Let Your Light Shine- Beauty at 40

You Light Up My Life: The BFF is the poster-child for inner and outer beauty.

Her character shows on her face and plays an integral part of her charms.

 People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only
if there is a light within.
                                                                                     -Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

 Beauty is not in the face;
beauty is a light in the heart.    
                                                                                   -Kahlil Gibran 

Beauty at Forty. My BFF is going to kill me. I am posting pictures of her without a stitch of make-up, lack of sleep and a really, really bad week. She is unapologetic in her vanity, and is in our circle, considered a great beauty. Has been for a few decades. She is now 40.  When we met, she was 19, had a fake I.D., a wild streak, and looked like America's Sweetheart- only with a  tattoo, a couple pairs of doc martens and a penchant for bad boys. Ah, good times. We became fast friends the moment our matching cowboy boots met in 1988, and she's been a good friend ever since. The BEST.  

She's always been a looker, losing her baby fat sweetness at 20, and grew into a svelte action figure. She has worked out religiously for a couple of decades now, swears by Pilates, and is proud of her body. She dresses to the 9's anytime she pleases. She's a fantastic dresser! Although my favorite looks of her are when she is wearing sweats, has bed-head, and a naked face.  

Beauty is character. She has never confused herself with her glamour-side. Oh sure, the BFF enjoys dolling up, and feeling beautiful, but has never been too attached to it. The BFF is not the type to run into the bathroom to throw on some make-up if there's unexpected company. A T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops do in a pinch. And when she shows up all plain-jane and still stops traffic, well, you just gotta love her. Doesn't hurt that she's smart as a whip,  down-to-earth, funny and a fiercely faithful friend. It all adds to her glorious-ness.

She is a beautiful Four-Oh. She recently celebrated her fortieth birthday, but like most of us at 38, she had worried. She fretted that she was going to lose her looks, succumb to a crow's feet stampede, become a frump, and turn invisible. But, by her 40th birthday, her worry dissolved into indifference. Maybe it's because she really likes herself, is comfortable in her own skin, still looks hella hot, and loves her life. And, at 40, this woman is a paradigm of beauty.

Beauty is As Beauty Does. I guess I should be showing you pictures of my girl all dolled up, 'cuz she is a stunner. In fact you can see a few I posted here, here, here, and here. But I want to show her in her natural glory, where her personality outshines any lipstick. Here she is being beautiful on just 4 hours of sleep, is a bit undone without a whisper of a cosmetic, and had just endured one of the shittiest weeks of her life. Looking chock-full of character and beauty. 

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.                                                         

And that, my friends is the beauty of a woman with character.

(photo credit: Bella Q)