Turtle Neckin'

"There comes a moment when you know that your face has changed; when that effortless glow you always had going for you suddenly requires serious effort. For me, that moment came on the first of August at 4:13 pm, Eastern Daylight Time, while buying a pound and a half of chicken breasts at Simchyk and Sons."

At first I laughed hysterically when I read those lines from an article by Lisa Kogan, but pretty soon I realized that the laugh was just hysteria that had a real note of panic in it. I had my own well-defined realization recently. I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflection of my car window, and I almost turned to see who was standing behind me.

Unfortunately, the neck that was reflected was my own. I just couldn't understand where all those little crepe-y lines had come from. You know, I think I must even do the turtle neck in the mirror. Does anybody else do that? It's the stretch I do with my neck during pictures to try to eliminate any extra chins. I've been doing it in the mirror, too, and that's why I hadn't seen any of those wrinkles on my neck. Horrifying!!

I turned the big 4-0 this year, and there were almost instant changes in my face. I've enlisted my good friend Holly to be my dealer--I mean supplier of skin care products. I've always been a soap and water girl, but I'm slowly changing my evil ways as a means of battling the changes. I want to age gracefully but not suddenly!

I'm also embracing all the good stuff that comes with 40, though, and there's lots of it. I have gradually felt myself feeling more comfortable in my own skin. Although I don't want to become an old lady that everybody avoids because of her sharp tongue, I also feel bolder and more empowered to stand up and speak up.

Finally, I see the stretch in front of me as the stretch to truly begin looking more and more like Jesus. It's the stretch where if I do it right, the outside matters less and less. The world is less and less attractive. Heaven becomes more and more my home. My character is more and more submitted to Jesus, and my final destination is in sight. That's the good news about 40!