Lydia Knorr

Transcript

Recently, my daughter and I were having a conversation when she said something that I thought was a cute observation. She said, "Hey, Mom, isn't it kind of cool how similar our lives have become? I've just graduated school and started a new career. You left your career after 25 years to start something new, too. I'm out dating and meeting new people. You're getting out and doing that, too. We share time in the kitchen, Mom. Sometimes I cook dinner, sometimes you do. Mostly I do.

And she was right. In many ways, our lives have become seemingly parallel. But I am two and a half times her age. And that has served me in so many ways. It's helped to inform how I truly see myself, which is in a way that feels as beautiful as all three of my daughters. But for reasons that have nothing to do with looks at all. Let me explain. At 55 years of age, I am 1 year older than my dad was when he died from cancer 30 years ago.

I'm 6 years older than my husband was when he died unexpectedly 10 years ago. And I'm 9 years older than I was when I was diagnosed and treated for stage three cancer. And it's through these experiences that I have been able to uncover some of the truest and the most beautiful parts about me. But in today's society, it seems that so much of the standard for beauty seems to be a measure of looks and of age, isn't it? And that got me to thinking, what if we redefined the standard of beauty from physical attractiveness to include what one's actual appearance could tell us about them?

For instance, what if we looked at the wrinkles on someone's face as their lines of wisdom? What if we saw somebody walking with a cane as someone who's taken countless steps, traveled many roads, and maybe carried the weight of others in their lifetime. What if we saw the scars on somebody's body as a symbol of their courage and their ability to heal? Are those not all beautiful things? And I also thought, what if we change the standard of beauty from age, not as a measure of how old we are, but age as a reflection of how our experiences shape and evolve us as human beings?

In which case we'd all be aging at different rates and on different timelines, then, wouldn't we? And then maybe there wouldn't be a stigma around aging at all. In fact, there might even be envy. Because what would really be happening would be the rate and the timeline on which we are maturing. And my three daughters are really good example of this point. While they are all in their 20s with a youthful vitality and a physical attractiveness that society would define as the standard of beauty, spend 5 minutes in the company of any one of them, and you will come to see a beauty that's amplified because of who they have become through the experiences that they have lived.

After all, they've traveled many of the same roads as I have. And like me, they would agree that as you navigate your way through the experiences of your life, you get to know yourself better, don't you? You get to understand what matters to you, what you value, who you want to surround yourself with. You no longer measure yourself against the opinions of others because you know that the opinion you have of yourself is the one that counts most. And all of that results in a much deeper kind of beauty.

It's more authentic and less superficial because it shows up in the way you show up. It radiates from within and it draws people in. That kind of beauty, it's magnetic. And drawing on my former career in the field of nutrition, I just have to say, I find that such a nourishing and delicious way to move through the when you know who you are. Aging, it is so much more about the gains than it is about the losses. It is liberating. It is empowering.

It is joyful. And above all else, it is a privilege. One that each and every one of us gets to experience with every day, week, month, and year that we are still here. And I firmly believe that if you allow it, aging will make you more sure, more secure, more confident, and more attractive than you were at any other point in time. So, I invite you all to wear your years and the experiences that they have given you like they are the greatest fashion accessory that you have ever owned.

And then just watch. Watch as heads turn and do a double take for you again. Because I guarantee you they will. Thank you. Woo!

Transcript generated from the recording and lightly cleaned. Some names and wording may differ from the spoken speech.