Laugh Lines

I just finished reading an article about wrinkles in a women's fitness magazine. Here's the facts according to the mag:

Repetitive movement of the skin by underlying muscles- frowning, smiling, furrowing your brow - causes wrinkles. So does cumulative exposure to sunlight.

OK, like this is nothing we don't know? I didn't have to buy a magazine to find this out. I've known these facts ever since I was little. You remember what your mother used to say? " IF YOU KEEP FROWNING, YOUR FACE JUST MIGHT STAY THAT WAY PERMANENTLY."

When I was in my early 20's, a very good friend of mine who was at least 15 years older than me overheard me telling someone that I had discovered a tiny wrinkle on either side of my face... right next to my eyes. DAMN. I was WAY too young to be getting wrinkles! But he sat me down, stuck a beer in my hand and proceeded to explain to me that those were LAUGH LINES... and the more you get, the more you've earned them!

I can accept that! I TRY not to frown. But try as I might, every year I see more and more evidence of my psyche etched on my face. I wear my moods like a blueprint of my past... right there over my nose and between my eyes!

I can honestly say that I've NEVER been into sunbathing. Even when I was a teenager, the idea of trying to brown my skin like a slowly roasting marshmallow never held much appeal. I was more comfortable wrapped up in clothes, sporting my big hat and sunglasses like a diva in training. So I don't have to look forward to looking like some of the overly wrinkled, leather-skinned seniors that live in Florida & California. (Very attractive, huh?)

But as I start to think about my birthday, which is coming up next month, I guess I can feel good that even though I might have a couple of laugh lines on my face, AT LEAST I EARNED THEM...

And I've tried to share them with those I love. Although I've also been accused of giving my loved ones some grey hairs after prolonged exposure to me!