Something In Common With The Elephants

I just got back from a visit with my 3-year old grandson and his parents!  Of course, there was lots of picture-taking and a trip to the zoo.  I couldn’t help but notice—as I have frequently these days—that I have something in common with the elephants...and I don’t mean weight!

Oh, the saggy, wrinkled skin on this newly fit body!  I have joked that “I should have done this sooner, while I still had some elasticity left.”  When in odd positions and gravity is being unkind, I have batted at it and flung it around.  In a stiff wind, I could be a sail!  (Well, it’s not quite that bad . . . yet!)  I need to drink more water!  Would a good skin cream help?  How about some vitamins to encourage some ‘shrink wrap’ action?!?

I am reminded that fat used to fill the space under my skin, but I am also reminded that I am getting older!   And just when I’m feeling so young!  How cruel!  Since I haven’t found a magic potion that will infuse my skin with the vitality I feel (or even something less than magic), I will have to rely on attitude and altering my perception.



I can bypass Vanity to get to how great it feels to keep up with my grandson for hours at the zoo, zooming up ramps and climbing tall steps, picking him up without thinking about it, and having the energy for his energy!  But, can I sidestep Appearance and just not see those wrinkles?  (I’m convinced that’s why eyesight diminishes as we age.)  Or can I see them differently?



Are wrinkles and baggy skin a testament to where I’ve been and how far I’ve come?  



I don’t want to have to gather up my skin so I don’t trip over it like a skirt that’s too long, but I don’t want to fill it up with fat again, either.  These days, I wouldn’t trade in my health for smooth skin:  it feels too good to run and jump and play!  So, if I have to have ‘elephant skin’, I wouldn’t mind having some grace in accepting it, too!

I’m working on it J