Life is full of beautiful and amazing experiences, all of which help to form who you are in this world. When you look back at life and see the enormous achievements, ponder the struggles and embrace the loving moments, consider how each of those are a part of you. The face you see in the mirror every day—that beautiful face looking back at you—is a culmination of all those incredible endeavors.

In Chinese Medicine there is a tradition of face reading that is thousands of years old. It is a method that can read the characteristics you brought into this world as well as tell the story of your experiences. It provides an opportunity for us to embrace the lines and wrinkles that we earn as time passes. What we might once have seen as signs of aging, we can now see as lifetime achievement awards.

Five lines on your face and what they reveal about you:

1. Joy lines - There are the small lines next to your eyes that curve up along your temple. You are encouraged to love these lines in yourself and others. These show that you have had a life of joy and have been able and willing to share that outwardly with others. It indicates that you have had numerous moments that have spoken to your heart and brought you laughter and happiness.

1. Wisdom lines - These lines begin from the middle 1/3 to outer 1/3 of your eyebrows and travel at a diagonal through your forehead. If you have these or know someone with these lines, they tell that you have experienced extraordinary, shocking, traumatic or unparalleled things in life that have taught you the depths of humanity. People who wear these lines are the wise guides in life; if they give you an opinion or advice, do yourself a favor and take it to heart.

1. Frustration lines - Two lines that usually run from the inner corner of your eyebrows and go up. These lines have a lot to teach you. They reflect the frustrations and anger that have lurked in you over time. They give you awareness into the opportunity to learn patience, to differentiate what you can and cannot control, and self-compassion. All great lessons to create a more peaceful you, inside and out.

1. Smile lines - These brilliant lines run from the outside of your nose to the corner of your mouth. The deeper the line the better. It is desirable that these lines are very defined and stand out. These creases indicate whether you are following your life purpose. If you have these lines before age 50 you should celebrate. They show that you have lived your life doing what you were meant to do. With these lines you hopefully will have had experiences in life doing what you love and loving what you do.

1. Forehead lines - The horizontal lines that run across the forehead are the arch nemesis of some people, so much so, they will seek Botox to temporarily erase them. However, find satisfaction in knowing that these lines reflect the experiences of your 20’s. Be it a highly wonderful, growing experience or a traumatic episode, these lines tell a story of your life as you learned what it was to be an adult.

The statement of beauty being more than skin deep is ever so true. No matter how old you are, now is the time to embrace who you are. Today is the day to appreciate those learning experiences and the lessons still to learn about life to make it even better.

Michelle Kitsmiller, licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, is trained to help people successfully be fully present in their lives through building a strong foundation with functional nutrition, physical movement, stress management and listening to their bodies. She is certified through the Mind Body Institute in Mind Body Medicine and is finishing a certification in functional medicine as well as a doctorate in acupuncture and Oriental medicine. For more information, and to book an appointment, call 952-452-8583 or visit AwakenedLivingInfusion.com.