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!

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Transcript

This past weekend my daughters and I hosted a party to commemorate the life of an extraordinary man a husband a father a son a brother and a friend to so many his name was Mike Noor and he was my husband ten years ago while traveling on business in China Mike died unexpectedly and our world it was forever changed to say that the journey has been far from linear would be an understatement but if there's been one constant and unwavering presence in my life from the earliest moments of receiving that news to today as I stand here before you it would have to be my silver

lining mindset it's been the driving force behind all that I am and all that I'm still yet to be let me explain what I mean when that phone call came in at three o'clock in the morning with the news of my husband's passing I chose not to do the obvious thing which would have been to share the news with the rest of our world instead I chose to do what felt instinctive to me so I crawled over to his side of the bed and I wrapped myself up tightly in the sheets because I wanted to feel closer to him and I did as I lay

there I could feel his energy swirling around me and I could feel his love and all of a sudden the memories of our 20-year marriage came flooding over me from our earliest days as a young couple and our excitement at building a new life together to the memories that we did create in that life that included bringing three beautiful daughters into this world I was so thankful for all that we had been to one another and even though I had no idea what this journey ahead of me as a widow was going to be like from somewhere deep inside of me I knew that I'd

be okay to be able to feel gratitude on the heels of receiving such devastating news led me to believe that maybe there was something bigger at work in my life maybe it was the universe's way of nudging me to keep my heart open to life and to the new experiences that I would have so I did I gave myself permission to fully live this life and even though it's had its share of ups and downs over the past decade more than anything it's helped me to discover and to step more fully into me because with every experience I have I look for the lessons and

I look for the learning opportunities I try and create meaning out of some of my messiest moments and when I do I grow wiser and I grow Kinder I find more clarity and I find an Ever evolving confidence in myself when we are able to find the silver linings particularly in our most pivotal life moments not only do we grow wiser or not only do we gain wisdom and confidence and clarity but we also gain a deeper understanding of who we are and in the process we begin to develop an inner peace and a happiness that's simply incomparable to anything we could ever find outside

of ourselves and as somebody with a background in the field of nutrition I have to say that I find that such a nourishing and delicious way to move through the world knowing who you are when you realize that you have everything you need inside of you to thrive that's when you are really empowered and you're also magnetic because when you move through life in this way you exude an energy in a positivity that's contagious every moment you choose to be positive you're also choosing to make the world just a little bit better think about it imagine what the state of our world would look like

if positivity were as contagious and as enduring as the common cold or covid my journey following that 3 A.M phone call was anything but linear but looking at it through the lens of gratitude I was able to see all that I had gained rather than what I'd lost I chose to embrace what I couldn't replace because I accepted it with Grace over the years people have asked me time and again if you could turn the clock back Lydia would you and the answer has always been no even though my grief is still with me at times because the man I gave my life to is

no longer here I can't help but feel that his passing was a catalyst to Awakening me to living my life more fully so now each day as I give gratitude for all of the things in my life it reminds me that I'm alive and that I have yet another day to learn and to grow and then to share what I know and that feels really really good thank you

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