Life, Love, and Aging

 Originally wrote this article as a reflection of something I was going through before, and posted it on Facebook. I submitted it to our college's magazine and was eventually published. This time, I'm reposting it here in my very own blog. 

Changes will always happen in the course of life, and the most evident are the physical ones.

We may look like gods and goddesses right now— what with our youthful bodies. But no matter how much you try, age will inevitably transform us. A few years from now, lines will start to form on our faces. Women get pregnant and get sagging breasts and build up cellulites. Men get their beer bellies. We get fat, have wrinkles, and eventually will have to wear glasses as we grow older. When we wake up in the morning, we might look like hags without our makeup—dried up saliva, milky tears, and awesome-smelling breaths from the night before. Yes, it is important to look our best, but we will never be pretty or handsome at all times.


Thus, it is important to love someone for who they really are, for what they areinside and not for what they look like on the outside. Because if the pretty outer wrapping of beauty and youth will unravel, and the gaunt and unfamiliar face of age replaces it, will the love you once think you felt still be there?

Love entails constant adjustments and compromises. We must learn to deal with each other's imperfections. Physical attraction may be important at the start of a relationship, but as the years go by, what is essential is the mutual understanding the two of you share.