Patina
I know I’m rough around the edges, what with age and wear and rust,
But I like the character antiquity imparts; it must
Seem strange to you who have such beauty, youth and grace, you smooth of skin,
Bright of eyes and freshly laundered whippersnappers–my sole sin,
If sin I have, is being ancient and well-lived and storied; still,
I think your sympathies will shift as you get older. And you will.
If you don’t, rough luck, poor suckers, and I pity you the trust
You had in your youth and beauty, come the day you too will rust.
Better to have aged and crumbled, to have faltered, dim and grey,
Than to croak and to have tumbled. ‘Old’ beats ‘finished’, I would say.
Art-Colored Glasses 
Absolutely. And, “yes”. You could even add in a “You betcha, sister!”
My view is quite simple. I’ve earned every single dent and ding, every wrinkle and gray hair. There are memories in them thar imperfections. I’d rather enjoy the memories than erase them with science. š
Best of all is that I learn to like myself better with every passing year. I’ll be completely insufferable before I’m 70, no doubt! š
Maybe it explains why I’m so attached to the rusty, crusty bits and bobs…
I *still* look better than them š
Great thoughts, m’dear!
Honestly, my ‘character’ parts are among my favorite features nowadays (with a few small but stellar exceptions–Hot Flashes, this means *YOU*). I do think I’m improving as I go along.
Hi, Kathryn. Yes, the rust and dents and all the rest of it are better than the alternative! What a wonderful creative expression of aging in words and pictures!
I believe we get more Interesting as we get more rust and dents. Less generic, more storied!