Geezerhood

Nothing diverts me to Facebook faster than invigilating midterms and exams or marking them. Tonight I am invigilating a midterm for my UFV Business Law class.

I have often posted about aging, and it’s negative effects on my mental and physical abilities. It is possible that I have occasionally exaggerated but there is no denying that the person inside of me, whose self image is trapped in his thirties is constantly surprised and disappointed to see a present day photo of himself.

Lately I have been asked by many people about when I decided to grow a beard because they have just noticed it. Truth is, I have had a beard consistently since 1982. That’s right. My beard is forty years old. It is my most longstanding relationship. I grew it initially to make myself look older and more mature as a lawyer.

But it has turned almost totally white, and I have let it grow, thereby making it noticeable. Want to look a lot older, fast? Grow a white beard.

There are useful aspects of a beard. Time saved shaving. No one wants to kiss you (who cares at my age) . It can catch teeth when they fall out. It makes you look wiser (helpful). It makes you seem jolly ( at least until people talk to me)

However, the reason that I had Pam take the photo below is that I don’t need to help nature make me look old, so I’m going to shave it off.

Will I recognize myself? Will I feel a sense of loss and immediately start growing it again? These and other questions will be answered in a subsequent post. After all, I give a final exam in three weeks.

​And then there’s the marking…..