it quite sad that society has placed such a burden on women (and men for that matter) that ‘if you’re not young and beautiful, you’re no longer valuable’ or part of the “in” crowd.

(Irene Sinclair, left, 96 year old Dove campaign model)

Everyone is made up of the sum of there parts and (I would hope that for as vain as we may seem that we all believe) our physical being is only a small portion of who we are. I, very much enjoy the company of my elders, as I enjoy listening to their life experiences from days gone by as well as gaining insight from their accumulated knowledge. I find the lines and wrinkles to be mementos of a good hardy laugh or even an unimagined surprise. (Maya Angelou, right)

I helped an elderly woman yesterday that has had so many surgeries on her face that her eyebrows (without exaggerating) were at least two inches above her eye openings. She had scars in her hairline from the bottom of one ear to the bottom of the other. Her ears were actually pulled back (I’m guessing from many facelifts) so far that she had at least one extra inch of skin than any human I’ve ever seen on each side of her face.

This woman was of considerable means. She lives in one of New York City’s most prestigious hotels (when in town) and in another in Palm Beach.

I wonder when I see people (like this) if they made this adaptation to themselves because of someone in their life, society in general or just because they can (financially)?

I, personally, am well aware of my physical faults. I do the best that I can to hide them either with make-up, additional hair and/or clothing. I’ve considered in my past having my nose fixed or adding higher cheekbones, but as I get older I realize that what I look like is not who I am.

If people don’t like what I (or you, for that matter) look like (in particular, when we get old), then maybe they just shouldn’t look.

Wouldn’t you rather grow old gracefully?