Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Aging

This morning after my shower I looked into the mirror and suddenly saw the signs of aging. Wrinkles around my eyes; puffiness underneath my eyes. Was that really ME in that mirror?

I'm sure they didn't just appear overnight; they'd been creeping up on me slowly and steadily for years, but I never saw them. Or, I chose not to see them.

All my life I've enjoyed being mistaken for being younger than I am. Yeah, it was a little annoying to get carded for alcohol when I was 29 but I knew it was a small price to pay for not looking my age or older than my age. I remember being in a bar when I was 43 and the guy I was talking to suggested we were the same age. I asked how hold he was and he replied 33. That kind of thing used to happen to me all the time.

Poor Spouse has had the opposite experience. Everyone has always thought he was older than he is, not because he has wrinkles, but because he has a mature look about him. Everyone thinks Spouse is older than me, when in reality I am 8 months older than him.

I've never taken any credit for my youthful looks. I don't use any anti-aging creams or turn-back-the-hands-of-time lotions to achieve them. I've always joked that it was the result of good genes and clean living. (I've never smoked cigarettes or taken recreational drugs, ever.)

Spouse, on the other hand, has an entire drug store full of anti-aging products in our bathroom. To his credit he really works hard to keep from getting wrinkles and other signs of aging. His favorite skin care line is Serious Skin Care which he purchases from HSN. Each time a new product is demonstrated on TV he orders it. He feels like Jennifer Flavin-Stalone and Shannon Smith are his friends.

He's never looked 'old', just older than me. But now that I am seeing signs of aging and am not doing anything to combat them, he and I may finally begin to look closer in age.

So now I'm toying with the idea of perhaps doing a little something to minimize the appearance of wrinkles around and puffiness under my eyes. I guess I'll consult my very own in-house skin care professional (Spouse) for the best product to try. It may not work, but it can't hurt to try, right?

6 comments:

A Lewis said...

Welcome to my world. Go ahead and have a seat...make yourself comfortable....our getting older meeting will start in a moment.

Bob said...

i always have people telling me I look younger than I am.
My sister, for one, always asks how come I look so much younger than her when we are just sixteen months apart, and I remind her that The Gays are not allowed to age at the same rate as The Breeders.

anne marie in philly said...

yeah, I hear ya. I do the eye cream routine (avon for me). but people still mistake me for mid to late 40s, for which I am grateful (actual age 56.5)!

PS - will this f-ing snow ever end already?

Ron said...

You're older than 43? I was glad I was sitting down when I read that! Wow. Well, get used to it Mark. I too was always mistaken for being much younger than I was. However, that stopped about 15 years ago when my wrinkles and puffy eyes took up permanent residence on my visage. My only advice to you is to relax and enjoy the 'benefits' of being an 'older gay man." Just watch it that you don't start wearing your pants just below your tits. That's a sure sign of OLD MAN.

wcs said...

I hear 'ya. I always looked younger. That's all catching up to me now that I'm over 50. But it's only a minor annoyance. Health and attitude are what count, right?! :)

Don Voth said...

I'd like to take the opposite approach. The good things about aging! I feel so much better about myself. There's a certain comfort that comes with age. (America exalts youth too much.) I feel I have so much to impart to other people with my long life. It's a shame younger people eschew older people's wisdom. Surprisingly, it felt good crossing into my 70s. I'm coming into my own!