Becoming Beauty-full

Warm water ran slowly

over my hands as I washed

dishes and dreamily 
took in the view outside.

Blustery winds rattled

the windows, leaves

hurtling down against

a crazy-quilt backdrop

of yellows, reds, oranges

and greens.

The flowers in my planter

boxes, bent by the winds,

bobbed and swayed as if to say,

Hey, what happened

to summer? and 
Heck, I wasn't expecting this!

Sort of like growing older.

When you are over 40,

you are technically moving

into the autumn years of your 

life, if you think about it.

Via

{Heck, what happened

to summer?}

{Heck, I wasn't expecting

this...or this....or this!}

And while we consider

leaves to be beautiful when

they are changing colors,

drying up and blowing away,

in human beings

not 

so

much.

Which is why the beauty 

marketplace is flooded with

every anti-aging product

imaginable.  We want to

continue seeing our outside

beauty in a half-full, rather
than a half-empty sort of way.

I ordered the latest catalog recently

  from the British company Toast.

It came last week and while waiting 
in the car line at school, I flipped 
through it, savoring all the yummy 
fall wools and tweeds.

Toast

I turned page 51 and stopped

in my tracks.  A model stared

back who was entirely different

than any woman I had seen in

catalogs here in the USA.  I

found myself grinning from ear

to ear.....

Toast

For the first time I could picture my

 older self in the future, daring

to love every wrinkle, every gray or

 white hair and staying in step with

fashion; not fading away like last

season's autumn leaves if I pass 

on Botox, plastic surgery, etc.

Toast

I got varied reactions from others

when I shared this picture.  Sadly,

like me, most had to do a double-take;

 that's how rarely we see a model of

this age.  One didn't like her long hair

and others weren't comfortable with 
the natural photography or her
thoroughly modern look.

Toast

Me?  I want to hug her.  I want to

hug Toast, too, for having the vision 

to see her as beauty-full and not

beauty-less.

One of my favorite models in the U.S.

started modeling when she was discovered

at age 49.  She is now 60 and makes

up to $25,000 per day for her work.  

Her name is Cindy Joseph and you may
recognize her from numerous
print and television advertisements.

Via

This former make-up artist has her

own line of cosmetics which she created

with the less is more philosophy, believing

that a lighter touch is more enhancing 

 as women get older.

Via

She also has a blog, which I found to

be inspiring, comforting and upbeat.

Via

Aging is really just another word for

living.  Life continues to be a magical

and fascinating adventure.  My passion,

my feelings, and all that I am are intact

and functioning.  The concept that aging

is becoming less in some way is really the

antithesis of what happens.  One becomes

 more and more as life continues.

~ Cindy Joseph

Via

So, as autumn blows both literally and

figuratively into my life, I am making a

conscious decision to celebrate the 

physical loveliness of my generation 

and those who started the journey 

before me, affirming and living

Cindy's positive manifesto.

Will you join me,

Beauty-full?

xx

Suzanne

Linking to