Finding my happy face

“When I turned 60, I was reluctantly resigned to the fact that achy joints and graying hair are part of aging, but I refused to accept the deep wrinkles that had sprouted up around my eyes. They made me feel self-conscious and downright ancient.

“Then one afternoon while I was browsing expensive eye creams at the makeup counter, I overheard an elderly woman talking to her young granddaughter. ‘Why do you have so many lines on your face, Nana?’ the girl asked innocently. ‘Each line represents a smile Nana has had in her life,’ the woman replied. ‘Ooh! I want happy lines too!’ the little girl begged as they walked away.

“Stunned, I looked in the mirror on the counter and smiled, my ‘happy lines’ deepening.

For the first time, I saw them clearly, as little reminders of all my moments of joy. Nothing could be more beautiful, I realized with a smile.”