Thursday 10 January 2013

Hot Mama



The other day I took a good look in the mirror.  My eyes were dark and tired, my bangs a bit disheveled and my skin a little dry around my eyes.  "I look older," I thought. For the longest time I haven't felt like I look my age.  I remember my mom at this age; she was old. (Sorry Mom). I am not that old.  If you asked my mom though, she would say she isn't as old as the books say she is either.
When I saw that I looked older, I wasn't sad....I was actually good with it.  For once, I wasn't complaining about how tired I looked.  I was admiring the look of a woman who worked hard that day.  Can you admire your wear and tear?
My girlfriend just shared a wonderful story with me.  She has had 3 children and she has stretch marks and loose skin covering her flat tummy (because she has a great body for a mom of 3).  Her husband loves cooching her belly skin and it drives her crazy.  One day he was rubbing her stomach and she asked him to stop.  He asked, "If someone tried to shoot you and I jumped in front and took a bullet for you and had a big scar on my arm to show for it, what would you think of it?"  Of course she said she thought it would be sexy.  To which he explained, "This tummy and the way that it is reminds me of the 3 beautiful children you carried and bore for me. I love it.  It is sexy to me."Wow, huh?
Girlfriend, when you are on that diet, or getting those extensions or spending all your money trying to get rid of those smile lines, who are you doing it for?  Is it worth all the effort?
I believe in taking care of yourself and keeping fit and healthy but I also believe we have a problem with trying to be something that we are not for all the wrong reasons.  We can't stay 25 forever and the harder we try to the sillier we look.  If you ever watch What Not to Wear, they are usually trying to help women find the beauty of their own age and not the age they once were.
I knew a woman once who had the most glorious silver hair.  I am sure she went grey early because she couldn't have been more than 50. What I learned from her was to embrace the look of age and make it work for you. Seriously, she was stunning.  I thought, "That woman makes me want to have
silver hair."
What is with us thinking that a hot mama has to look like she is 19 and hasn't had a baby or worked hard? Why are we buying into the "get your pre-baby body back in 30 days"?  Those tv stars we are jealous of are slaves to their diets and work outs; plus they pay someone to show up at their door every morning and kick their butt.  For what? No seriously, for what??!! Who are you doing it for?
I'll admit that when I get crazy about my hair, skin, body fat or clothes is when I am feeling insecure because of other women.  It's not because of my husband.  He tells me that I look hot and he means it.   Why do we women do this to each other?
Yes, let's encourage one another to look after the temples we have been given by exercising, eating well and caring of them. Lets NOT encourage each other to put ourselves down because, heaven forbid, we are still 20 pounds overweight after having 2 children in  2 1/2 years or because we have
lines on our faces that mark the thousands of times we have laughed in our lifetime.  Lets help each other to be beautiful at 20, 30, 40 something.  Lets enjoy the marks of bearing children, stressful life events that we survived and signs that we were able to live another day.  Lets remember that those
movie stars can't even live up to their own airbrushed pictures in the magazines.
You, my friend are beautiful.  You are a created being, made in God's image.  Your face, your body, they tell a story.  Enjoy it.  I will remember to as well.

2 comments:

  1. I just found this article on pinterest. I can't believe no one commented! I will be 50 next month. I certainly don't look like I once did. I have lost 50 pounds in the last two years. Before I lost the weight, I was told I needed to have a hysterectomy because of massive fibroid tumors. I chose not to have the surgery, because I believe in natural living. I also had my gall bladder removed which had been making me sick for a long time, I just didn't know it. Now I am much healthier, but I have awful loose skin on my stomach. I mentioned going to a doctor to see about having it removed. You would have thought I told my husband I wanted a boob job! He was totally against it. So I said, "fine, I'll just look like this the rest of my life!" I wanted to look good for him, and I guess he thought I wanted to look good for someone else. It's funny how we think, isn't it? Because of the tumors, which are much smaller now, I still get asked when I am due, and if I know what the baby is. On days I think I look good, someone will usually ask, and I'm a little surprised every time. But that is my life right now. And I wouldn't change it, and I know it will only get better.

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    1. Thanks for sharing. Your husband's response just goes to show that what we see is not what those we love see. You are beautiful even in what you think is imperfect.

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