IT’S SHOCKING to see pictures of friends I haven’t seen in decades.
Facebook does that to me from time to time.
I go to the Facebook site of someone I knew way back when. I see a young man I recognize from my youth. And he’s standing beside some old geezer. Sorry. I know that’s offensive. But the guy looks like he belongs in the Old Testament, before the Flood.
I look closer at the young man and realize this couldn’t possibly be my friend anymore. So I look closer at the geezer.
Oh my goodness. That’s my school buddy. Look what time and gravity did to him.
Then comes the next thought. It’s a question.
Do I look that old?
Sad to say, first thing out of bed each morning, I do.
Worse, more and more as time goes on and on I look that way longer and longer into the day.
“Beauty does not last” (Proverbs 31:30, New Living Translation).
It’s in the Bible. It’s on my face.
What to do?
I guess there’s surgery. But some surgically altered faces I’ve seen leave people with the permanent expression you’d expect from someone who just sat down on a toilet seat only to realize that someone left the seat up.
Maybe the ancients had a better prescription for aging:
“Be beautiful in your heart by being gentle and quiet. This kind of beauty will last, and God considers it very special” (1 Peter 3:4, Contemporary English Version).
I might add this: “When perusing Facebook for friends from days gone by, brace yourself.”
😛
Thanks for keeping us real, Steve. This blog is just what I needed this morning after I looked in the bathroom mirror this morning. The early morning bags under my eyes made me wonder if I’m actually part Bassit Hound? After reading your blog I went back to the mirror and tried on the surprised look of sitting on a toilet seat, NOT!
I think I’ll stick with my Bassit Hound look. Although, I’ve heard that using Preperation H, strategically placed on eye bags, may cause a subtle shrinkage of this tissue. Wonder if any of your old geezer friends have tried this face altering treatment with acceptable results?
This one hits home becuase you might have been referring to me. You and I were school friends many years ago but the amazing thing is when I do see someone from my past for that moment it feels like time has frozen. I remember something, anything that reconnects us. The truth is you and I are getting older and while the mirror may not be so kind at least we have earned the lines and wrinkles.
Hi Greg. Actually, I was thinking of some photos I’ve seen recently of some guys from my growing up days pictured with their sons. Myself included at my son’s wedding.
I know what you mean about frozen time. I still feel like I should be in a young adult Sunday school class.
If our paths cross again, I’ll be thinking of you the way I did in high school: as that good kid who liked brunettes.