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Paulette Mhawech-Fauceglia, MD. Paulette Mhawech-Fauceglia, MD

Forever young: A female physician's perspective

One morning seeing my reflection in the mirror

Few wrinkles here, and few there

Few grey hairs, and maybe more there

I stopped and thought, "God, where has the time gone?"

Is that possible? How did it all happen?

I started to panic, and the reality of getting old starts creeping in

Is this what "middle-aged" is all about?

Is it time to take more measures in turning back the hands of time?

Looking around in the crowd, old faces were rare to find

Most women looked young, yet stoic

Neither happy nor sad

What is happiness? Merely to look forever young?

Will our wrinkles be a thing of the past, nature once again defied?

I always thought middle-age would be a time of harvest

The fruits of our labor, our sacrifice

Instead in this plastic age, we ought to focus on

Few wrinkles here and few there

Few grey hairs and maybe more there

Oh God, when will this madness stop?

Forgetting what really matters, what makes us human:

To age gracefully, to be proud of our wrinkles, our grey hairs and our human expressions?

To be healthy, proud of our own achievements, and surrounded by loved ones?

To age gracefully I will, to be happy and content with what has been done

I shall live forever young

PAULETTE MHAWECH-FAUCEGLIA, MD, is Professor of Pathology at the University of Southern California.