The Journey of Beauty

As we age, we can come to believe that the beauty we once had has faded. What we don’t recognize is that it has transcended energetically into something so much more.

Women our age have wisdom, experience and compassion tenfold. There is no diminishing the power and strength that emanates from our maturity, history, and resilience. It’s part of our energetic make-up. How we carry ourselves, our confidence, the spark in our eyes, even our surrender makes us beautiful. Beauty is a balance, and it can flow for us and from us as we comfortably surrender to life. Born out of the insights we have gathered along the way, beauty becomes intrinsic to our spirit as we age. It is etched in our soul and becomes part of our breath. To arrive at a place where we can appreciate where we are, what we are and accept and love who we have become, we can then declare our exquisite energy into the Universe.

Our youth, filled with exponential possibilities and choices, gets translated into life lessons that we now possess. As we age, insecurities transform into confidence, and we get to now experience ourselves through a lifetime of events that have come to define us. It is our time to exhale.

Our association with physical beauty is an old belief system. In truth, it’s our energy that radiates our beauty both inwardly and outwardly. We see that routinely with pregnant women but I’ve not seen more stunning women, than those our age. Perhaps it’s the attitude of not sweating the small stuff and electing to steer our own ship. Thankful to our mothers for their love and guidance albeit, independent of their opinions. The result of that process is exuding a powerful glow that exists both inside and out. When there is beauty, there is proportionate energy.

Fast forward 40 years and I have come to discover that beauty is the distilling of complexities into simplicity, in life lessons and things. Philosophically, simplicity can be argued to be more complicated as it is robust whereas complexity has moving parts and variables that are discombobulated. None as stable as those that reside in simplicity.

At its core, beauty is born out of nature and demonstrates harmony. It is balanced. Having alignment in life is precisely that. As humans, we are naturally cognizant of something that is beautiful. Our brains are attracted to symmetry. We know when something is appealing and stops us in our tracks, what we don’t know is why. Our senses triggered by a piece of art or unique space. Beauty puts order into chaos. The same is true for the energy we carry.

Beauty and wealth are incongruent. Beauty and life experience are. It can show up in an array of ways. From uttering a word that can transcend a situation and bring stability to a scenario, to the colour of a lipstick that matches a pomegranate seed. Beauty is about inclusivity. Anyone can access it. There are some that I have met on my journey of life where beauty was vacant from their lives. It doesn’t prosper authentically close to the ego. Then there were others, their lives filled with Grace. Their space surrounded with simple things like fresh white linens and a glass vase with one Calla Lilly stretching out. Their energy both inviting and loving. What they own, the simplicity of their lifestyle and most importantly their energetic presence was not only beautiful but poetic. It was a way of combining mindfulness to balance, and that’s how they integrated themselves into life.

Energy emanates beauty. It’s that in-between little somethin’ that enhances the person, place or thing that has us stop in awe and take notice. For me it provides gratitude. To be surrounded by it is a gift and it brings comfort and peace. To have a throw that is lovely or a pair of pyjamas that are soft and light are elements that invite that balance into my life. A great book and a calm disposition are simple, beautiful elements in my life. To look in the mirror and see a history of my existence carefully etched in my face making me who I am, is empowering.

At our age, we must own our beauty because we are all in possession of it. It exists in every iota of our being, from the gray hairs that lighten our eyes to the wrinkles on our face that exude joy when we smile. It’s all us, and it’s stunning.

To be surrounded by ‘beauty’ you need awareness and consciousness. If you’re awake, then you’ll experience that everything has beauty dialled into it including yourself. When we don’t see beauty in something, it could be that we or what is taking our attention is out of alignment. We have enough contrast in our lives to recognize that. Beauty is a perfectly steeped cup of tea or the smell of freshly brewed coffee. It’s that a piece of dark chocolate that melts slowly on your tongue as you relish the sweet smokiness of the rich, creamy cocoa flavour. Beauty is a garment that slips on, feels like pyjamas and looks glamorous. We need to be present to experience it. It recognizes that when we speak kindly of others our soul breathes and our body relaxes. When we are at peace we feel the oneness with the Universe because we are in alignment. When we stop seeing the wrinkles around our eyes as lines and instead as experiences pointing to the sun then we are present to its magic. Beauty is a space you walk into that is calming and serene possessing just what you need, nothing more. Though typically experienced through tangible items, at its core, beauty is found everywhere in nature. Our recognition of it is contingent on our awareness and consciousness.

I love that I’m aware of the beauty that surrounds me and experience it daily. It makes every day exciting. I’m inspired when I’m in gratitude, and it brings me joy. That’s the beauty of maturity.

As I age, I’m beginning to experience it with regularity and in simpler ways. Ridding myself of things and ideas for those that offer form, function and ease. I like what I see in the mirror and that the beautiful mess reflected is me. Ironically, I feel younger and lighter today than in my youth. Now that’s beautiful.

“Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”  Franz Kafka