I remember the first day it happened. I awoke looked into the bathroom mirror and didn’t recognize the reflection. Who was that old man looking back at me? I didn’t feel as old as I looked. That morning occurred more than 10 years ago.
I always had thought I looked younger than my years. That all changed when I turned 39. I don’t like to celebrate my birthday so I was keeping things low key around the office. Walking down the corridor I ran into a couple of people, one of which wished me a happy birthday. I said “thank you” and began to walk away. The other person said, “How old are you?” Being an open book I said “39.” The questioner’s response, “No, really, how old are you?” I started to laugh and said, “How old do you think I am?”
“Forty-seven?” was the reply. My heart sank. The person tried to rationalize their guess, but I didn’t buy their explanation. My “Dick Clark” syndrome was over and never again did I feel I looked younger than my years.
Nowadays it seems a different person is looking back at me on a regular basis. And since 39 was so long ago it doesn’t bother me anymore. I’m hearing a great deal about my appearance recently. Some people may think it’s nagging, but it’s just every day conversation to me.
- Why don’t you let the neighbor give you a haircut?
- Can you see how curly your hair is in the back?
- Aren’t you going to shave today?
- Did you take a shower today? You look dirty.
My replies are almost always courteous.
- My hair hasn’t looked this good since the 70’s.
- I can’t see the back of my head and I don’t have the flexibility to turn that far around.
- No, I’ll shave in a day or two.
- I jumped into the lake, does that count?
Bob Dylan was right when he sang, “The times they are a-changin.”
These are indeed interesting times and I don’t think we will ever go back to the way things were before.
Like most people around the country I haven’t been traveling so I haven’t seen a great many folks for quite some time. There are several people I’d enjoy seeing. It’s been between three and six years since I’ve been face to face with dear friends. I wonder what they look like in their mirrors.
Zoom, Blue Jeans, and Face Time have enabled some connections. But it’s not the same as face-to-face. When there is more than one other person connected the delay causes frustration and you invariably step on each other’s conversations. The current Progressive commercials do a great job of illustrating the problems with these helpful, yet challenging, software applications.
As I have done several times in the past, I encourage people to reach out to one another. Let someone know you’re thinking about them. Let them know you care about them. Most people I know appreciate the effort and it will bring a smile to their face to know you cared enough to extend the hand of friendship.
Interesting times? Yes. But also there is no doubt these are trying times. Worry, anxiety, illness, depression, economic uncertainty and a plethora of other challenges can easily move into one’s head and may have signed a long term lease. These type of negative thoughts need to be evicted from one’s mind as quickly as possible. One way to help remove the negativity is to find support in others. Whether it’s a neighbor, co-worker, counselor, long lost friend or significant other take the time to make the connection.
When you look in the mirror tomorrow morning I hope you’ll like the reflection you see. I also wish it will cause you to pause and reflect on who you want to reach out to next. My guess is you will be glad you connected whether that person needs a haircut or not. And they will be glad you made the effort as well.
Until next time…