About Face

Yesterday I learned that I have issues with my right wrist, a cyst and carpal tunnel. I started thinking about my hands....about how they function in my life compared to my feet or my shoulders. I thought about the importance of writing, justifiably. I thought about playing piano, baking, gardening, and other pleasures derrived from my hands.

It may not have been a natural progression, but I started to think about other priveleged body parts. For instance, when I miss gerg, I most often think about his face. And my response to that was, "Of course you think of his face, that's where the best of human beauty resides." The face is most certainly priveleged by artists and lovers alike. We spend millions on preserving the face from wrinkles. We use cosmetics and other treatments for our faces, committing much more time and energy to what could ultimately be called preservation. Perhaps this is because the face is the launching point for nonverbal human expression and communication.

In a feeble attempt to face the facts, I asked myself, "Would the face be as important for communication if I couldn't see?" Nope. It wouldn't. Non-verbal communication primarily relies on vision, and those of us who can see rely on the face.

There's a point to this thought-train. I write. It's my primary source for self-expression. Yet, I've always committed more time and energy to preserving my face than my hands. Enough. I'm gonna cherish these hands! That's not to say that I'm suddenly going to stop moisturizing my skin or wearing lipgloss, but I am going to put my face in it's place. AND I'm gonna look for the beauty residing in the shoulder, the thumb, and the kneecap. Beauty and expression are paramount, but they need not end at the neck.