Karla’s Korner: Wrinkles

Wrinkles…

Mark Twain wrote “Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been”. With my 48th birthday on the horizon I have upped my skincare regimen a bit more lately. Perusing the skincare section of the local mega pharmacy I struggled to make a choice. As a teenager I remember using Ivory soap to wash my face. At 16 there was no need for moisturizers, buffers, polishers and who knew what the heck SPF was. Flash forward to my thirties and now forties and you will find me paying close attention to those little (and getting bigger) wrinkles that have managed to take up residence in places I’d rather they not be. The Ivory soap is gone and in its place is a wide variety of creams, lotions and potions that claim to cover up, hide, fill in and diminish the wrinkles. Do they work? I like to think they do.

Standing over the ironing board recently finding it quite therapeutic to watch the steam of the hot iron cause the wrinkles to disappear leaving behind a smooth, well pressed garment I reflected on the wrinkles that take up residence in our souls. Life sometimes gets in the way of the goodness that is within us allowing our soul, our spirit to become wrinkled, out of shape and in need of ironing. General Douglas MacArthur once said “Aging wrinkles the body, quitting wrinkles the soul.” MacArthur, I think is professing the need for perseverance, pushing through the tough stuff life throws at us which will in turn nurture or feed our soul, our inner spirit that if left alone will shrivel up and leave us unfulfilled, sad and unable to reach our full potential; to live a soul filled life of purpose and positivity.

Knowing that life can often seem less than purposeful, positive or soul filled we must make a conscious decision to choose those things every day. Waking each morning claiming victory over the tough stuff is much like using the steam iron to get rid of the wrinkles in our clothes. Think about it each morning we pull a clean pressed shirt from the closet get dressed and head off to work. When we return home in the evening the shirt is no longer pristine and wrinkle free; in fact it is quite the opposite. From the friction of sitting in a chair, driving in the car, being covered by a coat or jacket the shirt is in need of laundering and re-pressing in order for it to be returned to its wrinkle free state again.

Much like the shirt our souls can become wrinkled under the weight of work, family, friends, and social obligations; life pressures. In order to iron out the wrinkles in our souls we must make a conscious decision every day to choose positivity, making joy and happiness a priority even in the midst of struggle. Waiting for joy and happiness to show up will cause you to wait a very long time. Choosing joy in the midst of struggle will allow us to work through the struggles a bit easier. Choosing happiness in spite of the messiness of life around us will make life sweeter. Does this mean that just by choosing the positive approach that nothing bad will ever happen again? Nope. Does this mean that just by choosing joy our souls will be filled with eternal joy and peace? Absolutely not. What it does mean, however is that by making a conscious decision to choose those things in spite of what we know will be difficult times we are claiming that the tough stuff will not win, it will not wrinkle our souls permanently and that the positive attitude will act much like the steam iron to the shirt. Feeding our soul positive energy irons out the wrinkles of the day and prepares us to face the next bout of tough stuff.

Life is happening right now. There is no guarantee of a tomorrow we only have the moment we are in. I encourage you to choose your joy; choose to nurture your soul filling it with the good stuff that I believe our Creator intended for us to enjoy. Pushing through the tough stuff when it comes knowing that in the midst of the struggle our strength comes from within, from those positive choices that iron out the wrinkles in our souls. Remember that there is no dress rehearsal for life, the camera is rolling full speed and is up to each of us to build our own happiness. You are the writer, director and actor in you’re the screenplay of your life; the star of the show.

James A. Garfield, the 20th President of the United States wrote “If wrinkles must be written on our brows, let them not be written upon the heart. The spirit should never grow old.” Feed your soul. Excite and be excited. Dare to be the person you were created to be…the star of your life.

Peace,
Karla

I think we all need a touch point a place we can go to be inspired. Karla is my children’s teacher, a good friend, and a person with a heart of gold. I hope that her words will inspire you to do more. We are only as good as the people we surround ourselves with. It is important to listen with your heart and proceed with your eyes open. Enjoy!

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