You may have noticed from my photo that I have a small head and thin lips. I recently read a book on how to read faces so I can be more discerning in my relationships; maybe determine your true nature and anticipate patterns of behavior. This is an ancient Chinese art. I’ve learned that deep-set eyes indicate a secretive nature, and furrowed brows can indicate a killer instinct. This is useful information to know! And when you have dimples, you’re more likely to have wonderful, serendipitous things happen to you.

I was on a retreat a few years ago. After the opening prayer and removing all watches, Father Ignatius asked each of us to stand up, introduce ourselves and say what we like most about our own face. . . (now that’s food for thought). The priest then admitted that he was most proud of his dark, heavy eyebrows and kept them plucked in vain to avoid a Frida Kahlo-like unibrow.

I shared with the group that I was trying to compensate for my small head and lips by keeping very thick and fluffy hair after perming. There is not much I can do about thin lips as I refuse to fill them with silicone! Fortunately, I was happy with one dimple, albeit an artificially acquired facial feature. You see, when I was a little eight-year-old girl, one day at school, a very large boy with no eyebrows threw a wooden spear that curved and curved straight into my right cheek without leaving a scar (in response to my mother’s prayers). !) but a lovely little dimple.

Age has crept up on me (despite MY prayers!), and you my friends may not know the history of that deep line on the right side of my smiling face, as Father Time turned a small dimple into a long, deep wrinkle. Wisdom and experience have taught me that it gives “character” to my face. I really used that little dimple to my advantage when I was young and acquired a lot of wealth and many blessings throughout my life despite my small head and thin lips.

I pass this information on to you just in case you are unfortunately blessed with deep-set secret eyes or a one-brow killer instinct and wrinkly, sun-spotted skin. Just look, you will find a redeeming feature of the face. A smile always helps.

I really wonder what my life would be like if I had two dimples given to me at birth instead of the big boy with the wooden spear. On the other hand, I have to be thankful for one dimple that God has indirectly blessed me with. In retrospect, I think that boy with no eyebrows could have been one of God’s angels, don’t you think?

PS: Maybe some silicone for wrinkles?

Nada Nuance Byrum is an 87-year-old retired real estate broker in Bakersfield.