I Care To Look The Best

"I care to look the best I can with the age I am."  by Stephen Dimmick

Recently I attended an event here in Portland. Meeting new people, connecting, and making new friends.  One gal referenced a song from the past followed by, "you are probably to young to remember that song."  I kindly smiled and said, "I am guessing I am older than you." To her surprise I was and am older by 3 years. 

I have spent the past  ten years living a life very different than what I thought would be my life in this season.  As Emily and Elliot jumped into the teen years, my time of mama freedoms would begin.  Little did I know that my life would be detoured in the most beautiful way.  A  new marriage, three little boys added to our family, and a handicapped child.  I adopted some  self-less ways in caring for myself.  Always, throwing on my t-shirt and biking shorts to change a diaper, nurse a baby, clean up a mess, rotate laundry, get everone out the door for our  morning walks, and so on. I took me, that girl who loved shopping at Nordstroms, a closet full of glam, and stopped.  Why?  It did not make sense to wear clothes that were going to be drooled on, spit up on, and habits of less care for myself stepped in unnoticed. 

One day, a dear friend announced that she had sent my name into the show of "What Not To Wear."  I laughed it off sincerely, because she was absolutely right. I was, and kind of still am a mess.  Yet, with this new middle-age mom body that birthed my last child at 40 I was stuck in this unattractive look. I know it was unattractive, because I would look in the mirror and shrug my shoulders. I am what I am.  

About a year ago, I saw a mom at the park with boys about the same age as mine.  As I looked at her, she reflected me in so many ways.  A "boy" mama.  Shambled clothes, messy hair and day old make up that often went with my day old coffee. It was my personal wake up call. I no longer wanted to look like that "boy" mama, but like all habits I was not even sure I knew how to dress my body that had changed from the glam hanging in my closet.  

We hear so many things like, "you are beautiful the way you are" or "it does not matter how you look".  Guess what, it does matter how we look. It's our reflection of who we are, and deep down inside we all want to not only look good, but feel good about the way we look.
I did not feel good about myself at all.  My exterior reflected my interior of how I viewed myself.  My style would be called "Dumpy Mama of Boys".  There I said it. I can say it today because that mama is long gone. 

Taking what I felt inside and rearranging some framing of my mind.  Telling myself that I wanted to be the kind of women that cares about looking the best I can with the age I am.

 "I care to look the best I can with the age I am." 

by Stephen Dimmick

www.dailydimmick.com 

Stephen Dimmick is an unlikely friend. Unlikely in that when I met him, he was living in New York City working as a makeup artist with some of the most glamorous women in entertainment.  How does a middle age NW mom meet such a gifted man?   At a time when I am struggling with how to apply make up, how to look my age, how to adopt some new standards of looking good, God sends me this angel who specializes in making up some of the most beautiful women in the world and we meet through Social Media. In this case Twitter.  Through Twitter our friendship has grown.  Now in a week I will be meeting Stephen face to face. He has taken his business to LA, much closer proximity to meet him.  With this one quote I already know he is not going to try to make 46 look 26.  However, now that I have learned some new habits in care for myself, I can say that my 46 apparently is most women in their 30's as that is what I am mistaken for, once in a while.

For four hours I will spend time with Stephen, face to face as he makes over this mama who is working out looking good is all about.  We are all designed in the image of God.  As I told Stephen during a skype conversation I am certain that Stephen has God's smile.  A brilliant soul using his gift of Make Up Artistry and passing along techniquse and skill to me.  I am so very excited and you know there will be a follow up to this post in a week.  Happy Week and Blessings to friends both near and far, Elizabeth