Last evening I posted a funny little status to my facebook wall. I wondered why I stayed so " young " while my classmates all grew " old". Of course it is just a joke and not meant to be taken seriously. It was just that, that observation was brought up to me by my sister. She had been talking with my Mom. My Mom is eighty five. In that conversation one of my Mother's contemporaries was mentioned. Mom says, oh my, she must be an old lady by now ! My sister laughed and agreed. What my sister failed to point out to Mom is that she is an old lady herself ! I laughed with my sister about that because I understood it exactly. At sixty one I certainly don't think of myself as " old " and I don't look that old ! At least my mirror doesn't show that reflection. Well it could be that my eyes just don't see it. At any rate, I can relate to what Mom was saying. Age in the first person is different than age as observed. I think it is just an act of self preservation that we think in that fashion.
You know it is a funny thing about mirrors, they show a true reflection. So it follows that what I'm seeing is what I am. What is strange is that a camera, at least these digital ones we use nowadays, are supposed to capture that image. Mine doesn't and neither does any others that I have seen. In those images I do look a bit older. Must have something to do with the technology. To be completely honest I have seen those same images, the older looking me, in some mirrors outside of my home. Never directly though, just a fleeting glimpse. I'm thinking it must be a peek into the future or something like that. When I stop to look, the real me reappears ! Mysterious isn't it ? Has that ever happened to you ?
It is also true that appearances can be deceiving. We all age differently. My hair is beginning to thin in the standard male pattern baldness way. I have known other men that are almost completely bald by forty. An observation of mine, unsubstantiated by science, is that baldness is becoming more prevalent at a younger age than in the past. I wonder why that should be so or if it really is so ? Maybe it is just that fewer hats are being worn. Maybe it is that more hats are being worn. I hear that hat wearing leads to baldness ! I don't believe that though. I predict that in the next twenty years or so another indicator will surface. Tattoos. Tattoos in design and wording will date people. They will change with the skin they are being applied to. That is just a fact of nature and cannot be changed. As a general rule as we age our skin begins to not fit so well. The canvas begins to sag and so does the art. I have a very small amount of this art and it is fading. So far no creases in it but that is because of location. I admit it wasn't a conscious decision on my part, that location, just a fortunate choice.
I have heard that age is a state of mind. I can understand that thinking and can't argue with it. Our physical capabilities will diminish with age, no doubt about that, but our mental capabilities may not. That is the unknown. I sure hope mine remain intact. I will do my best to keep my mind young. That doesn't mean the adoption of young thinking, just exploring the possibilities as presented. These young folks have a lot to learn ! Fortunately I'm still young enough to learn. I wonder about some of my " classmates " though, they look pretty old ! Just kiddin' everyone, just kiddin'
You know it is a funny thing about mirrors, they show a true reflection. So it follows that what I'm seeing is what I am. What is strange is that a camera, at least these digital ones we use nowadays, are supposed to capture that image. Mine doesn't and neither does any others that I have seen. In those images I do look a bit older. Must have something to do with the technology. To be completely honest I have seen those same images, the older looking me, in some mirrors outside of my home. Never directly though, just a fleeting glimpse. I'm thinking it must be a peek into the future or something like that. When I stop to look, the real me reappears ! Mysterious isn't it ? Has that ever happened to you ?
It is also true that appearances can be deceiving. We all age differently. My hair is beginning to thin in the standard male pattern baldness way. I have known other men that are almost completely bald by forty. An observation of mine, unsubstantiated by science, is that baldness is becoming more prevalent at a younger age than in the past. I wonder why that should be so or if it really is so ? Maybe it is just that fewer hats are being worn. Maybe it is that more hats are being worn. I hear that hat wearing leads to baldness ! I don't believe that though. I predict that in the next twenty years or so another indicator will surface. Tattoos. Tattoos in design and wording will date people. They will change with the skin they are being applied to. That is just a fact of nature and cannot be changed. As a general rule as we age our skin begins to not fit so well. The canvas begins to sag and so does the art. I have a very small amount of this art and it is fading. So far no creases in it but that is because of location. I admit it wasn't a conscious decision on my part, that location, just a fortunate choice.
I have heard that age is a state of mind. I can understand that thinking and can't argue with it. Our physical capabilities will diminish with age, no doubt about that, but our mental capabilities may not. That is the unknown. I sure hope mine remain intact. I will do my best to keep my mind young. That doesn't mean the adoption of young thinking, just exploring the possibilities as presented. These young folks have a lot to learn ! Fortunately I'm still young enough to learn. I wonder about some of my " classmates " though, they look pretty old ! Just kiddin' everyone, just kiddin'
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