The woman in the mirror

Some mornings I wake up, look in the mirror and find a beautiful, self-possessed 40 year old woman looking back at me. Her grey hair is not a distraction from her face, but adds to its mature beauty. Her eyes are bright and open. Her cheeks rosy and her lips full and pink. Her face is gracefully rounded, but pleasant in its aspect.

And then there is most days...

Most days I slump into the bathroom click on the light and squint away the last vestiges of the sleep that wasn't quite enough to start my day. I look in the mirror and I see a haggard middle aged woman, whose grey hair blends in with her grey complexion. Her eyes are ringed with bags under the rings under the circles under her eyes. Jowls hang from the jawline of her puffy face.

What makes the difference? It's the same woman. I used to think it was a lack of sleep, but I have had nights when I have been out late having fun only to get up the next morning to the "beautiful one".

Maybe it is attitude. Maybe it is feeling loved and lovable. Maybe it is feeling comfortable with who I am, where I have been and where I am going that makes me look bright and beautiful. Maybe its the dull day-to-day grind that makes me look like I've been drug through a knothole backwards.

I just think it's interesting. All the same features are there, but somehow, they look different to me.

Photo: Old Woman/Young Woman Optical Illusion.