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Self Image

by Judith Bakkensen

My friend closed her eyes, "I am a dancer. I am very limber and graceful. I am about 25 years old. I turn and I twirl. I dance for hours and days and weeks. "

My grandmother told me just before she passed away in her eighties that she still felt sixteen years old. She was confused by the old hands that carried her beautiful diamond rings. She looked down and didn't recognize those hands. The face in the mirror was all wrong too. Who is that old woman?

When I close my eyes and see myself, I am a grandmother playing with my grandchildren. I am a wise woman. I am healthy and youthful. I have my 30-year-old body and face with my white hair. Interesting.

My mother complained about her skin turning into chicken skin. What is chicken skin? Oh, I think I am getting it on my arms.

So, go ahead, I dare you. Close your eyes. How old is your self image and what is she doing now?