It's a funny thing really, the person I see in a photograph isn't the same person I see in the mirror. I wonder why that is? I noticed that yesterday after having a snapshot taken with my granddaughter. In my bathroom mirror I didn't think I looked that old, in the photograph, a grandfather. And not only a grandfather, an old looking man with somewhat of a pot belly. I definitely like the guy in the mirror better. Could it be I'm the only one that sees that guy in the mirror and the one in the picture is what everyone else sees? That certainly appears to be the case. Then, that being established, I'm beginning to have an appreciation for the kindness of others.
There are those that enjoy having their picture taken. I wonder do they see someone different or are they just happy with what they see? I have noticed this younger generation seem to take a lot of selfies. A lot of selfies. At first I thought it was simply because of the convenience in doing so these days. That certainly wasn't the case when I was their age. We did have polaroid cameras' although that certainly wasn't cheap. I think you got eight pictures in a package for like five or six dollars. And you did need someone else to take the picture, then they wanted their picture taken too. Few pictures were ever taken to look at it for sixty seconds and get discarded. Well, deleted these days, same action , different word. But now on second thought I'm wondering if all the picture taking isn't about convenience, it's because that is what they see. What I mean is, those selfies are their mirrors. That is the person they see. Of course then who do they see in a mirror? As I said, from my experience those people never look the same.
I am often annoyed at the commercial on television. That is especially true with the ones concerning senior citizens. If you are between the age of fifty and eighty we will sell you "final expenses" insurance so your death isn't a burden to others! Yeah I sure hope that isn't inconvenient for them. But I get the message. More annoying is the use of really old looking people as grandparents. Have you ever noticed that? The " grandparent " is grey headed, hunched over and feeble, needing a flip phone with larger buttons and technology to make it easier to use. The grandchildren are just cute little children, all innocent wanting grandma to run and play with them. My question is, how old where they when they had kids? Did they wait until they were fifty to have children of their own? Those " grandparents " look more like great grandparents to me. Hey I'm a grandfather and I don't look nearly that old and I'm not incapable of using a phone and I certainly don't need life alert!
Well, whatever. It is just something I was thinking about. When we look in the mirror, we are seeing what? In my experience that changes every day and according to my mood. There are times when I see a younger man and times when grandpa shows up. But I'm thinking that may be simply because I don't spend a lot of time in front of the mirror. More time in front of the mirror than in front of a camera though, maybe that explains the selfie thing. These young folks spend more time taking selfies than I've ever spent in front of a mirror. As a result the image for me changes quite slowly in the mirror but rapidly in the photograph. That's why seeing a picture of myself is usually somewhat of a shock. If I were looking at pictures of myself all day, I wouldn't be as surprised. Do you know what I mean? Thing is there are times when the mirror lies. white lies, but the camera never does. A picture whether a photograph or a digital image captures a moment in time, forever. You can't change that. That's what you look like at that instant! The mirror however doesn't capture anything, it merely reflects. Yesterday it reflected the past, I'm looking good all things considered. Later in the day I saw that picture of myself standing next to my granddaughter. Crap, the old guy showed up for that picture. Isn't that always the way. Where was the guy in the mirror?
There are those that enjoy having their picture taken. I wonder do they see someone different or are they just happy with what they see? I have noticed this younger generation seem to take a lot of selfies. A lot of selfies. At first I thought it was simply because of the convenience in doing so these days. That certainly wasn't the case when I was their age. We did have polaroid cameras' although that certainly wasn't cheap. I think you got eight pictures in a package for like five or six dollars. And you did need someone else to take the picture, then they wanted their picture taken too. Few pictures were ever taken to look at it for sixty seconds and get discarded. Well, deleted these days, same action , different word. But now on second thought I'm wondering if all the picture taking isn't about convenience, it's because that is what they see. What I mean is, those selfies are their mirrors. That is the person they see. Of course then who do they see in a mirror? As I said, from my experience those people never look the same.
I am often annoyed at the commercial on television. That is especially true with the ones concerning senior citizens. If you are between the age of fifty and eighty we will sell you "final expenses" insurance so your death isn't a burden to others! Yeah I sure hope that isn't inconvenient for them. But I get the message. More annoying is the use of really old looking people as grandparents. Have you ever noticed that? The " grandparent " is grey headed, hunched over and feeble, needing a flip phone with larger buttons and technology to make it easier to use. The grandchildren are just cute little children, all innocent wanting grandma to run and play with them. My question is, how old where they when they had kids? Did they wait until they were fifty to have children of their own? Those " grandparents " look more like great grandparents to me. Hey I'm a grandfather and I don't look nearly that old and I'm not incapable of using a phone and I certainly don't need life alert!
Well, whatever. It is just something I was thinking about. When we look in the mirror, we are seeing what? In my experience that changes every day and according to my mood. There are times when I see a younger man and times when grandpa shows up. But I'm thinking that may be simply because I don't spend a lot of time in front of the mirror. More time in front of the mirror than in front of a camera though, maybe that explains the selfie thing. These young folks spend more time taking selfies than I've ever spent in front of a mirror. As a result the image for me changes quite slowly in the mirror but rapidly in the photograph. That's why seeing a picture of myself is usually somewhat of a shock. If I were looking at pictures of myself all day, I wouldn't be as surprised. Do you know what I mean? Thing is there are times when the mirror lies. white lies, but the camera never does. A picture whether a photograph or a digital image captures a moment in time, forever. You can't change that. That's what you look like at that instant! The mirror however doesn't capture anything, it merely reflects. Yesterday it reflected the past, I'm looking good all things considered. Later in the day I saw that picture of myself standing next to my granddaughter. Crap, the old guy showed up for that picture. Isn't that always the way. Where was the guy in the mirror?
No comments:
Post a Comment