The beauty of hindsight

I recently discovered a highly addictive vintage photo site called squareamerica.com thanks to blogger The Big Mac and of all the amazing glimpses into people's private history, the text with this photo really made it come to life for me.

It reads: "On my honeymoon. I was beautiful then. I'm not now - but my face has "character"."

Already, at 25, I'm noticing the first signs of ageing - lines are creeping in around my eyes and my face is starting to look different from how it did between the age of 16 and my early twenties, during which time there was little change. It's not a bad thing per se, it just takes a bit of getting used to.

But while I may not be completely content with the way that I look (who is?), I recognise that it's important not to get hung up on what has been before and to appreciate and celebrate each different stage as it comes.

No doubt I will also look back on my honeymoon photos when I'm older, as the woman in this photo has, and think "I was beautiful then" when what I really need to do is think "I'm beautiful now" and not wait for hindsight to give me that clarity and confidence.