The Camel with the Wrinkled Knees

I have fond memories of Raggedy Ann books when I was growing up.  Her sweet heart always helped them find their right path and made a difference in the lives of those around her.  I wanted to be like her. Then I moved on to Nancy Drew and wanted to be her too.  (Now you know where two of my personalities come from... LOL!)

Anywho...one of the books was called Raggedy Ann and the Camel with the Wrinkled Knees. I have not thought of that book in more years than I care to count, but it is strangely appropriate at this point in my life.

I have always thought it was a good thing to be "comfortable in your own skin" and have struggled with various identity crises (lots of crisises!) through my life.  It is my skin, the only one I'll ever have, so I darn well better get used to having it, eh? I had actually, almost, finally reached that point of self-acceptance when I discovered something quite unexpected, disheartening and yet hilariously "there":

I have wrinkled knees!

I am not sure when this knee-tastrophe happened but obviously I was so busy this last semester at school that I just flat missed the signs of those impending wrinkles! I have heard of many a wrinkle-woe in my time and always thought that people were really making a big deal out of nothing, but now a more personal knowledge of time racing by at a snail's corvette pace is weighing heavily upon me ... and on my knees as well.

I am surely not the first person to ever "wake up" and discover an "overnight" change in their body, but seriously!!  This is just too funny.

OK, so it's not that funny because then I noticed a few dimples in here-to-fore smooth places and some laugh wrinkles that stay laughing long after I've stopped.  I used to wonder how so many women could just wake up one day, look in the mirror and wonder, "Who the hell is that old woman looking back at me?"

How could you not notice changes to yourself??  Don't you get dressed every morning and put makeup on in front of a mirror?  Yes .... but, as I've so recently discovered, that's why God gives us slowly fading eyesight so that we can still face ourselves in the mirror, say, "I'm good" and go out to face the world with a smile on our face.  Now if we can just avoid all mirrors for the rest of the day, until the next morning...we are good to go!

Seriously, I make myself "up" each morning:  Up to the task.  Up for each moment. Up for the duration. Up to the challenge. Up to caring.

Those are the things that really get me through the day! ...and avoiding mirrors is always on that agenda as well as I let my smile and heart show who I really am.