I regretfully missed my 50th high school reunion a few months ago. The pictures were eye-opening and thankfully there were name tags for identification. Some of my classmates had aged beyond recognition, while others worked hard to make sure they looked good. I’m sure some plastic surgeons, Botox clinics, weight-loss programs, and personal trainers profited greatly from this event. Regardless, everyone showed a half-century of wear like most antiques. I’ve tried to keep myself in good shape all these years, running every day for the last ten. I wanted to hear the words, “you look so much younger than your classmates.” Doesn’t everyone?

The fact of the matter is that we all feel that we haven’t changed much. When we look in the mirror, we filter out the gray hair, wrinkles, and skin imperfections associated with aging. We see ourselves as still youthful, comfortable with our appearance, and confident that we look good for our age. We look forward to being with our age peers, because each of us is convinced that we have aged better than our counterparts. While we see a fat, bald guy that once was the class stud, he sees little change in his once-admired appearance. It’s much like the Emperor that had no clothes.

I saw a humorous story on Facebook yesterday that sums up this aging phenomenon. It was about a woman who went to a new dentist for a check-up. While she was in the waiting room, she noticed some diplomas mounted on the wall. The dentist’s name then clicked in her memory as being the same as a young man in her high school class. She once had a crush on this athletic, dark-haired kid and it brought back pleasant memories. Could this be the same man, now a successful dentist? Her day-dream was suddenly interrupted by a woman’s voice, summoning her to the dental chair. Soon, an overweight, balding man in a white coat was looking in her mouth. It was not possible that this man was even close to her age, obviously much older, let alone a high school classmate. As the exam continued, searching for a topic of conversation, she halfheartedly asked him where he went to high school. Sure enough, he went to the same school. She said, “I was a Mustang, too,” using the familiar mascot to confirm the connection. He responded,”Oh really, what did you teach?”

The morale of the story is that each of us has a different perception of our respective appearance when we look in the mirror. It’s a whole different ballgame when you add someone else’s perspective. They see all the things that you don’t, trying to justify their own wear and tear. They subconsciously hone-in on the dark circles and puffiness under your eyes, the wrinkles in your skin, your crooked teeth, and the imperfections in your shape. They certainly don’t see those things when they’re evaluating themselves. We all want to think that we haven’t changed since high school, but some of us honestly feel we haven’t. Oh, to be so blind! Go Mustangs!