Holy $*** that's a lot of wrinkles....

And I'm not even talking about my face!

I've been taking a lot of pictures of my hands lately. Well, my wrists actually, but still, I'm shocked.

I don't know why it suddenly surprises me to note that my hands look like they belong on a (I have to be careful how I say this) 60-70-80 year old woman. But it does!

I almost deleted a photo and posed my shiny things on a stationary object because of the appearance of my hand.

I stopped myself though and I started thinking about why my hands look the way they do. I know a lady who is on a mission to help women see their true beauty, no matter their shape or size or level of fitness. It occurred to me that part of that is appreciating every part of us.

My hands have been busy in the 36(almost 37) years I've used them...

Digging in the dirt and playing "farm set" with Breyer horses and tractors...

Digging in the sand on Catalina Island to make sand castles and motes and corrals (because I always had to be a horse...)

Building forts in the sage brush, riding my pony and then Hippie...

Horses, horses, horses and then sports. A volleyball net did it's best to break my hand once. I almost wish it had. I think it would have hurt less.

Elements. Rain, snow, wind, sun and cold.

Chores that kept my nails broken and fencing projects that left scratches and small scars from barbed wire.

Later on learning how to rope and earning a few rope burns and blisters in the branding pen...

Then tractor time showed up and that means grease, hay slivers and more elements.

Cold days shipping calves, pregging cows and sometimes branding.

Hot days riding the desert or haying.

Irrigating and fencing.

Feeding cows in the winter.

They've wiped down brand new calves and been sucked on by anxious bottle calves.

The list goes on and the reasons for the wrinkles become more and more obvious and make them less and less shocking.

My hands have been put through a lot.

Part of me is sort of ashamed at what I've put them through and part of me is pretty proud of all they've done.

I just need to get better at the daily care I suppose...more sun screen, more moisturizer...Lord knows less sunshine and fewer fences, bales, ropes, balers, bottle calves, etc. is not an option! Maybe I can just start calling them laugh lines too?