Wrinkle, Wrinkle.

That word is: wrinkles.

And no, I don’t mean the pleated skirt. That would be acceptable. But even hinting at wrinkles in connection with physical appearance? That’s a potentially fatal trap. And by “fatal,” I mean to any relationship—with the opposite or same sex.

For centuries, women—members of the Homo sapiens species—have been reduced to their appearance. 
Of course, such judgments are a clear reduction of the whole person. 
But who started pushing women’s looks to the forefront in the first place?

It was a rather simplistic (!) notion—and one that still echoes today. Thankfully, evolution gifted us a vast palette of differences. 
This variety is also called richness. Who wants a monotonous, barely distinguishable, and therefore boring collection of humans—or the other animals—on offer? True interest and excitement come from difference. There, boredom has no chance to settle in.

How stressful must it be, constantly having to appear in the best light, in the most valuable makeup, in the most shapely body? 
Holy smokes—what man could thrive in such a mill of expectations?

And then, sooner or later, that half-circle appears in full view: the life cycle. In other words, the process of aging.

A process we will all ultimately lose. 
Some take this loss literally, others with humour, many with despair or fatalism—but it will reach us all.

Now, where on earth is science with a solution?

Anti-aging, lifestyle, wellness—countless lucrative offers for a “better life.”

Really?

How did marketers figure out what I consider a better life? 
And what does “better” even mean? 
Was my life not good enough so far? And for whom is this “better” intended? For me—or for my surroundings?

It’s such a tangled business, these expectations—both our own and those of others. 
Damned stressful when the clock ticks and the wrinkles unfold.

STOP.

How do my own expectations work, anyway? Ah yes—I suspect it has to do with my versatility. 
I’m responsible for the pleats in the skirt of life. Some I can influence, others emerge naturally. 
Wrinkles are by no means negative or unattractive. 
I keep thinking this when I look at the faces of Keith, Mick, and Ronnie. 
Yes, exactly—the faces of rock ’n’ roll and the Rolling Stones.

The marks of life reveal personality. 
Faces are the map of this life cycle. 
And that map was hard-earned and intensely lived.
Not just with the Stones.

And what remains after this strange little detour?

Versatility—versus simplicity?
Yes.