My friend Grace is 100 years old. She’s like the tree that’s matured over the years, more beautiful than ever. Her voice and her mind are as sharp as 30 years ago, just as that tree has known how to grow. Today’s society pushes beauty with being young, but the reality is that beauty transcends every age.
In the early years of our lives, it’s about learning and experiencing as much as we possibly can. We move through the world like sponges, absorbing the ideas of other people and the world.
With Grace, she started building her career as a writer. She began to use the information she was gathering to form ideas and opinions of her own. In our young phase of life, our physical strength and beauty help open doors and attract attention, just as the tree. Grace thrived and became known in her field. As we cultivate our philosophy about life, our beauty becomes as much about what we are saying, doing, and creating as it is about our appearance. Grace, like a tree in summer, became full, expressive, and productive.ӬӬ Her writing flourished, and she held a prestigious position.
Grace, as in autumn when the tree drops its leaves, released past attachments and began a new period of maturity. When the child in us grows up, our children move on, careers shift or end. For many, the lines on our faces and the grey/white hairs are spiritual testaments to the fullness of our experiences. With Grace, she chose to keep her hair the rich brown of her earlier days while her face reflected her great interest in everything. And, she had learned how to listen!
In the winter of our lives, we become stripped down to our essence like a tree. Grace became more radiant than ever at this stage, because as time passed, the inner light shone brighter through her eyes. Beauty at this age comes from the very core of our being. With Grace, there was a waiting twinkle in her eye and the turning up of a start of a ready smile. With knowledge, there is nothing to fear in advanced age, and her face reflected that trust and love. That is the kind of beauty that comes only after one has been interested in people and had years of experience.
Grace’s life continued with an attitude of youthfulness. Since our attitudes determine what our lives become, hers became full of fun and friendships. She understood the guarantee that with exercise and healthy feeding of our bodies and minds, our tree of life will remain resilient and strong.
Grace didn’t grow “old,” she continued living with passion, liking people and recognizing the beauty surrounding her. She lives her days with elegance and the love of herself and others. One hundred years…a model of what is possible.
In reality, like a tree, we are all beautiful, so look in the mirror and appreciate with Grace all that you see.