Gray Eyelashes and Forehead Wrinkles

Over the past few years I have become extremely conscious of the ever-changing components of my body. You know what I mean: wrinkles that weren't visible a day ago, gray hairs that appear instantaneously or extra padding in places that definitely don't need it.

Imagine my surprise when I was trying to get something out of my eye and upon peering closer into the mirror spotted a gray eyelash sprouting as if it belonged there. Well, I had dealt gracefully (if you ask me) with the few or so visible gray hairs twisting from my head, but having one coming from my eyelashes seemed intrusive, to say the least.

After several days, however, I adjusted to the notion of a gray eyelash and periodically checked to make sure it was still there. Well, honestly, I was trying to see if I was mistaken and it had vanished. (Just in case you're wondering: It's still there.) I'm also wondering whether others are far behind.

So there I am, again, peering into the mirror with a rather blank expression when I notice the forehead wrinkles – as I like to call them – or character lines, which I suppose is the more preferred name. They did not disappear when my face was relaxed. Could this be right? I asked myself as I leaned into the mirror and tried to further relax my face. With a sigh, I realized that the wrinkles, or lines, were probably there to stay despite the exfoliating and regular microdermabrasion routines that I inflict upon myself.

My 38^th birthday will be here in less than a month; I am adjusting to these unwanted changes and coming to terms with the fact that they don't necessarily define who I am. For one, I don't feel like I have wrinkles or gray hair. And I'm often surprised when I look in the mirror and catch the subtle signs of aging… I feel so young sometimes.

What has made this aging process so much easier is a message I heard in church just this past Sunday. Our bishop was out of town and one of his brothers, C. Elijah Bronner, spoke in his stead. Miraculously, the message was on aging and was based in the following books of the Bible: Exodus and Psalms.

Pastor Bronner said that the Bible, in Psalm 34:13, gives three key ingredients to living a long life:

1. Watch your mouth.
2. Do good.
3. Live peacefully.

The other key tips Pastor Bronner gave came from a study of individuals who were 100 years old or older where "they" (those who conducted the study) found five traits in people who live that long:

1. Very few are obese.
2. Most didn't smoke.
3. They handled stress better than majority.
4. Had good attitudes, good outlook on life.
5. Maintained humor.

Other things that contribute to long life are having loving relationships (not being lonely); attending church regularly (on average those individuals live eight years longer); never worrying; trusting in God; never harboring any ill will against anyone; and – my favorite, which came from a 114-year-old woman – stay active … she actually inline skates regularly.

So what if I have gray hair, wrinkles and extra padding; it's not the package it's how I live my life that matters. I'm going to try to incorporate these things into my life along with the advice of the Delany sisters (if I remember correctly one lived to be 110 and one 112. Their book is called "Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years): They exercised everyday, ate at least a clove of garlic and took a teaspoon of castor oil. You'll have to read the book to see if there was anything else…

Well, maybe I'll do everything except the castor oil! J