The Woman in the Mirror.
Who is she?
Sometimes she finds it hard to recognize the image
reflecting back at her.
She now has more age spots
than sun-kissed tan.
Her eyelids sag to make her look like she is squinting,
especially when she smiles big and laughs hard.
The “round” face she has always had is even fuller,
because she loves food and wine too much.
The lines around her mouth sag like the heavy parentheses
of a ventriloquist’s doll.
Her legs are truly not meant for public display,
and her boat-sized feet just don’t fit in those cute shoes anymore.
Her post-menopausal midsection
can no longer be “sucked” in.
She still tries though…
She puts on make-up
and dyes her hair.
She tries self-tanning lotions
and moisturizing hair products.
She tries to find clothes that suit her age
and full figure.
But there’s no hiding
behind the signs of 55.
She wishes she was as “fat” and “ugly”
as she thought she was when she was 15…
or 25 or 35
or even 45.
And even though that image in the mirror
is not who she feels like inside…
She actually likes herself more
than when she was 15 or 25 or 35 or 45.
She has stronger opinions,
and she is not ashamed to express her own thoughts.
She takes time for herself
and doesn’t feel bad about it.
She supports things
that are important to her.
She believes women who reveal
they have been assaulted,
because she has been
victim to that herself.
She loves her family with a fervor
she never knew possible.
And she loves herself
(something she has to work at every day).
She is a wife and mother
and grandmother.
She is a business woman
and an artist.
She is a woman living in these times,
and she is glad for that.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Just beautiful Jodi – you and your post!!
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Thank you Debbie! Working on self love ❤️. Some days easier than others.
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You are, and always will be beautiful inside and out. I too, love myself more at almost 65 than I did in decades past.
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Yay for you Reeni! I feel the same about you. So glad our lives have intertwined. Love you. Xo
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Absolutely beautiful, Jodi.
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Thank you Pam. You inspire me!! 💛
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Horay for Jodi ! Keep going girl….You are doing the right and meaningful things in life and are making a positive impact upon others. By the way you look fabulous at 55 years young!
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Thank you Gary! Trying hard to be a good person 💛
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AMAZING Jodi! I always love your words so much. You really made me smile…and think…and cherish. Thank you for this…always.
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Thank you so much tami! I sure appreciate you!!
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Oh, Jodi~ this post really spoke to me as I’m in the exact same place as you are! Same age, same feelings about my appearance, same feelings about my life now and who I am. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and your heart. I so appreciate you!! 🙂 ❤ Sharon
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I’m so glad it resonates with beautiful you Sharon! We must keep trying to love ourselves and make a positive impact on the world. Some days are easier than others. Right? I imagine some days are hard for you to get through. I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult it is to lose a child. But you do your daughter proud and carry on and make a positive impact for women in our world. And you create such beauty. Xo
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That means so much, Jodi~ thank you for who you are and how you reach hearts. ❤ XO
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YES YES YES!!!!! She is!!!!! I recognize her!!!!!! ❤
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❤️
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Jodi, this is powerful and beautiful! It’s just how I feel while in post menopausal days…and I am finding myself and learning to love myself.
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Yay for you Mary! Keep on being beautiful you! You bring love and beauty to the world through your heart and actions and words.
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Awe, thanks Jodi! You’re so sweet and I love your posts! They make my day!💕
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❤
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❤️❤️❤️
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I’m so happy to see you this morning, Jodi. What you wrote certainly rings true for me, as
well. Life is good.
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I’m so happy how you are moving on and carrying on and bringing such love and beauty to the world and to those who know you Sharon. Your hubby would be so proud. You are a beautiful role model for women. You inspire me always. 💛
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Thank you Jodi, I love what you have written. I’m very happy and so grateful we can inspire each other!
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❤
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Love it. And you’re adorable.
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Thank you Mimi! You inspire me so often. You are A wonderful beautiful woman!
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Thank you Jodi!
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JODI…..LOOKS LIKE YOU LOST 7.5 LBS….PERHAPS I’M LOOKING TOO CLOSE…..
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Haha. Optical illusion. Likely have gained that much. But oh well. Loving life too much. Miss you and love you!! 💛
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What a wonderful affirmation for us all Jodi. Your words are like my mirror too. (K)
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Kerfe you inspire me so often with your art and words. Your presence in my life through what you share influences me so positively. Thanks for being wonderful beautiful you!!
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And the same back to you. I’m glad WordPress brought you into my life!
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❤❤
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Back at you beautiful friend! ❤️❤️
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You are a beautiful, awesome woman, Jodi! I am so happy we are friends!❤️💕🌺😘
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I am so happy we are too sweet lady!! 💛
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😘
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The age change is something else, Jodi, that leaves us floundering. Just keep on focusing on those things that have not changed in your life. FYI … you are beautiful! Don’t look at the negatives …. look at the positives. This is what I tell myself yet …. yeah yeah. Right. LOL
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We have to work on the positive affirmations daily huh? Some days are easier than others. Thanks for your positive influence beautiful lady.
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Yep, some days easier then others. 😘
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Your a beautiful and talented woman Jodi. And two years younger than I. Hugs! ❤️
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Thank you John. I appreciate your kind words.
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❤️😌
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I love the way you embrace life Jodi, beautiful!
Jenna
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Thank you Jenna! Some days are easier than
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Oops. Some days are easier than others but life has so much to offer and experience and I am so glad for the opportunities I get and the people I have in my life. Thank you for your friendship and inspiration beautiful lady! 💛
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right back attcha Jodi 🙂
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None of us can stop the aging process but we can certainly do our best to make sure it’s an enjoyable, exciting, rewarding and fun ride… !
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Exactly! Love it Evelyn!
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The most beautiful, the most honest, the most self-appreciative poem I have read so far in your gallery of poems and photos, Jodi!
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Thank you Peter! You are such a kind person.
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And she’s truly a beautiful soul! Great post, Jodi. Hope you had a great weekend. ♥️
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Thank you so very much beautiful lady!
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Oh Jodi, this is so wonderful, and I can relate to all of it, even if I am still a little younger – but we all walk in at least similar shoes. I´d LOVE to sit at your table and to eat your wonderful dishes and drink a glass of wine with you and laugh about those silly wrinkles and spots. I believe all those women too, because here we probably all walk in the same shoes too. You look absolutely sweet and gorgeous, my friend! ❤️
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Oh sweet beautiful Ann! Thank you so much. I can feel your heart and soul. 💛
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Wonderful sentiments! 🤗
—
http://www.areweadultsyet.com
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Thank you ☺️
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Ah yes, a beautiful reflection on the miracle and wonders of life. Experience and knowledge are earned with age……..and we are both fortunate to be able to enjoy the ride! Live Long and Prosper Jodi………….oh yeah…..that is exactly what you are doing!!!
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Aww. Thanks CJ! I’m working on it. A day at a time. ☺️
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I think you are so beautiful inside and out, my friend! 💙 I so understand what you are saying about your reflection in the mirror… I am always a little surprised when I see a photo of myself and how much I’ve aged and grown a little bigger around the middle… sigh! ☺️ I too love good food and wine! 🍷 I love seeing YOU because I don’t see the age spots and wrinkles, I see JODI who I think is really SPECTACULAR!! ❤️
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What a heartfelt, honest and beautiful self analysis. Just like you Jodi. Inspiring ❤️
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One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Ephesians 2:10 – For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.
That word…workmanship…means masterpiece or poem…isn’t that beautiful?
And the way God designed you, my friend, and the way you use your gifts, brings encouragement and inspiration to many.
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that is beautiful Kathy! I have read that – quite a while ago . Thank you for the reminder ❤
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Beauty is not in the looks, it is in the heart, and your heart is overflowing.
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Not sure the world sees it that way, but that’s the beauty of growing older and learning that ❤
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I really LOVE this Jodi.
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Thank you Sylvia! Working on accepting that woman in the mirror is a daily task. The outside anyway 🙂
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Well said Jodi! YOU are beautiful both inside and out! The stranger in the mirror oft times does not match what is seen in the mind’s eye. When you have seen another 15 years added to the woman in the mirror, you might also be saying : Her skin is now crepey and her neck is squishy. Her vision is not as sharp and her hearing is fading. Her fingers are arthritic and her knees are worn out. But…She remains loving and loved, by others and herself. “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” – Mark Twain. Thank-you!
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Oh Ellen! YES! Thank you for your message and visit! I know you get it. I’m still trying to get it! LOL! I am trying every day to love myself and accept myself. The inside is so much easier than the outside 🙂 ❤
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There are so many special parts to you Jodi!
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Oh Lynn – there are many parts – that is for sure! LOL! 🙂
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Lol ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
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The best part of aging is learning to accept ourselves, and learning to be brave enough to share our true selves with others. Your photo is beautiful and you are beautiful in every possible way. Sharing this is a gift, because so many of us can relate to it. Thank you!
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Oh Ann! I am trying so hard to just say thank you to people who say I am “beautiful”…. I really wasn’t fishing for that, and I really struggle “seeing” the image of myself… YET – I really like the person I am becoming on the inside. And part of that has to be accepting the me I am on the outside. Am I making sense? LOL! I am trying to be brave and dare myself to be me. Thank you for being so kind!
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It makes perfect sense! It is so hard for most of us to accept a compliment, especially about our looks. And yet you are beautiful…on the outside and the inside, and people wouldn’t tell you that if they didn’t mean it. It’s obvious that you weren’t fishing for it. You were being brave and vulnerable about how you are feeling now, and that struck a chord with so many of us, and we are grateful. So…just accept the compliments! They are sincere and heartfelt!!
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You look beautiful! No, you ARE beautiful – inside and out.
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Oh marguerite! Thank you beautiful lady!!!
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And that is just the tip of the iceberg. You are loved by strangers, friends & family. You are diciplined & organized & even your chef skills are as beautiful as they are tasty. You invoke all the senses & in everything you say, photograph, or do. You love life, and nature, & rusty old objects, people of all shapes, sizes and sexual persuasions. Going to Greece or Egypt or Scotland maybe on your bucket list, but a day with your grandkids, make all that secondary. You are a rolemodel, faithful friend, and genuine. You are imperfect in the most perfect way! And you’ll look back at the woman in the mirror at 65 or 75 and say wasn’t she beautiful. As we look at you that way. Put on a beautiful colored caftan, & have a glass of wine & snuggle up to that wonderful hubby & let go of all those things that don’t really matter. In the end you will be remembered for that great smile & your laugh, not the wrinkles it created. And no one will say I loved her Marilyn Monroe or Twiggy body, but they will remember the caring feeling of love felt by those cuddling & hugs from those body embraces. Beautiful words in your poem & sentiment truly captures what we all think of ourselves, it nice to have words for them.
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Dena… I am beyond words and so full of emotion reading this. I feel so unworthy of your kindness and praise and love. I want to thank you and I want to say no no no you don’t know imperfect me. I don’t deserve your words. Why is it so hard to simply accept beautiful compliments?! I am trying. Really trying. To accept and feel affirmed and loved. I am beyond gratitude for your amazing and beautiful affirmation Dena! What a beautiful woman you are! And I have no idea what you “look” like! So when I think that way – about you -I get it!! Thank you Dena! Hugs and love!!
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Jodi you are beautiful and I’m happy you’re more confident as you age. It’s good to know. Slowly I’m learning that. I had to laugh, because at almost any age we wish we were as fat as we once thought we were. I always think I wish I was as fat as I thought I was in university, or when I was 25 or 26 even. But, as you say there are trade offs & better things ahead, even though we miss the past. You’re gorgeous and you have a very luck pay husband and grandkids with grandma’s genes. Cheers.
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Why are we women so hard on ourselves – eh? Thank you so much for your sweetness and kindness – and YOU are BEAUTIFUL!!
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Thank you Jodi. 🙏
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I’ve never seen anything but inner beauty with you, Jodi. My guess is that’s all what those who really love you see. What else really matters..:)
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That is so kind of you, George. I see the same in you! 🙂
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Amen!! The woman in the mirror is wonderful! 🙂
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Thank you beautiful lady!!
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I love this. You are so beautiful. I love that blouse. And thank you for your vulnerability and honesty, too. I often have these same feelings. I see myself in the mirror and look different to myself, but I like myself so much better now at my current age, too. I am so proud of my wisdom and confidence. Awesome job being you.
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Thanks so much Shelly! I think many of us can relate eh? You are beautiful!!!
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So kind, Friend! Yay! I think so, too. You are beautiful, I am beautiful! There’s so much beauty all around us.
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YES!!! ❤
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