For the last five years, I’ve compiled all the pictures taken on my phone during each year and I’ve made one of those photo books from Snapfish. That can add up to a lot of pictures in a year’s time. Trips, birthdays, family gatherings, Ruby being adorable, or just someone who fell asleep on the couch with their mouth open wide. In this age when our cellphones are basically our only cameras, I’d gotten lax about having our pictures printed or even saved in some cases. I decided the photo book would be the easiest solution and then I’d print only the most special ones and file them away in our photo boxes for the children to deal with after I’m gone. You know, along with those plastic tubs filled with their childhood construction paper masterpieces. 

I was looking through our 2022 book that just came in and it got me thumbing through the other four books from the previous years. I’d been noticing it but there it was in print. The natural progression of my aging. Most noticeably, the way my eyelids have started to lose hope and give up in their fight against gravity. It seems like for some, especially those who are genetically inclined like myself, the eyelids just start lying down on the job at a certain age. Like drapes that puddle on the floor. As a result, I’ve started looking less alert and less chipper. Combine that with my naturally unwelcoming resting face and we have problem. To combat this lid thing, I’ve found myself trying to open my eyes wider in pictures so to not appear strung out on drugs. Sometimes, I overcompensate and end up looking like one of those wide-eyed killers on the news, so I’ve got to find a middle ground somewhere between drugs and murder. 

Another area of skin that seems to have a notable lack of determination to stay in the game is on the neck. It starts to become billowy as it pulls away from the chin and, in a few years, I can see how it could even flap in the wind given the right conditions. If you ever struggle with vanity, consider sitting down and placing your cell phone in your lap with the camera on and turned to selfie mode. Now, lean over and look down into the screen. Yeah. I know. Whoah! I’ll give you a minute. I discovered this antidote for pride, one day, when I accidentally took a picture of myself while trying to turn off my phone’s camera. Much like the rings of a tree trunk, you can count neck rings to see how old you are. Each ring represents 7 years. PSA- For this reason, when someone asks you to take a picture of their family on vacation or at church on Easter morning, you should always hold the camera up high- at least at head level- to allow their neck skin to stretch and smooth out as they look at the camera. Everyone looks much younger from up high. You’ll thank me. 

I came home from the mountains feeling sore all over. It doesn’t take much anymore. A misstep. A new activity. Sleeping in an awkward position. Yard work. A new pillow. An unfamiliar bed. A more strenuous walk than usual. Pretty much anything can lead to soreness nowadays. A couple of weeks ago, I suffered for days with a pulled abdominal muscle from a big sneeze. My feet creak and I have a knee that pops with almost every step. Put them both together and it sounds like a crackling fire only much less calming. My ankles are sore and stiff when I wake up in the morning and I walk like King Kong to the bathroom. I can’t get too far from my tweezers. I can’t read a thing without my glasses. I make grunting noises when I’m getting up off the floor. My brain is functioning at around 70% and I can never think of the word I’m trying to say. I’m 54 years old, rounding the corner to 55, and the signs of normal aging are everywhere. 

If you’re seeing evidence of getting older, take heart. At least, aging isn’t what it used to be. Y’all know I’m a classic TV fan and I recently saw an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show that referenced Lou Grant’s age as being 50. Fifty? That got me curious, so I googled the ages of popular classic tv characters when their shows started and I think these will help us all feel better. The character of Aunt Bea was 58 years old in the first season. Edith Bunker was 47. Jed Clampett was 54. Grandpa Walton was 67. The Skipper was 43. Mr. Roper was 53. Columbo was 40. George Constanza was 31. Boss Hogg was 53. George Jefferson was 50. Howard Cunningham was 45. Ward Cleaver was 47. Miss Ellie Ewing was 63. Rose, Blanche, and Dorothy were early-50’s. Now, don’t we all feel better about ourselves? We needed that after counting our neck rings. I fall somewhere between Dorothy Zbornak and Aunt Bea, so I’m feeling pretty good about things now. 

I’ve never really minded birthdays or getting older. I’ve always been kind of proud of my collection of years. My collection may seem like child’s play to some and a massive, unattainable accumulation to others. There are a lot of good things I’ve noticed about aging. Years may take away the elasticity of skin, but it doesn’t leave us empty-handed. I’m more relaxed and much less stressed than in my younger days. Even though I’m not eager to try it, death isn’t as scary as it once seemed. Things I once thought were a really big deal, I realize are mostly foolishness. Now, when something happens in my physical life, I look for its spiritual significance. The qualities that impress me in people have really changed. I’m more content in that I can’t think of many material things I really want. I’m more deliberate about how I spend my time and want it to be used on something worthwhile. I’m more aware that everyone is grappling with something and deserves grace. I get Eleanor Roosevelt’s words now- “You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” And I’ve experienced enough life to finally recognize a pattern that God’s got me and He’s got a plan.

So, yes, as the eyelids go, so the neck goes and we won’t mention what else goes, but I like to think we’re all blossoming inside. Getting more beautiful each day. Kinder eyes. Softer hearts. Calmer minds. Gentler tongues. More committed spirits. 

True beauty always starts on the inside. 

Have a great weekend, my friends! 

JONI