OPINION: A vanity attack

I call this a vanity attack, and it’s been on my mind, as you can see. The word ‘vanity’ and the word ‘vanish’ both come from a Latin word that means empty; valueless. But is our appearance of no value? It’s true that when we talk about “face value,” we’re not talking about people’s faces, but we are talking about whether we need to look more deeply into something (or someone), and not base our assumptions on what’s visible at a glance.

However, when it comes to my own appearance, I would like what’s visible at a glance to be as pleasing as possible, and I suspect that this is vain. Is it?

When I was much younger, and people said, “Go ahead! Let yourself go!” they weren’t talking about my looks, I promise you. They were saying, “Loosen up a little, girl, and have some fun!” And at the time I didn’t really know what they meant by that. It was the same feeling I used to get as a small child, when my parents sent me out to play. I clearly remember standing outside our apartment in my snowsuit, wondering what in the world I was supposed to do, and when they might let me back in.

When you get to the age I am now, though, “She’s really let herself go” has an entirely different connotation. It doesn’t mean she’s having fun. On the contrary, it suggests that fun is pretty much out of the question: she’s either hopelessly depressed or hopelessly hopeless. Neither option is appealing.

Still, there is this other category: women who are vibrant, serene, and ageless — far too busy to think about face lifts, but intent on honoring the face and body God gave them. And Commerce has always had quite a few of these women. Annie Bob Jarrell leaps to mind, and Dot Hardman. My own mother used her potions and lotions to good effect right to the end. And Elizabeth Shankle is a keeper of the flame. So that’s my New Year’s resolution: I will try my best to be like them when I really grow up! Happy New Year, everybody.

Susan Harper is retired, lives in Commerce and volunteers with the Commerce Public Library and the Jackson County Literacy Program.