Standing in front of the hotel mirror, the harsh lights creating weird shadows, I heard myself say, “you’re not young and pretty anymore.” It felt like a kick in the gut, but I had to admit, I wasn’t young anymore. I’d gone from being one of the youngest participants in a conference to one of the oldest. And my looks? They were definitely changing.

I no longer had something that I’d taken for granted for most of my adult life. And it felt like a loss. A loss I never expected to hit me so hard. Was I one of those women, obsessed with her appearance? Was I that vain and self-absorbed?

As difficult as it was, I opened up to a couple of friends – and discovered they felt similarly! How many of us are horrified to find out how much we do grieve the loss of our youthful appearance.