Poise and Grace

by Kris Pitcher

Aging with poise and grace takes both continued learning about who you are and who you are not. For me the later becomes more apparent each year. Maybe the former makes the later more clear. Either way, with each passing year comfort and clarity settle in.

For instance, I will never have the kind of hair my husband can run his fingers through. I mean - he can. There just won't be a good outcome. He'll likely get stuck, and I'll look like one of those cupie dolls with the hair standing out on end like I'd been electrified. It won't be romantic...it makes me tense just thinking about it. But I've come to terms.

I will never have radiant, beautiful skin. I have blemishes, spider veins, and you can see right through my skin - I do however have a nice looking vascular system. I also will never tan. The upside to that is I've been aware of my sensitivity to sun for so long that I've worn sunscreen since I was 15. That's why I look, eh hem...younger.

These and other truths come with clarity of knowing with certainty who I am. I can celebrate the lighter hairs banding together in just the right place in the sweep of my bangs. Maybe they'll turn silver one day. I can celebrate being comfortable in my skin. I couldn't have said that in my 20's or 30's.

Strong, confident, creative, bold...opinionated. These are things I know unapologetically. As I look to the year ahead I am excited by what I might accomplish, by where life might take me, and by what I might learn about myself as I age one more year with poise and grace. Happy Birthday to Me!