Longevity Inspirations

I volunteered at a seniors home and I'll never forget this one lady, whom I connected with immediately. At one point, she took my hand and whispered in my ear "I am dying, you know." She didn't seem that old, but I could feel some of her reluctance to this acknowledgement. I proceeded to sit there with her, holding her hand until it was time to leave. I wasn't sure what else I could say to her, so I just sat with her in fellowship over this difficult and sometimes confusing fact of life.

On another occasion, while I was volunteering for an age-friendly cities event, I passed a lady in the hall that I also immediately connected with. She was 95 and had the clearest sharpest eyes. She was so pretty and had this GLOW IMPACT you could just feel radiating from her skin. She was doing her thing and held herself in confidence and grace. I wanted to be her friend. She seemed really cool!

People approach the concept of ageing from various perspectives - fear and loathing, acceptance and grace and everything in between. The same can be said when it comes to beauty and ageing. Many women no longer invest in themselves - in their individuality or expression. They give up, basically. They give in to a negative ageing mindset that says "why bother, I am old" or they feel as if they don't matter anymore.

This couldn't be further from the truth.

It does matter!!!

Think about all of the women growing up looking for role models and learning about the world around them. About beauty and wisdom and intelligence. What do they see?

How we process this concept of ageing is a communal experience - what the media shows and what we learn from our families and friends, as well as societal observations, all influence how we come to our own conclusions about ageing and how to feel about it.

I'll never forget my granny. She always had her hair and nails done and dressed to impress - even in the seniors home at the very end of her life, when she died at 92. My Oma is the same - always gets her hair done and looks fabulous - at 95! This has nothing to do with wealth or status, I'm talking about true acceptance of who you are at any age and the confidence to believe that you still matter and you still have value.

Gloeiende was created to honor a sense of strength, beauty and grace in the ageing process. To look and feel your best at any age, because the world is watching and there are still a lot of misconceptions floating around about youth and beauty that are keeping us stuck from realizing our potential for GLOW IMPACT at any age.

Me with my Oma (right) and her sister - Longevity Inspirations