There’s so much wisdom and joy to be shared among the readers of HNTFUYF! Now’s your chance to impart your thoughts to mutual friends interested in learning how to see themselves with compassion as we age. For inspiration, refer to last Tuesday’s post—and to get you started, here are three questions, and a response from one very creative reader. 😉
You’re going to a desert island and can bring only one beauty product. The elders on this island provide sunscreen for free. What’s in your bag?
On this island, a woman over the age of 60 is considered a sibyl. What do you want to tell the younger people who revere you about being older? (If you’re not yet 60, pretend.)
There’s a mountain like Rushmore, as yet un-etched, on this island waiting to display the faces of four people you hold as templates for aging with dedication to conscious choices and style. Who are your candidates?
Gloria Horton-Young
Aquaphor Healing Ointment. It’s not your run-of-the-mill moisturizer. It's the secret cocktail recipe: a multi-purpose ointment that protects and soothes dry skin, chapped lips, cracked hands and feet, minor cuts and burns, and many other skin calamities.
aging.is.a.medley,
time?
savor it!
your wisdom [your voice]
isn't bound by
age or title,
begin now.
friendships?
don’t!fuck!them!up!
regrets? embrace&learn from them.
inner calm? >> find it.
life? it always
has a new
CHAPTER.
laughter remains
the universal
bridge.
it’s all about
enveloping
life's myriad moments.
drink it in,
dance to it,
cherish it.
Diana Vreeland, the unparalleled empress of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, she redefined what fashion could be. Her mind was like fire, igniting a thousand sparks of imagination that consumed every inch of her being. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a force in global diplomacy, she has navigated treacherous waters with a grace few could muster. Her presence commands attention, her grit and determination impossible to resist. Edwige Feuillère, the silver screen’s siren and the theater's luminary of France. She was a symphony of contradictions, a delicate balance between vulnerability and strength, sensuality and innocence. Queen Elizabeth II, more than mere longevity, her reign was an ode to constancy amidst change. Amidst the flames of adversity, an eternal elegance resided within her gaze.
Ooh yes Diana Vreeland! Her artistic eye, sense of ravishing beauty and the dramatic, ahh. Boundless, witty, daring, such a force! 😍 I adored her aesthetic
So exhilarating to see the comments from all the HNTFUYF sibyls! Adding my own two cents to the wealth of wisdom:
1. L’Oréal Colour Riche Satin Lipstick In Wisteria Rose. Because it protects, moisturizes and adds a pretty pop of color.
2. I want to share one of the many pearls of wisdom that my wise and wonderful mother dispensed whenever she sensed that her teenage daughter was feeling anxious about not “measuring up.” She would say, “People are more fixated on what they think are their own ‘shortcomings’ and ‘flaws’ than on yours. So relax!” The older I get, the more this rings true. We may be our own worst critics but we can evolve to be our kindest and most supportive friends.
3. My four candidates (with a plus one) for the fantasy Mount Rushmore: My mom; Cicely Tyson; Georgia O’Keeffe; Jessica Tandy; and Joan Didion.
1. Le Prunier face oil because it feels like liquid gold, smells delicious and would probably relieve sunburn.
2. I don't yet qualify, but I'm answering because it's never too early: TRUST YOURSELF. Don't let anybody fool you into thinking you don't already know.
1. Any BeautyGrass product—maybe Golden High cleansing oil.
2. The secret to processing trauma is to “journalspeak” (Nicole Sachs) and cry. The secret to coming out of depression (usually caused by uncertainty, lack of control, and lack of information, all of which lead to paralysis) is to start taking action toward a goal you have control over. (For example, begin writing a book you’ll self-publish or create paintings to have a show.) The secret to happiness after 50 is connecting with others, learning new things and skills, and sitting outside and listening to birds singing. The secret to being beautiful after 50 is to love your changed face and body and work with what is.
3. Some women for Mt. Rushmore: Gloria Steinem, Maya Angelou, Eleanor Roosevelt, Michelle Obama, and the woman who founded AARP? Taylor Swift? Oprah?
Sep 7, 2023·edited Sep 7, 2023Liked by Valerie Monroe
I have to agree with Gloria: Aquaphor Healing Ointment. I live in fear of dry chapped lips. I imagine this would be an issue being deserted...
But I've given a lot of though to my Mt. Rushmore - Helen Mirren (OBVIOUSLY), Arlene Francis, Stevie Nicks, Viola Davis, Mary Oliver. (I couldn't pick just 4!)
This is such a fantastic exercise not only for the younger generation of beauties. but also for those of us over that 60 mark. It is of course not something easily answered, at least for me. I will be thinking about it for a bit, as wisdom was a slow process in most cases. Val you are quite good at these things. You have shared your wisdom each time you write HNTFUYF!! Excellent exercise lovely lady!
Ooh yes Diana Vreeland! Her artistic eye, sense of ravishing beauty and the dramatic, ahh. Boundless, witty, daring, such a force! 😍 I adored her aesthetic
So exhilarating to see the comments from all the HNTFUYF sibyls! Adding my own two cents to the wealth of wisdom:
1. L’Oréal Colour Riche Satin Lipstick In Wisteria Rose. Because it protects, moisturizes and adds a pretty pop of color.
2. I want to share one of the many pearls of wisdom that my wise and wonderful mother dispensed whenever she sensed that her teenage daughter was feeling anxious about not “measuring up.” She would say, “People are more fixated on what they think are their own ‘shortcomings’ and ‘flaws’ than on yours. So relax!” The older I get, the more this rings true. We may be our own worst critics but we can evolve to be our kindest and most supportive friends.
3. My four candidates (with a plus one) for the fantasy Mount Rushmore: My mom; Cicely Tyson; Georgia O’Keeffe; Jessica Tandy; and Joan Didion.
Okay Val I have been thinking!! 😂
1. Okay, Olay, Olay!! I have tried more expensive product, but Olay feels beautiful while it goes on and my skin the next morning feels like silk.
2. SLOW DOWN! Don’t live your life like it is on fire! If you don’t you will stop in YOUR 60s and ask where did it all!!
Take you time in matters of Finances, and go even slower in matters of the heart!
The one thing you will find as the answer to every problem is - KINDNESS! Be kind to everyone-especially to those who may not be kind in return.
3. Michelle Obama
My 2 Sisters
And VAL! you give fabulous advice!!
1. Trader Joes' Ultra Hydrating Moisturizer ($8.99, baby!)
2. Not much stuff in this life is worth your psychic and physical energy especially work and relationship drama
3. Lupita Nyong'o, Sonia Sotomayor, and my mom
1. Le Prunier face oil because it feels like liquid gold, smells delicious and would probably relieve sunburn.
2. I don't yet qualify, but I'm answering because it's never too early: TRUST YOURSELF. Don't let anybody fool you into thinking you don't already know.
3. Val, Beryl Markham, Eleanore Roosevelt, Ramona Quimby
1. Any BeautyGrass product—maybe Golden High cleansing oil.
2. The secret to processing trauma is to “journalspeak” (Nicole Sachs) and cry. The secret to coming out of depression (usually caused by uncertainty, lack of control, and lack of information, all of which lead to paralysis) is to start taking action toward a goal you have control over. (For example, begin writing a book you’ll self-publish or create paintings to have a show.) The secret to happiness after 50 is connecting with others, learning new things and skills, and sitting outside and listening to birds singing. The secret to being beautiful after 50 is to love your changed face and body and work with what is.
3. Some women for Mt. Rushmore: Gloria Steinem, Maya Angelou, Eleanor Roosevelt, Michelle Obama, and the woman who founded AARP? Taylor Swift? Oprah?
I have to agree with Gloria: Aquaphor Healing Ointment. I live in fear of dry chapped lips. I imagine this would be an issue being deserted...
But I've given a lot of though to my Mt. Rushmore - Helen Mirren (OBVIOUSLY), Arlene Francis, Stevie Nicks, Viola Davis, Mary Oliver. (I couldn't pick just 4!)
Wonderful and thought provoking post, thank you
This is such a fantastic exercise not only for the younger generation of beauties. but also for those of us over that 60 mark. It is of course not something easily answered, at least for me. I will be thinking about it for a bit, as wisdom was a slow process in most cases. Val you are quite good at these things. You have shared your wisdom each time you write HNTFUYF!! Excellent exercise lovely lady!