“Thank you, Anthony, you did a fabulous job today; even the back looks good. I don’t know how you got rid of those annoying cowlicks back there.”
Do you know the way cowlicks form that little circle in the middle of your head, where gray roots make their first unwelcome appearance? A dead give-away to anyone who colors their hair.
But no worries about that today. I looked good, I felt good, and I was ready for tonight’s holiday party. It was a beautiful day, with temperatures reaching the upper 50’s. So warm for December, it makes this holiday feel more like Easter than Christmas. What I feel now is a cross between holiday happiness and spring fever!
I look forward to seeing people from other departments tonight, people I don’t normally run into on a daily basis. It will be fun to catch up with coworkers’ news and wish everyone a wonderful Year of the Snake. That’s what the Chinese Calendar calls 2013. Do they actually greet friends with, “Happy Year of the Snake?” Maybe someone tonight will know.
Onward. I jump home to dress for the party, put on that special dress, the new high heels, grab the handbag, remember the house keys this time, and leave for the big evening.
I’m humming a tune from “West Side Story,” called “I Feel Pretty,” when I happen past a corner shop displaying lovely jewelry in the window. I stop for a moment to get a better look a when something terrible happens: I get a look at myself as well. “Where is that attractive woman I saw back at the hairdresser’s? Why don’t I look the way I did before?”
What I see now is a tired looking “woman of a certain age” appearing to be scowly and hunched. 
And where did those circles under my eyes come from? The heels I’m wearing cause me to lean forward instead of stand straight, and the large mirror reflects an image of a shorter person than I see in my bathroom mirror.
So now I feel short, stout, wrinkly and scowly.
Happy holidays and Bah Humbug to all!
This essay was written in response to “Life in the Boomer Lane’s “Guerilla Aging: Navigating the Third Half of Life.”
MorristownMemos 
Comments on: "THE STORE WINDOW" (42)
NOOOOO! They do that on purpose, they put in the LIEING mirror so you will go in and buy stuff.. your mirror at home is the real mirror, that is the truthful one.. I once looked in a shop window and saw my mother (who has been dead for years) imagine the shock! Laugh in the face of the bad shop window! c
In your case, Celi, I’m sure the store window needed washing, recalibrating, or reglazing.
I get you. Blame it on gravity …
I’m happy to blame it on anything but reality.
I love this! I’m living this! 🙂
Oh, Debbie; another person of interest in the quest for understanding what happens to all of us some day. I do hope though, that no readers think that the illustration os the old woman in the blue coat is ME; it’s just a Google Image.
Fantastic Ronnie! LOL!! This is a classic! I know exactly what you’re saying. I’ll be all dressed up and my hair will look as good as it is ever going to look. And I think I look pretty darn good in my bathroom mirror and then all of a sudden there’s that glimpse in a store window reflection of this 60 year old lady who unfortunately turns out to be me!!! What a shock. Maybe the only solution is to stay in front of the bathroom mirror 24/7-365! Ha!
Yes, and here we are getting ready to celebrate yet another year down the tube. I was hoping the baby boomers would make the 60’s a stylish look! But No, they’re going to the plastic surgeons faster than ever.
Me too! What a bunch of sellouts we Boomers turned out to be! HA! 😀
Sigh. Been there, done that. No worries, Ronnie, it’s just a feeling that passes. I always remember the kind words: ‘Beauty is the illumination of the soul.’ Shine on, girl, we see the stunning radiance through your beautiful smile.. 🙂
Thank you, Mal. We will all hang in there until the hanging is no longer an option.
Good one Ronnie!
Ask your heart how you old you are. Your heart will tell the truth. And your heart and I agree – you’re young!
What a sweet thing to say; thank you. I hope you don’t think the woman in the picture is ME; it’s a google image.
hahaha! too funny Ronnie…I knew, of course! 🙂
God! This is humorous and very realistic. Here there is a saying: it’s easy to forget that the old hag was once a pretty wife. Getting old and grey is something most people look forward to (me too). But life has a way of concentrating on youth and energy (no wonder the plastic surgery and cosmetics). So I don’t blame the speaker for trying to look good. We all want to look good. In heels? That gave me a good laugh the way you perfectly described it.
This piece is quick medicine. My doc must read it and tag it as VITAL.
Best wishes of the season, Ronnie. Sorry I’m late.
Thanks, Uzoma. I’m also late in responding to your comment. Thanks for your kind comments, and for taking the time to stop by and write. Happy New Year!
Ronnie … I’m betting you were looking at one of those mirrors that distorts the reality of how beautiful you really are. Every time I see your little icon, your smile really cheers me up.
When a co-worker asked how I was one day, my response: Any time you wake up on this side of the grass, it’s a good day.” Or, as a more perverse co-worker once said: “It’s better than a kick in the groin.” 😆
Judy, you’re right; thank you for responding. Don’t we all occasionally have an “I feel ugly day?”
Yes. But we shouldn’t be so hard on ourselves. 😆
You look lovely!
Thanks,Lisa; that’s sweet of you to say.
Ronnie, I think your writing keeps you young, inside and out! Like Carrie, this post reminds me of something my dad often says. He takes excellent care of himself–eats well, exercises daily. Yet he’ll lament, “I feel young. Then I look in the mirror and say, who’s the old guy?”
It’s an emotional reaction, not a reality check. Maybe there are two sections to address; the outwardly physical and the body’s health. The latter is far more important, yet it’s the former that shows.
Too bad we all don’t have mirrors that truly reflect how young and beautiful we feel. You are a vibrant woman, Ronnie – no reflection in a window or mirror could take that away.
Such an excellent post – loved it:)
Thanks so much. I appreciate your comment and support.
Great!! Very funny. But Ronnie, Are you kidding? You’re Gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks, Lisa. Either I’m having a bad hair day, or one of us is exaggerating.
[…] If you would like to read Ronnie’s story of personal exploration, go to https://morristownmemos.wordpress.com/2012/12/15/the-store-window/ . It’s a “doozy” as they used to say in the good ole […]
Third half ? I think I’m nearing the fifth “half”.
So you’ve had 2 1/2 lives? Good Going.
Ohhhh, how I do relate to the sudden surprise of discovering who I really am. That happened when I got a new computer. I was pushing buttons to see what would come up when there was a sudden image on the screen. Ugh! Who is that hag I thought? And it was ME! 😦
Oh, No; that happened to me too. That’s when you see the turkey neck shining through loud and clear.
Ahh, that sounds so sad. Where is the power of positive thinking. Please read my latest essay on what is my most terrible fault for some POSITIVE thinking. Smile away the wrinkles, after all they give you character.
Fabulous idea: we should have a National Holiday called “Positive Thinking Day.” We could compete for all turning all the terrible news into positive thoughts. Are you in?
absolutely. We can be the co-founders
Terrific; I appoint you as Chief Senior Editor and Main Reporter of the venture.
How about a blog. Where we accept contributions from others…inviting them to tell their stories of positive thinking?
Tell me a little about yourself so I can get a handle on the “tilt” of the blog.
Hi Morristownmemos,
I have started the new blog — itisAllfortheGood and have my first guest writer who is from Liverpool. Please check it out. itisAllfortheGood.wordpress.com
Yes, the eyes can deceive us at times. But what’s an aging human to do? As my step-father always says, getting older is better than the alternative…
Step-Dad is right, but it’s no fun watching it slowly happen.