Life Comes At You Fast.

You know those insurance commercials that show as aspect of life just starting out and then suddenly everything is fast-forwarded to something, well, expected just not expected so soon? I especially like the one where the hunky, buff fella wearing only a speedo jumps into the pool at the far end but by the time he swims across and climbs out of the pool on the other he’s a frumpy, beer-bellied, grandpa-type still wearing just the speedo.

Now who really needs to see that?

Life came at me fast the summer after 6th grade when I gracefully and majestically entered into the standard “awkward phase” that strikes almost everyone around those preteen years. Here, let me show you:

Me, the summer between sixth and seventh grade:
Then, suddenly, BAM!! Seventh grade school pictures:
What the H-E-double hockey sticks happened here? Notice how the dress is the only recognizable similarity? Yeah, life came at me pretty fast back then but I think it’s safe to say it also beat me pretty severely with the You-Ain’t-Got-No-Alibi stick as well.

These days, I find that I’m no longer just jumping into the pool but, thankfully, I'm not getting out the other side either. I am somewhere in the middle still swimming along but, admittedly, the strokes are getting harder and I’m buoyant in some areas a little more than in others. And not the good areas either.

I chose not to have kids until, what I would consider, “the last minute” though many have started their families well after the age I did. I can tell you in complete honesty that I showed NOT ONE sign of aging until after the birth of my first child. Now suddenly, I’m coloring my hair for more than just the fun of it, buying my bras based solely on their level of comfort, finding 10 p.m. to be past my bedtime and considering the possibility that maybe, just maybe, skunk urine really does have anti-wrinkle properties.

Don’t laugh. If skunk urine proved to make Lindsay Wagner look like Lindsay Lohan, you’d be all over it.

Life is coming at me fast again. And not only does the joy of parenthood seem to make the aging process speedier and more apparent but the little kiddos are literally walking, talking, pooping little time tables running circles around me while I desperately try to figure out how to unlock the fast forward button.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. ~ Proverbs 31:30

I take solace in this verse. All things in this world are temporary, even my once taught skin and naturally colored hair but a loving relationship with God is everlasting and is what is appreciated most by Him. In that, there is always beauty. And for that, I thank the Lord.

I also thank the Lord for the wisdom to remove the mirror in my bathroom that gave me the clear shot of my rear view as I exited the room. No one really needs to see that either.

At least I'm still swimming!