Glowing at 75

I look at myself in the mirror. I have wrinkles under my eyes. My laugh lines look like someone drew them in with charcoal. I have creases on my forehead. I get depressed.

But when I run into old friends I have not seen for a while, they tell me I look so good. The last one to do that was my dear friend Marissa, who told me I was absolutely glowing. “And you know who else told me you were looking really good?” she added. “Your cousin, Lisa. And another friend of mine who met you in Anilao.”

Omigod, I thought, that must mean I’m really glowing, whatever that means. Then suddenly it clicked. Why did I suddenly start to glow at the age of 75? The one new thing I have started to do is use essential oils for skin care.

Those who faithfully read my columns may remember that sometime last year I wrote about being introduced to essential oils. I think I wrote that they were something like the return of witchcraft. I even printed my niece’s phone number. She was the one who introduced me to essential oils. Some people thought she could cast spells or make kulam as we say in Filipino. I only meant essential oils could create some magic.

 What are essential oils? This is from the flyer: “Essential oils are the life force of plants. They help the plant to regulate itself and add health and overall wellness. These oils can work in much the same way for us.”

 While there are many brands of essential oils available, my niece Gina introduced me to Young Living essential oils. Then you have to get on a computer to become a member and use your credit card to pay the fees, which I admit were quite high. You receive a diffuser and 10 little bottles of essential oil and that’s enough for you to experiment with. But I did not. Spoiled brat that I am sometimes, I attended one of their classes, bought a beautiful wooden box to store my essential oils and forgot about them.

 Last August, on my birthday, my daughter gave me a bottle of frankincense, a different brand, which I used on my face at night because I had a few very annoying warts. In my mind I was about to make an appointment with a dermatologist to have them removed. After maybe 10 days of applying frankincense all over my face the warts sort of flattened out. They were no longer as intrusive as they used to be. My skin looked clearer. I was amazed.

 Towards the end of November I was walking towards bed after a party.  The next thing I knew I opened my eyes and I was staring at the ceiling. I had passed out. It was so painful for me to stand. I couldn’t walk without Liezl, our housekeeper, helping me. It took me a long while to be able to walk without a cane. I would use all the analgesic oils I could find in the drugstore. After about two months I could walk without a cane but I still had little aches and pains.

 The beginning of this year, Gina invited me again to another training class.  There I learned once more how to make makeup remover, something for the muscles. There I learned that frankincense and myrrh were good for the skin and for lumps. So I’ve been using them. I think I’ve been using them on my face since August and more of them lately. That’s where my glow must come from. What is “glow,” anyway? According to some dictionary it’s the ability to shine with some light. That light must come from the essential oils.

 Now, every night before going to bed, I put on the essential oil mixture for muscles. It really helps. I now walk without pain and without a cane.  But I notice that if I go someplace where the air conditioner is exceptionally cold, I get a little pain in my legs. This pain probably comes naturally with age. I put on a special mixture of frankincense and myrrh that I made myself on some lumps that I have on my body. No effect yet.  I will let you know if there is an effect. I currently use a mixture of frankincense, something else, and what they call a carrier oil on my face.

 Let me warn you that this is not a cheap hobby to have, but these days it is at last available in the Philippines. You make an investment of less than P8,000, get a starter kit of a diffuser and seven bottles of different essential oils. Many have turned it into a lucrative business. If you want more information, text me. I can refer you to the right people.

Let me say this. When your friends say you glow, that feels very, very good.

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