Wrinkles can be many things. Signs of aging. Indicators of a life well lived. Some view them as smile marks. Mark Twain said, “Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.”
Ultimately, wrinkles are stories. Stories of worry, pain, victory, celebration, humor. Wrinkles are the stories of our lives. We ought to display them proudly. Italian actress, Anna Magnani, said, “Please don't retouch my wrinkles. It took me so long to earn them.” It is true, wrinkles aren’t a happenstance of life, they are life.
A friend, David Hatton, writes poetry. Recently he shared his poem, “Wrinkles,” with me.
Please, never treat your wrinkles
as if they were a blight.
Like stars that shine and twinkle,
they set the soul in sight.
They’re formed in special places
as journey-marks, not scars.
God paints them on our faces
as part of who we are.
Journey-marks, not scars. And that is what they are. Each of us have traversed life on various paths. Some have been of our choosing, while others we’ve had to detour down out of necessity. Regardless they are our life.
Be proud of your life. Even the not so attractive parts. All of life God orchestrates. And if we follow his lead, the music is full and the wrinkles are beautiful.