To Keep Shining Forever

It happened just recently.
I was chatting with two women of the same generation, Y and M, and when my age came up in the conversation, Y said:

"Asagiri-san, you're only one year older than me? I had an image of you being much younger..."

My reaction when she said that.

(That's kind of novel...)

Saying "you look younger" or "I thought you were younger" sounds similar, but the nuance is clearly different.
What is an "image," anyway? Not "looking young," but an "image of being young."
See, it's novel, isn't it?
The person who said it also seemed to be deep in thought.
Perhaps to Y, I don't actually look young. If anything, looking just at my face, I might look my age or even a little older than my actual age.
And yet, for some reason, she thought I was three or four years younger than her.
Why?
I could read that honest thought from Y's expression.
It was M who threw a lifeline to the silent Y.

"Asagiri-san, you just seem so lively."

Then, Y lifted her head as if struck by a realization,

"Yes! That's it!"

Just as she raised her voice with delight, like a fish finding water,

"I see. Because you're always lively, you give off a young feeling."

She concluded to herself.
As for me,

"Yeah. I'm just restless, you know."} 1_self_close

I said with a wry smile, while remembering something from about five years ago (I've had this happen before...).
At a drinking party with other moms, one mom who had a bit too much to drink leaned in and said,

"Asagiri-san, you're sparkling so much! You're really, truly sparkling!"

Unfortunately, I cannot confirm that sparkling or lively appearance myself, but I have a vague idea why I might look that way.
Raising three children while doing work I love and enjoying my hobbies.
I think I am probably someone who enjoys her days quite a bit, even among women of my generation.
Of course, I can lead such days precisely because I have built things up through effort from my youth until now.
Perhaps that confidence and sense of fulfillment are showing on the surface.

"Once you pass 40, you must take responsibility for your own face."That is a well-known saying, isn't it?People who live sloppily end up with sloppy faces and bodies, and people who only speak ill of others end up with sinister-looking faces.Even if someone seems quiet, you can tell if they have a core by looking into their eyes.Thankfully, even now that I am well into my 40s, I am often told that I am "pretty" or a "beauty," but that is not because my features are perfect; it is surely just that people's eyes are dazzled by my sparkling aura. Surely.It seems it is true that one's way of life and inner self show on one's face.

Oh, and also, always being in love might be one of the reasons I look like I'm sparkling.
When you have someone you like, that alone makes every day shine.
Women—especially housewives who have fewer opportunities to fall in love—become noticeably thinner and more beautiful when they fall in love.
(That's why I can tell right away, "Oh, so-and-so has found someone she likes.")
In fact, there are quite a few women whose expressions and posture even look different when they are with the person they like.Even though they are usually just a housewife and a mother, when they are next to a certain man, they look like a lovely young girl.(That's why I can tell right away, "So this is the person she likes.")That is how much a woman in love sparkles. Falling in love is wonderful.However, after falling into an affair for a while, for some reason that sparkle peels away, and a sense of vulgarity begins to seep into their expression.(That's why I can't help but notice, "Oh, so-and-so is in a quagmire.")

Cherishing your family, enjoying your work and hobbies, and falling in love. But not having an affair.
Perhaps that is the secret to being able to keep shining even in my mid-40s.

It's okay if I don't look young. What's important is a youthful image. The image you give to those who see you.
It's not too late to start now.

To be confident in yourself years from now, and to keep shining forever, why not find something you love, something important, or something you can be passionate about?
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