why do barns age gracefully .. .so well?

Yesterday, I drove past this old barn and stopped to take some pictures.
I wonder why I appreciate the character and strength that this barn represents. . .
It sits abandoned in a field of grass, left to enjoy it's last years .. .
Other than a new roof it appears to be left to age gracefully. . .
and indeed I think it is beautiful.
When I look closely at my face. . . .
I look for signs of "beautiful" aging and yet the world has been successful in telling me otherwise.
I know in my heart it is wrong to buy into the commercial standard of beauty that says youth equals beauty. .. .why do I have such a hard time believing my heart?
More on this another time. .
This photo is almost a four season photo.
The green grass of summer .. .
the golden leaves of autumn. . .
and the fresh snow of winter.
I must say. . . .
I was mighty tempted to hold a tulip to be seen close up. . .to make it four seasons.
Oh ....fantastic news. . .a rain warning is in effect .. .
windy and wet. . how fun.
I think I'll have the grands over. . . it isn't too soon to pass on my love for weather watching.
Have a wonderful day my friends. .

Comments

  1. I find it beautiful, too. What is it? The sagging foundation? The graceful lines? I don't know...perhaps we'll need to look more closely at what the essence of beauty is. Guess that it's always in the eye of the beholder, but beyond that ????

    Your posts always make me think, Lovella.

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  2. I've always loved old barns. Thank you for the scenic photo.

    Actually, by Kentucky standards, that is still a very usable barn (it's standing). It appears perfectly capable of holding a crop of hanging tobacco or sheltering a small herd of cattle from the rain.

    I've always had a desire to pull over and photograph every old barn I see. Next trip back to Kentucky, I may do just that.

    Aging? I'm not going there... heehee.

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  3. Love the aging barn in this wonderful setting. Just so beautiful. I do hope to age gracefully and have happy lines in my face and not bitter :0)
    Enjoy your weather today!!

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  4. Growing old gracefully. Yes, I want to do that. Yesterday in the teachers' lounge, someone commented about how 'painful' it is to grow old, and I reminded her, "Consider the alternative." Shall we call the lines 'experience lines' not 'age lines'?

    Goodness! Look what thoughts an old barn can generate. Its voice of experience calls to us!

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  5. The SLC newspaper had an article about a woman with some physical issue that aged her more than usual.Her response was to hang 40 mirrors in her house at eye level so she could keep a realistic image of herself in her mind, and "own" herself as she appeared each day that God gave her, rather than eschew the gift of that day and live in the past.

    Us bloggers who "dare" to post pictures of ourselves regardless of what our media influenced mind says about our looks is one way of keeping the our mental world real too.

    I will observe however that old barns and older faces do look especially sweet when viewed though a bit of a misty fog. I think that is why our vision fades a bit too as we age...to provide us with that way of softening the edge of reality.

    (And of course you don't want to get me started on the elegant advantage of wearing hats with veils. Boomer ladies...know what your grandmother's knew and add a veil to a classy chapeau!)

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  6. Really nice photo Lovella! Lori T

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  7. I read a poem on true beauty tips - it was making the rounds of the Internet. Audrey Hepburn often quoted it although she didn't actually write it.

    You can read it here

    http://www.slideshare.net/justmirella/audrey-hepburn-beauty-tips/

    Why is it so easy for us to see beauty in an old barn but so hard in the mirror? I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

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  8. I absolutely love old barns..always have!
    I choose to age gracefully and I might add I am well on the way in that dept!! hehe

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  9. I pass by that barn.. and I oft gaze at it too, thankful that some modern machine hasn't demolished it. I wonder... what stories could that barn tell?
    So sad that our modern society has taken the 'old' out of the word beauty!

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  10. I loved Betty R's comment. I loved the three seasons captured on the photo you took. A story...time changes things....it's all good! Kathy

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  11. Oh, Lovella ... your face is beautiful and wise; a perfect mate to your beautiful and wise spirit! I love how I know you. Having met you in the 'wiser' years has been a real blessing to me. Your graceful ways and encouraging spirit are a beautiful witness!

    Did you know that the time you invest in God's Word has a lot to do with your physical beauty? Studying it makes us wise, and Ecclesiastes 8:1 explains the 'beauty' connection ... "How wonderful to be wise, to analyze and interpret things. Wisdom lights up a person's face, softening its harshness."

    How 'bout THAT for a beauty treatment!

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  12. beautiful picture! old abandoned buildings do have beauty...i think it comes from all the marks left by the people who have lovingly inhabited them!

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