Scrutiny in the mirror?

Are you like me in the mornings? I notice my puffy morning eyes, the little lines starting to show and details about my appearance that I wish I could change. Smaller here, larger there….it’s all critical, and it’s pretty cruel.

And… I know I’m not alone.

My friends and I often complain about ourselves and say things about our bodies and faces we’d like to change in a joking manner.
You see, I live in a city that is healthy, athletic, beautiful and young. I wonder if so much of this beauty around me is from Botox injections and other fillers? I really can’t be sure and frankly it doesn’t matter…. But what I do know is that the pressure to be perfect these days hits all generations and all sexes.

I had a realization today at lunch and I want to share it with all of you.

I saw a woman with a terrible disfiguring growth on the entire right side of her face. I couldn’t help but notice and it stopped me in my tracks.

Here we are being critical of our healthy bodies and faces and someone like this has to look in the mirror everyday and see real disfigurement, real imperfection in most people’s eyes.

I felt ashamed. I’m healthy. I’m aging gracefully. I have so much to be grateful for and yet I think damaging thoughts towards myself every single day. I know that it’s not just women that do this. My male friends do this same critical thinking.

How dare I?
That woman would probably give anything to have our little lines, our little imperfections and have what the world considers to be a normal face.

I’m done with that sort of guerilla warfare on myself.
I hope that by sharing this, you will consider ending it too.
Let’s give ourselves a peaceful greeting in the mirrors. We truly have so much to be grateful for….regardless of our puffy morning eyes.
xo

Image Courtesy of Federico Stevanin at freedigitalphotos.net