Sometimes wise words come from those you least expect. And many times those “wise words” come disguised in simplicity. As a matter of fact unless your ear is attentive to the tip, what may have been the word that could’ve turned your situation around may just be discarded as casual conversation. Wise words don’t have to be complex in nature in order to be true, as I learned from someone I used to know.
Rosie, everyone’s ugly at 80, …
is what my old boss, Karen, used to say. Now Karen said many things… but the only one that stuck with me was that one.
Everyone’s ugly at 80, huh? Yeah, I guess, but what makes this an eye opening statement?
Well by itself it’s not. That is, until you begin to consider…
This past Friday The Jensing and I attended a Billy Joel concert. I had been wanting to see him live for a long time and when I found out he was coming to town, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
As expected, he was nothing short of phenomenal! His band was top of the line, the stage was beautiful, his energy was incredible, but what impressed me the most was his voice.
Quite frankly, at 66 years of age, I was expecting the quality of his voice to be a little worn. As a matter of fact, during the show he made light of his age and joked about how hard it was to sing certain songs these days because of all the high notes he would have to hit. Not only did he hit those notes perfectly, but age was not a factor, and at 66 years old his G-d-given talent to sing and play the piano was sharper than ever.
Which brings me back to Everyone’s Ugly at 80. Billy Joel no longer looks like the days where he could easily pick up the Uptown Girl. Now, I’m not calling the man ugly, but I’m simply stating that age has taken its course (as can be expected).
Beauty is fleeting
is the way Proverbs 31:30 describes it. So as we advance in age, very few things remain. Face lifts, boob jobs, Botox, are just some of the things we rely on to improve and sharpen our appearance… that is if we can afford to.
Our physical bodies can’t help but to deteriorate, but the good news is that our G-d-given talent is one of the few things that will remain. These talents are given to us for the span of our lives and as opposed to our physical state can improve with every day that goes by.
So although everyone’s ugly at 80, if we take the time to sharpen that talent that is uniquely ours, just like the piano man, our gift will be the main attraction.
What is your main attraction?
That’s a really great way of looking at things. Focusing on our gifts is so much more valuable than focusing on the exterior. By the way, I have seen Billy Joel twice- once with Elton John. It was amazing! Discovered you on Titus 2sdays 🙂
Thanks for your comment Amanda. Yes, our gifts are the only thing that will still be with us in the long run as those never grow old 🙂 I am so glad I went…now I know what all the fuss is about! Again, thank you for stopping by.
The bible says the Woman who fears the Lord will be praised! – Even when the times comes to us and passes, If we fear and trust in the Lord that shine will be in us no matter what. That gifts that God has filled up with, will be there! Loved your post and your words!
Thank you Tayrina. Yes, this is true, a woman who fears the Lord will be praised! Amen! Thank you for sharing.
This is so beautiful! As I edge toward 60 in 2 years (can’t believe it), this gives me solace! And I love, love Billy Joel..he used to visit my home town restaurant on Long Island, and was and is still one of my favorite! What a great show that must have been! Your words are so wise about God given talent..I just saw an amazing documentary about Glenn Campbell who was showing serious signs of alzheimers toward his last performance..but how amazing — even as his mind was going, his singing was brilliant! Thanks for this encouraging post! Visiting today from #IntentionalTuesday!
Wow, thanks for your kind words Kathy! I’m glad you enjoyed the post. How awesome it must have been to meet him 🙂 Yes, our talent is what remains…the rest is temporary. Thank you for stopping by.
Great encouragement, Rosie, to keep cultivating what God has gifted us with. Such a blessing that He sees the person of the heart. Glad to be your neighbor at #testimonytuesday today.
Absolutely! Only this will last in the long run. I appreciate your comment.
The title certainly caught my eye. I’m trying right now not to be ugly by being jealous that YOU SAW BILLY JOEL LIVE IN CONCERT!!! I live in the NYC area, and he plays at Madison Square Garden every month, and I can’t get tickets! Only tix behind the stage, which I’d rather not pay a hundred something dollars for. Great take on beauty. I’d have to say that my main attraction is humor and making people feel at ease. That’s something I hope to do till my dying day.
Mary, you made me smile! I just read reviews about his concert there last month and they say it was great! I agree about the behind the stage tickets…he doesn’t really ever turn around so not worth it…keep waiting for the good tickets 🙂 Humor is certainly a wonderful main attraction to have and I can see that you nurture it well 🙂 Thank you for your comment Mary.
Rosie, I love your perspective on this. Beauty is fleeting and if we focus on our outward appearance we neglect other areas of our life, including nurturing the gifts God has blessed us with. You have me thinking about what my gift/talent is that I should be sharpening 😉 Blessings to you this Tuesday.
Thanks for your comment Crystal. I pray God reveals that gift to you and that it would blossom into something beautiful. 🙂
I find myself thinking about aging more this year, probably due to my 60th coming up in June. The thing is, as the years accumulate so do some other things. Deep friendships, grandchildren, confidence, wisdom are just to name a few. And yes, our gifts and talents are enhanced rather than diminished by time. Thanks for the reminder. I enjoyed reading it.
Well said Patty. Some of those those things grow deeper with time. I appreciate you stopping by.
I was taken aback at first by reading your line “Everyone’s Ugly at 80.” I wanted to argue with you but then I thought about those 80 and older that I thought were not ugly and realized what I really saw when I looked at them was their personality and their spirit. Most all of them have beautiful ones!
Anyway, I definitely agree that sharpening our talents and gifts as we mature is the smartest use of our time and resources. (I have no money for a face lift anyway!)
Thanks for sharing at The Loft.
Yes, some people are exceptionally beautiful at 80 with a beauty that comes from within, so I understand where you are coming from. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts 🙂 I’m glad the title made you think 🙂
I’m not sure I agree. Coco Chanel said that you got the face you deserve when you’re old. Some of the older people at church have faces that radiate kindness, wisdom and joy. They’re truly beautiful. And some of them look like more grumpy. And they’re not as beautiful. But they’re all created in the image of G_d. And that’s beautiful too 🙂
And that is my point exactly Mrs. Tubbs… kindness, wisdom, and joy overflow from those that have taken the moment to nurture what God placed within them. Those that look a little more grumpy, perhaps have not. Yes, we are all beautiful in His image but my point being that external beauty is not what we can rely on as we advance in age. There has to be something more there. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Loved this piece! And, I love Billy Joel – amazing God-given talents. You bring up a great reminder that we can be used by Him at any age. In fact, I think as we age we bring even more to the table for His Kingdom. Thanks for sharing this. I’m your neighbor at #livefreeThursday!
I agree. We only get better with time…its called experience, LOL. Thanks for stopping by.
Amen! The beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit! Thanks for encouraging us to seek a deeper beauty than that which fades with time.
Thank you for your comment Michele. Yes, inner beauty given to us by G-d doesn’t ever fade away.
I love the perspective you offer in this piece. Beauty is so much deeper than outward appearances, and when we take the time to invest in our talents…we have the opportunity to be even more beautiful in our latter years. I hope the people I love make it to 80 because they will always be beautiful to me.
Amen Sarah! Thank you for your comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂
Rosie, what a thoughtful post! You hit the nail on the head with the thought that our bodies age, but our talents, our wisdom grow more beautiful with age. If we are walking with Jesus and growing in faith, we look more and move like Him with age. Thank you for linking up such an insightful post at The Loft this week. Blessings to you!
I am glad you liked it Leah. Thanks for allowing me to link up at The Loft!
A lovely way to look at it all. I had to laugh at everyone is ugly at 80. Thank you so much for linking up to Share With Me. I hope to see you again tomorrow for another great round of #sharewithme
Thanks for letting me link up 🙂