They say that until you are thirty-five, you have the face you were born with, and after you are forty-five, you have the one you deserve. I’m happy to say that I am pleased with my face. At thirty-five, it was wrinkle free and quite ordinary. Now, I have wrinkles, but they are around my eyes and bear witness to the amount of time I spend smiling and laughing. There is a fire in my eyes that signifies my enduring curiosity. And mostly what I am pleased about is that I can stare at that face of mine in the mirror square on, and I don’t have to flinch away from what I am and what I do…because what I am and what I do are the same thing: honorable, decent, loving. My walk matches my talk.

You know, I am grateful for do-better points in life, the places where I logically take a step back and evaluate things and make adjustments. They come around with great regularity: birthdays, the new year, the first of months. Occasionally as frequently as every Sunday afternoon. *smile* I think it’s important to evaluate what works in your life and what doesn’t, and then empower yourself to effect change.

Perhaps that is the biggest difference between the face I was born with and the one I have earned. The one I wear now is an empowered face.