“Beautiful young people are accidents of nature,
but beautiful old people are works of art.” -Eleanor Roosevelt
As a five-year-old I thought life would be perfect if I could only wake up blonde and blue-eyed. Today I do not know why at this tender age I did not think life was already perfect. Time passed, I never changed the color of my hair, and I discovered the delights of education, particularly literature and the poetry of science. The pleasure of color and design vibrated in words, and even under my laboratory microscope. I discovered that my bohemian color combinations had survived the critical calls from my school principal. Childhood memories of Chagall’s exuberant sets at the opera, and the stained glass windows in my grandparents’ synagogue still resonate in my soul when I design.
Becoming a mother profoundly influenced my ability to savor the ephemeral years, realizing that we can age with style and creativity, seasoned with wonderful memories. My Jewish mother, still a stunning woman, even as she battles the ravages of cancer, is my role model. Her physical beauty lingers, her “personal accident of nature”; the glowing light emanating from her eyes is her inward work of art. She taught me to give back, imbuing my deeds with her character and compassion; even as I age, I carry her forward, and she remains forever young and vital.
As a designer, I create and collect, and time has gifted me with the perspective to know what to keep and what to release. We can remain true to our authentic self while moving our inner furniture around, re-designing and coloring our worlds daily. I have come full circle and realize I was correct; the world was not perfect at five, it never will be, however with our personal brushstrokes we can leave it more vibrant than we found it.
Barbara Lazaroff is a designer, restaurateur, philanthropist and author. www.BarbaraLazaroff.com
