A few years back I received a phone call from a lady enquiring about homeopathic treatment. She asked me if homeopathy could help her reduce her wrinkles and make her look younger.
I politely said that I DO NOT have a treatment for that, but instead I could help her not care if she had wrinkles or not!
I never heard back from her. She just wanted to LOOK younger.
I recently had a rant on my instagram page about a face oil that I have been using for many years as part of my skin care routine. As I picked up the bottle one morning I realised that it was labelled as
"ANTI- ageing facial serum". I thought to myself, but why ANTI-ageing??
What is wrong with ageing that we need to change? Why do we have to ANTI, antagonise ageing?
I love using my oils in the morning, they make my skin feel deeply nourished. Did I buy them though with the promise that they will give me back my youth? Of course not!
Do people think that this miracle oil can actually bring them back their plump ,youthful skin?
Actually, they are made to think so. Or, they hope so.
I have recently watched a show on Disney+ called Limitless with Chris Hemwsorth. In this series, the actor goes through extreme challenges to tame the ageing process and live a longer, healthier life. Chris Hemsworth plunges into freezing Arctic waters, dangles a thousand feet over a canyon while climbing a 100ft rope, fasts for four days, all in the pursuit to reverse ageing and live longer and healthier.
As I was mesmerised by the physical and mental strength of the actor and the people who trained/coached him, I kept on wondering: Why do we put ourselves through all that?
Why are we so afraid to age, to get older and eventually die?
Why even in our everyday lives, we are SO obsessed with retaining our youth, we go in such lengths to stretch, chop, pump our bodies with shit, mutilate even, change the way we look, try to fit into an image, a made up one. Eventually, we end up so detached from our true selves ,we don't even know who we are anymore.
All this in the name of looking younger, better, to present ourselves to the world somehow different from who we really are. Is it possible and does it make sense? Why do we not accept the natural processes of life and embrace ourselves exactly the way we are, today?
Why is youth widely celebrated whereas ageing is considered a curse?
If you look into the cosmetics industry, is all about looking younger, looking more or this or that, looking different than we actually do. The message is "you are not good enough exactly as you are, so you should look different. You should go in great lengths, go through pain and anguish, you should spend money you don't have, to fit in so and so image. So, buy this miracle potion to smell the aroma of youth and perfection again."
What a deceit!
What is wrong with getting older?
There is so much wisdom, power, love that comes with growing old.
I LOVE getting older.
I get to wake up everyday and live for yet another day; get to drink strong coffee, torture myself in the gym which I love, feel sad, grieve, cry, hug my family, fight with my teenage kids, have a rant with my friends, share gorgeous food, pick up a fight with my husband and make up again, have a belly laugh until I wet myself, have a stiff drink with my homeopathic family and share stories, sleep, dream, love, LIVE!
Yet, another day.
I get to do that with all my wrinkles, that are getting deeper, with all the fat that is pilling up on my tummy and other places, with all the skin that is hanging loosely unable to defy gravity anymore, with all the grey in my head and all it's glory. Yes, that is all me, and there is nothing wrong with it, nothing I need to change, nothing I need to do to fit in someone else's image. There is nothing wrong with you either, nothing you need to change.
Youth was truly wonderful, but so is getting older, with everything that it entails.
Do I want to age gracefully? Of course I do!
Accepting the fact that I am getting older doesn't mean I give up looking after my wonderful self! Nor should you! Have you considered that looking HEALTHIER makes you look so much younger?
That is why I bust my ass at the crossfit gym everyday leaving pieces of me on the floor, I eat wholesome real food, that deeply nourishes my body, I make sure I rest and recover properly, I see my homeopath often, and I surround my self with a community of like minded people and friends, that accept me exactly as I am and encourage me to be the best possible version of myself, today. Food for the body, food for the mind and food for the soul.
Getting older should be celebrated everyday, any day, it is not a curse, it's a blessing.
Our elders have stories and wisdom to share that should be valued honoured and cherished. I love being around older people, I have so much love and respect for them.
There is nothing wrong with ageing my friends, nothing to resist there, nothing to change. No beast to be tamed, all is good.
On the last and most powerful episode of Limitless, Chis Hemwsorth is made to face ageing and gets to spend some time in a care home. He is made to look and feel like 80 and has a meditation session with a death doula, to guide him through the process of death. He realised though, that as soon as his guard was down and he let go, he was able to embrace the process and the wisdom that comes with it. Welcoming ageing and eventually death, was a powerful and liberating experience. It was so emotional, to watch the process of a fellow human letting go and embracing the natural cycle of life and eventually the inevitable, it brought tears to my eyes.
So, If you are interested in getting rid of your wrinkles or any shaggy skin, I am afraid I won't be able to help you.
In my homeopathic practice there are no magic potions to reverse the ageing process, or stop time. There are many powerful tools though, to help each other walk through the path of life gracefully, as our strongest, most beautiful, healthier selves. I am humbled and honoured that I get to walk this path with you, everyday.
Blessings,
