Silver lining

I am almost ready: refreshed with a hot shower, red cashmere sweater adding elegance to classic black pants, sexy new high-heeled shoes with a satin bow, lipstick to match the sweater, hair swept up and now to finish with a touch of my favorite perfume… then the phone rings. My date needs to cancel dinner - something unexpected has come up – sorry, but we’ll need to do this another day – blah, blah, blah! We’ve all been there, dealing with disappointment that first extinguishes the joy of anticipation, before sweeping on to become resentment and eventually transforms into anger. Now, I am only slightly surprised when this disappointment fails to come!

I smile at myself in the mirror, grab my coat and step out the door. A short walk to the mall down the road and I’m in the coffee shop with the smiling waiter. I do the Sudoku, as I wait for my sandwich and smoothie. I feel beautiful, secure and confident and I love how I feel. I’m already anticipating the new Ann Rule that sits on my bedside table waiting to be read. Maybe, I’ll catch tonight’s episode of the irreverent (but empathy-inducing!) Sex and the City. On my way out, I buy a hot chocolate fudge to go…

This is the real reward of growing older – how we unabashedly love ourselves. While we could all do with fewer lines on our faces, we would not change our confident selves for the angst-ridden young women we once used to be. We might be a little envious of the unlined thirties or wistful before the smooth-faced twenties, but we can glory in our precious beings! As the silver begins to creep into our hair, let us be sure to see the silver lining!