Aging Gracefully

It's one of those things that has to be done. And, for the most part, it's out of our control.

Unless something catastrophic happens, we are all going to age. Some of us will look better doing it. Some of us will just handle it better.

Some things about aging are liberating for me. I seriously don't have to worry anymore about how I look in a mini skirt. That ship, as they say, has sailed.

But I have gotten much more comfortable in my own skin.

I took this self portrait last week. No makeup. No concealer. No lipstick (!). No photoshop. This is me in all my natural glory.

I was taking the photo to document for a friend how far along my curls have come since I started growing them out last year. I was surprised to find, after I took the photo, that I thought I looked pretty much like myself and it pleased me. (I also like how the summer sun has given me these natural highlights, but that's not important right now.)

I just wrote an article for MamasLatinas.com for their ¿Que Mas? section. It's titled 5 Steps to Aging Gracefully. I started off by writing, "I'm 58 years old. There. I said it."

They used a stock photo of a beautiful, happy, laughing woman to illustrate the article. That's okay. That's exactly how I feel.

But this is really me. I'm the one with the really contented look on her face. I'm 58 years old. And it's a good place to be.

(Please go visit MamasLatinas and read the article, then come back and tell me what you think.)