The Saggy-Baggy Elephant

 One of my favorite books to read to my boys is called "The Saggy-Baggy Elephant" which if you haven't read it, it's an adorable book about self-acceptance. The book begins with a parrot laughing at the little elephant by saying "Your ears are too big for you, and your nose is way too big for you. It's baggy and saggy, You should call yourself Saggy-Baggy."

The little elephant's reply is "I'd be glad to improve myself but I don't know how to go about it. What shall I do?".

Throughout the book he tries and tries to smooth out his wrinkled skin with no luck and after a lion threatens to eat him, the little elephant runs off and hides where he is rescued by other elephants.

"Sooki thought they were the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen. "I wish I looked just like you," he said. "You do," grinned the big elephants. "You're a perfectly dandy little elephant!"


I have had moments lately where I glance at myself in a mirror and I'm a little shocked at the face staring back at me. This thought automatically pops into my head, "When did I get so old????". Now I know you older ladies are rolling your eyes and you younger girls are saying "what-ever!" but I'm mostly speaking to the ladies who are cresting nearing the big "3-0" year mark. You get me right? Things that I've never even thought about are suddenly starting back at me with honesty. I'm getting older!!! Since when did I start getting ridges in my forehead or between my eyes? And man those laugh lines are getting quite a bit deeper. Now I'm using the terms "ridges" and "lines" but the beauty industry would call them the dreaded word..."wrinkles". EEEEKKK right??? Maybe. Or maybe not....

It's true that I've never really had to think about anything like wrinkles before in my life and it takes me by surprise that I'm even using that word. But as I'm nearing 30 in just a couple of years, I'm finding myself at a crossroads.  I can take the path that is self defeating and give the beauty industry my money for all their anti-aging products. But that's not even the worst part about taking this path. It's the low loathing that arises from telling ourselves that it's not okay to grow old. I mean sheesh when does it ever stop!? When we're younger we're always fighting for the new best product to make us more beautiful and we can't even catch a break when we get older!

I'll say it right now "Ain't nobody got time for that"!  I spent way too many years not liking the way I looked so I'm choosing the path of self acceptance. If I accept right now that I will have wrinkles, my skin will eventually start to drag south, white hairs will peek through my head than I won't have to dwell on them as they keep coming. Sure it may seem premature to talk about getting older but if I can get a head start on aging with grace than all the more better right?

And when I look at pictures of my grandma's that have passed away, not for one second did I think that they weren't beautiful or special. Our age tells a story and I don't want to waste any precious years wishing I could turn back time.

At the very end of the book, not feeling anymore shame, the little elephant was so happy that he began to dance with all of the other elephants behind him. Moral of the story? Let's give each other a break, we're all going to be sharing wrinkles someday.