Friday, January 13, 2012

A Wrinkle From Time

My sister Anne and I were often mistaken for twins when we were kids.  Because of this, and the fact that everyone in her apartment complex at BYU knew I was her sister the second they laid eyes on me when I visited from Ricks, we started a tradition of staring into the mirror, cheek to cheek and comparing our faces. Seriously, every time we have been shocked at how alarmingly different we look.  Every feature is so different, we are baffled at how anyone could think we look similar.

We are only 13 months apart.  Anne used to love to laugh through the entire month in which she was actually TWO years older than me.  I was such a baby that month!  Ha!

But now the laugh's on her!  That extra year and a month has rewarded her with the beloved prize time allows us all: wrinkles.  Wrinkles before her baby sister started showing them.  Who's laughing now, huh Anne!?!  Hahahahahahahaha!

Just kidding.

I hope I didn't have to say that.  I would never laugh at the misfortunes of a sibling.  Well, that's not true.  At all.   But whatever.  The point is, in this case I did not and will not laugh at my sister.  The only reason I even noticed her wrinkles at all was because of the fact that she brought it up about three times a day.  We had a number of conversations like these:

Anne:  Look at these wrinkles on my forehead!!!  And the one on the bridge of my nose!!  Can you believe those!?!
Me:  Yes.  Yes I can.
Anne:  But you don't have any wrinkles!
Me:  Yes I do (smiling and pointing under my eyes).  See?
Anne:  Those don't count.
Me:  Well how does it happen that you're the one who gets to determine which wrinkles count and which don't?
*****
Anne:  You use different moisturizers on your face for day and night?
Me:   Uuuuum, yes.
Anne:  (Rolls eyes.)
*****
Anne:  (suspiciously) Why are you rubbing your eyes like that?
Me:  That's how I rub my eyes, Anne.
Anne:  See!!  You're totally trying to avoid wrinkles!!
*****
Anne:  I'm thinking of getting Botox.

Our sister Su is 4 years older than me (that's 3 years older than Anne, if you do the math.).  I'm not sure about her wrinkles.  Does she have any?  I think she does.  I don't really remember.  I try not to memorize people's wrinkles.  And we didn't have many wrinkle-centered conversations in the days I spent with her.

I think wrinkles are fine.  They're neat.  And mostly they're inevitable.  So who cares?  It's just your face.  And they're only skin deep.  Accept them and move along.

I've been realizing that I think I will have wrinkles above my upper lip. Does this delight me?  Not really but we age how we age.  I'm not going to try to smile less frequently to minimize those wrinkles.  (Or, actually, now that I've thought of it, I might.  I'll just claim I stopped being happy and nobody will be the wiser.  It will be my own little wrinkle-avoiding secret. Except never mind because Greg and the kids are way too funny for me to pretend to be sad through their jokes.  Forget that idea, self.)

So to Anne I say:  A lot can happen in 13 months.  By the time I'm the age Anne is now I may be far more wrinkled, even by her own standard, than she is now.  The next time I visit California and we look at our faces side by side in the mirror we may decide to go in for Botox together*.
*Not really.

9 comments:

Barbaloot said...

I think smile and laugh wrinkles are fun. It's the "concern crease" in my forehead that I'm not that crazy about. You definitely shouldn't stop smiling, but maybe I should stop worrying:)

Carlynn said...

I never felt you two looked alike but there is a similarity that says "we are sisters".

As for wrinkles, I've already got loads of them and have had them on my forehead for years. It just tells the story of my life....along with the fact that I sleep on my face. OK, maybe it is more the sleeping on the face part, but hey, what is a girl to do? If I didn't sleep on my face I couldn't sleep at all and I would look far worse than I do now if that were the case. :)

The women I look up to most in life have wrinkles. I am happy to join them.

Carolyn V said...

My sister and I never talk about wrinkles, but weight. It's funny. Everybody gains a little weight, they all get wrinkles. But still, it's a little hard. You have a great attitude about it. I need more of that. ;)

Susan said...

It's so true. All of it. And yes, I do have wrinkles. Plenty of them. Not all "laugh lines" but earned, one way or the other...

Erin said...

It is interesting to notice that every time I really look at myself in the mirror (as opposed to, you know, absentmindedly brushing my teeth while staring through myself), I notice a little change in my face. I also haven't decided if I am at peace with it, or if I just put it out of my mind and don't bother myself with thinking about it. But like Susan says, they have all been earned.

Mom of 12 said...

I'm starting to notice a few wrinkles myself. Does laughing about them help?
Sandy

Anonymous said...

Wrinkles are time's way of laughing at me.

Kazzy said...

I have one sister that I am 12 years older than. If we compared side-by-side I might just hate myself!

annie valentine said...

I thought I was totally cool with old things like wrinkles, I used to lecture my mother on having "a little less vanity."

Then I started getting wrinkles.

Now I am freaking out on a regular basis and using two moisturizers. Stupid wrinkles.