My Black is NOT Cracking.

So, I finally got new glasses.

Because I thought, you know…“How deep do these forehead creases need to get?”

What I did NOT realize is that the new glasses came with a free trial of emotional devastation.

The moment I put them on, I looked in the mirror and whispered, “Oh… so we’re just doing brutal honesty now.” My second thought was…”Is that what I look like? And exactly how long have I looked like this?”

For years, my eyeballs have had me living in a soft blur of peace. An airbrushed, softly filtered, and gentle haze of denial.

My reflection was basically giving timeless. Radiant. But these new lenses? These new lenses said, “Ma’am. Here are your actual features in 4K. Sorry.”

Thank you glasses. I can see everything. (In fact, they are so strong I can now read minds!)

I see fine lines. Hair where there shouldn’t be hair. Hair missing that should be there. A forehead crease that looks like it formed while opening a recent car insurance or utility bill.

Honestly, getting new glasses after 60 should come with a warning:

⚠️ Objects in mirror are older than they appear
⚠️ Includes unexpected self-reflection
⚠️ Confidence may temporarily exit the building

But here’s the thing…

On the inside, I’m still the same person. Inside, I’m still 40, tops! (Of course, my internal organs may beg to differ!) Same humor. Same dreams. Same spark. (Some days you have to play with the ignition switch as bit, but I start!) But my face? My face is out here telling the true Hollywood story. Aging is a strange experience. I do.  I feel the same inside.

Mentally. Spiritually. Delusionally.

Meanwhile, my reflection is like, “Sweetie… we’ve been through some things. This is the face that belongs to someone who has lived.

Loved.

Lost.

Laughed until she cried. (and maybe there was a drop of ……)

Cried until she healed.

Made it through things she never posts about.

And yeah… it’s a harsh reality sometimes. Especially in natural light!

Not because aging is ugly… But because we’ve been taught that youth is the goal and aging is the punishment. When really… Aging is proof. Proof you’re still here.  Some do not get the privilege.

So yes, these new glasses showed me my aging face clearly for the first time in a while. And after the initial shock and real talk, the brief desire to sue the optometrist, I can see clearly now. No, my friends, what appeared in the mirror wasn’t pretty. It was BEAUTIFUL. Because I’m still here.

But, I would like to return these glasses immediately.