Wrinkles Are Earned from a Life Well-Lived

Their pupils, treasures of a whole lifetime, keep the secrets of their journeys, their adventures, their destinations.

Their eyelashes, so solid but sensitive at the same time, tell that they have endured the weight of waterfalls of tears and the vibrance of the sun’s rays. 

In their looks, there are thousands of battles, buried, some fought in strong waves, others in calm winds.

The truth is that when they look at you, they give you access to their feelings, as if an invisible bridge would connect us to them; sometimes, they put up shields and walls, which can be taken down with love and caring; others times, their doors will be wide open, happy to be welcomed with a huge or a kiss.

Their mouths, quiet for years, are in no hurry to speak, and when they do, their words are drenched in wisdom. If only we would take their advice.

If we listen to them, we learn so much…they teach us life lessons, and reveal to us its nuances. 

It is their wrinkles, those folds formed by experiencing feelings , the strength of facts and the trace of wounds and successes, that have grown over the years as a mark of character.

Wrinkles, full of sacrifices; wrinkles, replete with feelings; wrinkles forged like chains that supported the weight of suffering; wrinkles, overflowing with love, overflowing with life. 

Their skin has endured the deepest wounds we could imagine. Some have completely healed, but others have stayed, fixed there as scars, that if touched, could unleash a storm of emotions.

On their backs, you can make out the weight of the losses of those with whom they held unforgettable bonds of steel, that no distance, physical or psychological, could make them forget; remembering their loved ones through feelings that rise to the surface, and come directly from their hearts. 

Their hands, the foundations and tools of their lives, together with their feet, are those which form the support of their path.   It is a winding, snaking, unstable path full of dangers and challenges that has given them the strength of their demeanor. 

A path that also had flowers, and fresh air, and sweetness, that they have enjoyed in every moment possible, with sensitivity in their eyes.

And even so, sometimes we forget. We forget…

They are the heroes of our past and of our present, those which make us reflect on what is possible if we truly want it. Life leaves scars on our skin and in our souls, hot and cold, and we feel life in the contrast.

The voice of experience bobs back and forth between silence and protest, valiant hearts that carry on despite the storms they encounter.

But, who are these people?

Elderly people, in the autumn of their lives. Their look and their wrinkles give them away.

Those who, in their day, would give you a helping hand, and take care of your blunders; those who taught you that you must water the seeds you plant so that with time they will one day bear fruit.

There they are, at your side or in the distance, waiting for you to smile at them, for you to love them. When you see them, listen to them. Their words could be lead you to your dreams.

When you see them, understand them, even in silence, because their silence is full of meaning.

When you see them, hug them, because a sincere and meaningful hug, in the end, is a kind and heartwarming gesture.

And remember, some day, you too will be the hero of your present and the past for those who are yet to come.