HANDS

My granddaughter and I had our hands outstretched the other day, both of us reaching for something on the table.  In a flash I “saw” all the years and events that happen between the time when hands look like hers and hands look like mine.  A lifetime!  At age 6 her hands are no longer baby or toddler chubby. They have already experienced much and know how to do many things, but there is so much ahead.

I decided to Google “aging hands” and “old hands” and all the hits were about anti-aging and how terrible it is to have old looking hands. One statement was, 'Hand rejuvenation is becoming increasingly popular, with dermal fillers volumising and smoothing the skin, … a youthful look...” You can even have fat transferred from some other part of your body onto the backs of your hands to “plump them out”! (Well, maybe that would be ok, would kill two birds with one stone, eh?!)

Apparently it is terrible that our hands should look like they’ve had a busy and full life!

They say, do something quick!  Pay for creams, and exercises and doctors.

I say, why isn’t it ok if our hands are a certain age?!

In 5 pages of Google listings, I saw no articles about the fact that it’s natural, that having hands that have been busy for a few years is a good thing! I did find one article that said you should love your aging hands – and how did it suggest doing that? by paying more for a better more expensive cream!  I do know that the purpose of most things on the internet has to do with marketing, but still…

I finally looked up “Grandmother’s Hands” expecting to find the poem and yes I did, along with a number of similar articles. So I gather it’s ok for grandma to have old hands, but let that not be me!  So I ask, how am I to cope with the changeover from young hands to old? And just when is it ok for that to happen? Who can help me get there?

I think we need an “Aging Hands Advocate” to take on the system. Or would that be “Oldish” or “Maternal” or “Antiquated” or “Venerable” or maybe “No spring chicken”? Hands up if you want to volunteer!

I found a sweet article comparing old hands to old pumps in the farm yard. Sigh... 

Back to those young hands – much of life is yet to be lived and she will have the opportunity to use them for creativity, duty, making music, cooking, sports, soothing a fevered brow, holding the hands of loved ones, serving, drying tears, praising God, gardening, holding books, career requisites, driving, using a keyboard on a digital device, and doing who knows how many things that haven’t even been invented yet…

And, I hope, after many busy years her hands will end up looking like mine (and like I remember my mother’s and my grandmother’s) with scars and spots, probably a bit misshapen, with callouses and enlarged joints, and maybe if very blessed, the ring finger will be thin and hollow under a wedding band that’s been worn for many many years.

So, all of us with hands that have age spots and big blue veins...

Let’s carry on, hand in hand. 

   Let’s hold them high with pride. 

      Honour them for all their hard work.

         They’ve been with us through thick and thin.

            Let's appreciate all they’ve allowed us to experience.

Definitely it is OK if our hands are a certain age!