Aging with Grace

The height of sophistication is simplicity.

Claire Luce Booth

This quote was in my planner for April. It might sound like a contradiction, I don’t believe it is. It’s about not trying too hard, not over doing it, not caring so much about what other people think. Sophistication, I think, is about being comfortable with who we are. It’s not about, “Keeping up with the Jones’”. 

It seems, consistently competing to to have the biggest, the best, the most expensive, is unique to Americans. I’m not sure it’s that important in most cultures. Having a comfortable quality of life, a happy family, good friends, is more universally important. I’m sure studies have been done to try to figure out why being  and having the best is so important in our lives. I don’t know the answer to how we ended up on this path. I do believe it’s a battle we will never win. There will always be someone wealthier, more successful, more attractive. Why do we care? Sophistication is about not having anything to prove, being comfortable with who we are, remaining uniquely you.