A Pair of Hands

My four-year-old granddaughter: "How old are you Grandma?" 

Me: "Fifteen."

Granddaughter: "No you're not, because you've got wrinkly hands."

She's right, of course, that hands (and necks) reveal the truth about a woman's age. I'm rather proud of mine, however. I don't have manicures, or apply nail varnish, and like to keep my nails short so that I can play the piano. Yet the wrinkles, bony nodules and age spots also reveal 65 years of experience. My hands have performed thousands of tasks - caring, loving, cooking, baking, gardening, sewing and writing, to name a few. 

Writing prompts:

• Make a list of all the tasks your hands have undertaken today, no matter how big or small. Now choose one of those tasks and write about it in detail. 
• Look carefully at your hands. What do they reveal about you?
• Of all the ways you have used your hands in the past, which one is the most memorable? Write about that memory. 
• How do you feel about growing older? Do you worry about grey hairs and wrinkles, or do you embrace the changes? Write about those feelings. 
• Audrey Hepburn said: "As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others."  Write about how you have helped yourself today and how you have helped someone else.