Old Photos
One of my best friends from college visited me at my book signing on Saturday night. He not only brought his wife and kids, he also brought an old photo of he and I. The photo was taken in 1983. It brought tears to my eyes.
Not because I was sharing a moment with a good friend, we've stayed in touch, but because I truly was saying goodbye to a trio of old friends- my dark hair, my hair in general, and my waistline.
My wife took a look at the photo and said - "It's like a before and after and I got the after."
Another great friend said, "And I thought you were fat and bald back then - boy was I wrong."
I also found a photo of my son Jake from 1st grade - the words on the back of the classroom issue photo says - "Anyone can be a Dad - it takes a special person to be a father."
The discussion of how I looked in the old photo continued through the evening. I ran into the wife of one of my buddies - her and I had played little league baseball together - having a beer with her, I couldn't help but smile - "What the hell happened to us?" I asked.
My friend pointed to our children who were playing guitar hero in the other room - "It's their turn to look good - it's kind of over for us."
I thought of my sons and what a pleasure it is to be their father - perhaps my loss of hair and a manageable waistline is the result of stress of child-rearing. I would take that trade.
We all shared a good laugh thinking about how youth has faded.
On the way home, I considered my physical degeneration over the past twenty-five years - I'm ready to burn all of the photos of me now - because when I look back in 2033 - it won't be such a pretty picture.
Not because I was sharing a moment with a good friend, we've stayed in touch, but because I truly was saying goodbye to a trio of old friends- my dark hair, my hair in general, and my waistline.
My wife took a look at the photo and said - "It's like a before and after and I got the after."
Another great friend said, "And I thought you were fat and bald back then - boy was I wrong."
I also found a photo of my son Jake from 1st grade - the words on the back of the classroom issue photo says - "Anyone can be a Dad - it takes a special person to be a father."
The discussion of how I looked in the old photo continued through the evening. I ran into the wife of one of my buddies - her and I had played little league baseball together - having a beer with her, I couldn't help but smile - "What the hell happened to us?" I asked.
My friend pointed to our children who were playing guitar hero in the other room - "It's their turn to look good - it's kind of over for us."
I thought of my sons and what a pleasure it is to be their father - perhaps my loss of hair and a manageable waistline is the result of stress of child-rearing. I would take that trade.
We all shared a good laugh thinking about how youth has faded.
On the way home, I considered my physical degeneration over the past twenty-five years - I'm ready to burn all of the photos of me now - because when I look back in 2033 - it won't be such a pretty picture.
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