If you are over 40, you are not hot, you are golden, read from a male friend’s Facebook page.

This was a little sting because at fifty-one I would like to think that I, and my friends of a certain age, still hold some appeal and are somehow still relevant to the world. As I thought a little harder on the post of a nearly 40-year-old single man, I realized that there was nothing derogatory about being golden. In photography, the favorite time for a shooter is the “golden hour.” It is that time when the sun just begins to kiss the horizon and a heavenly glow is cast upon your subject putting them in their best possible light

Everything is softer, imperfections are more subtle and a special kind of beauty comes out of the fade of the harsh light. Perhaps as a woman ages her true beauty has just begun to emerge. What is often seen as flaws as we age are actually the tales of our lives, the lifeline on the palm, for each a different story. Those hands which were once smooth are now rough from the many little shoes they tied, the tears they wiped away and the hands of a dying parent that were held. The eyes that once shined bright are sometimes weary from the things we have seen, dulled from lack of sleep due to the worry of a new teenage driver, a sick friend or how the electric bill was going to be paid. Those little lines between my eyes that my Mom warned me about are now there. (The ones from years of overthinking.) The smile lines are just as prominent, however. Years of laughter with the many friends I have gained, the times shared and the wonderful memories I have made are written clearly across my face. I am finding now, that perhaps the best is yet to come.

This is peak time. Many of us look with pride at the children we have raised, our accomplishments that are often overlooked and the valuable lessons we have learned, gifts that truly only come with age. Having already faced many challenges we are more apt and equipped to further challenge or even reinvent ourselves. With age comes a bit of liberation, not without responsibility, but with certain freedoms that in other days weren’t allowed. At this stage of our lives we can still begin a new career, find a new hobby, take more risks and start a new chapter. Some, like me, will find themselves at the threshold of marriage after finally finding true love. I like to think that like photography, this golden hour of our life puts us all in our best light. This is the time to forgive all of our imperfections and embrace all that our lives encompass. Those little lines around our eyes tell a big story, each etching a reflection of our laughter, joys, and sorrows. They are our journey, each our own and for some the golden hour is just on the horizon!