Where I Stand: Beauty of an Aged Face

ASSINIBOIA - “As a white candle in a holy place, so is the beauty of an aged face” ... Beautiful words perhaps, but hard to swallow. Those words were written by a somewhat obscure Irish poet named Joseph Campbell who lived from 1879 to 1944. Back in his day, the age of 65 must have seemed terribly old. Ancient even, I suspect.

It is said that if we study carefully the lines and wrinkles on the human face, we may catch a glimpse of events that helped carve and shape those lines and wrinkles in the first place. When I look in the mirror, I’m not so sure I like what I see. And it’s for certain I don’t much care for some of the ‘events that carved those wrinkles in my weather beaten brow.

Here’s an interesting fact you may already know. Science tells us that if we examine the cross-section of rings from a tree that has been cut down, we are able to tell the age of the tree, and whether or not the years have been kind or unkind to the tree during its lifetime.

The human face is much like the tell-tale rings of an ancient tree. The lines and wrinkles tell the story of our life. Modern day internet memes suggest that we should be proud of our wrinkles and all that we endured throughout the years.

They suggest that “old age is a privilege denied to many”. Growing old may well be preferable to dying young, but the sad part of aging is that the years are not always kind. Let me rephrase that. The years are seldom kind to us.

Remember how - when we were little - we wanted to get big? What in heaven’s name were we thinking, anyway? That’s a question that I’ve pondered many times through the years as I got older. I’m pretty sure that getting big was what we really wanted - not the growing old part that accompanies getting big. I suppose we thought that if we were big, we’d be free to do whatever we wanted. Boy ... were we sadly mistaken!

Behind the aging face we see in the mirror, are memories of hard times, bad times, and occasional good times spent with family and good friends. Some wrinkles represent years - perhaps even decades - of dedicated, faithful, hard work. Some wrinkles show the dogged determination just to survive and never to quit. 

No one ever said life was easy. And that’s a good thing. Because it isn’t. The beauty that may exist on an aged face is not the skin-deep charm of our beloved youth, but rather the time-etched scars of a life lived to its fullest.

It is often said that young people - our youth - are the future of the world. There is some truth in that statement, to be sure. But it is only with experience and aging that we gain real wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and discernment to help guide us through the ‘present' and navigate the ‘future.'

Right now, after some two years of global pandemic, the future does not look so bright. There seems to be little hope visible on the horizon. To this I say: Go as far as you can see. When you get there, you will be able to see further. Put one foot in front of the other.

Take a few deep breaths if need be, and hunker down for the long haul. Turn your face toward the sun when you see it. That’s one sure way to put some of life’s shadows behind you. Take time to smell the coffee and the roses. And when the quarterback of life’s biggest game hands you the football, look quickly around, find an opening or hole in the line of opposition, tuck the ball firmly under your arm, put you head down ... and go for it! Give ‘er  all you’ve got. Go for the touchdown!

That’s how I see it, at least.

From where I stand!