Recently, I was on a family vacation that had me out in nature. I enjoyed simple country life around farm animals and trips to the beach nearby. It was liberating to be myself and enjoy some laid-back days, too. Also, being barefaced in midlife is worth it.
I remember living in the country before, and I missed it. Thankfully, my adult sons did as well, and we all piled up in the car and took the trip. Country life has a way of settling your unresolved thoughts.
Everyone deserves that feeling. I’m the type of person who likes to wear makeup because it makes me feel pretty and energetic.I don’t do it for vanity’s sake but to feel my best.
On this trip, I was enjoying the outdoors and admiring the beautiful brown horse out on the green pasture. The owner’s son-in-law was tending to the horse, so I greeted him.
Normally, I would never dream of starting a conversation without being made up and presentable. Instead, here I was bare-faced and natural on an early summer morning. You know what? It felt great!
Barefaced is okay too
What I learned was that it was okay to be myself. No one was judging me for not wearing makeup or anything else. When I was younger, I didn’t want my ex-husband to see me without it when I first started dating him, as a teen.
I wonder why I was so hard on myself back then. I outgrew that, of course, as the years passed.
As I kept talking to the owner’s son-in-law, I learned about his wife and family. I was not worried about how I looked because I was engaged in the conversation.
However, I did ask him not to mind me not being ready for the day. That was a bit of my former self trying to be perfect. At least, I can say I am a work in progress as I shed some layers.
That is what matters most. I was happy that I was comfortable engaging in small talk without pressure to be more.
Now I look back at who I used to be as a teen girl. What would I say to her now? I would tell her that she is beautiful regardless of looks, being dolled up, or anything of that nature.
I will always love to wear makeup and enhance what God blessed me with, but for now, I’ll embrace this midlife journey a bit more than I used to, that’s for sure.
If there is one thing that midlife has taught me is that I get to be myself. What society deems as beautiful doesn’t have to be my definition of beauty.
My unique beauty starts from within me. When I am kind, honest, and loving, my personality alone will outshine anything that lip gloss ever could.
However, both versions are still me and a little sparkle never hurt either…