The other day I was sitting in my car, staring at my hands holding on to the steering wheel, and I noticed my hands are aging. The skin is looser and extra soft and I can make wrinkles appear and disappear with a flex of my fingers. If I clench my fist and then relax my hand, I can see the age creep up in slow motion.
While I'm only 32 years old, these hands have already done a lot. I'm already telling my future old lady self to take notice right now. One day there will be deep burrowed wrinkles and skin so soft that it moves back and forth with ease.
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These hands of mine have done many things to acquire their age so far. They've held the hands of dying patients who were all alone in their last moments on earth. My hand stroking the top of their hand; back and forth, back and forth quietly and gently. Squeezing them to let them know that I was right there with them.
My hands have compressed the chest of a newborn who needed their heart to start beating; fingers poised and ready to go, up and down, up and down. They've caught the slippery life of a brand new baby coming into this world with a sudden rush.
My hands have held my lover's hands in soft embrace. So frequently we've held hands that I'm sure I could pick out his among others without looking. I've poked my fingers at least a million times to squeeze out a tiny drop of scarlet blood to test my blood sugar, aging my skin just a little bit more.
Right now they have a subtle brush of tan coating on the tops, a direct result of pushing my stroller in the sunshine. One day the day will come and I will look down at the deep deep crevices and wonder when did it all happened. When did I grow old? I will gratefully remind myself about all that they have touched and this moment that made me stop.
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Well, Hello There!
Mama in the City since 2008 and blogging since 2009!
My first apartment baby is now a full on boy and we struggle with finding space in our condo for his growing toy collection. I'm also a new mum to our second apartment baby, born January 13, 2012!
I have a husband who is an excellent cook and takes amazing photos. I work as a labor and delivery nurse and really love the work that I do and gave birth to baby #2 at my work place.
I use this space to write about my family and to share my passion about breastfeeding, birth and parenting. I have a fantastic purse collection and have loved watching it grow, mostly lovely gifts over the years from my husband. I currently have a closet full of purses that are too small or impractical to fit a diaper or sippy cup in, and so they are on hold for future years.
Have a question or a comment? Email me! I also love to read comments left on posts, so feel free to leave me a note!
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12 comments:
such a beautiful post andrea. i love how journalling/blogging becomes an incredible way to make notes to ourselves for the future. no doubt that your future self will feel grateful of this reminder of the journey your hands have taken.
May 20, 2012 at 1:34 PMAndrea, I echo your previous reader - such a lovely, beautifully written post. Thanks for this reminder to stop and remember all our hands have done, touched, accomplished.
May 20, 2012 at 5:56 PMLove this post!
May 20, 2012 at 6:35 PMAbsolutely lovely. I love this post.
May 20, 2012 at 7:55 PMFunny how rigorous I am with my face. Washing, toning, exfoliating, moisturizing twice daily. Yet I don't give my hands the same love.
Beautiful post. But I must say, your skin is GORGEOUS having just seen you in person post-baby. I am green with envy.
May 20, 2012 at 9:08 PMSO very true! I really love going back to my blog posts when Ben was a babe and reading about how I felt things were going. Some things you actually sort of forget, and it is a nice to have them blogged!
May 20, 2012 at 9:41 PMI think that as nurses our hands do a lot and touch a lot of people (metaphorically and actually!) along the way.
May 20, 2012 at 9:42 PMSo, someone who read this post just told me that you should apply your face regime on your hands as both face/hands skin is thin and fragile. So, dab a bit of the extra moisturizer on to your hands when you are done :) I totally UNDER moisturize my hands. Even worse when I was working and would wash my hands dozens of times a shift.
May 20, 2012 at 9:43 PMWell, you are just too kind! I will graciously accept your very kind comment.
May 20, 2012 at 9:44 PMWhat a lovely post!
May 21, 2012 at 1:28 PMI have really noticed my hands getting brown from walking around with a pushchair. I've started being much more rigorous with the sunscreen on my hands!
I just slathered my hands with moisturizer...hehe! Totally need to do the sunscreen a bit more frequently too.
May 21, 2012 at 9:11 PMdilemme unique de cette Sac Louis Vuitton a également toujours que de nombreuses entreprises de créer sosie sacs pour votre prix de vente plus abordables. Cette société doit constamment être à la recherche d'une violation de marque afin de s'assurer qu'elle peut maintenir le style de base et la conception unique au sein du marché actuel.czv
August 8, 2012 at 8:22 PMPost a Comment