Look Beyond the Wrinkles

Recently an acquaintance of mine asked me, "What is the worst part about growing old?"  In all honesty I had to say, "It is the way other people see me."  When they see my wrinkles, and other signs of aging they see me as an old lady.  This denotes over the hill, knows nothing, and is on her way out.  Without hesitation, she replied, "But the minute you open your mouth it is obvious you are not old."

Being treated like old people is something my husband and I witness every day when we are out and about.  The other day, after shopping at a local store, my husband needed a little assistance getting up from a bench he had been resting on.  A young lady spotted us, came over and offered to help.  As we started to walk away I thanked her.  She informed us that she was used to this sort of thing because she was a teacher in a Special Education class.  She seemed happy that she had been able to offer a good deed to two old people.

The minute I shared the fact that my husband had been a professor at a local college for 23 years, her whole demeanor changed.  Her fact lit up, and she began a conversation, asking what subjects he had taught.  Now she was seeing us in a different light, not just old people, but people who had a purpose in life.

If it is true that you cannot judge a book by its cover, why is it that when our covers become wrinkled, crinkled, or rimpled we suddenly become unnoticed, unwanted and underestimated.