The (Wo)Man in the Mirror

I am not really what I appear to be.

Don't get all excited and think you are about to hear the scoop on good old me.

This blog is about you too, my friend.

My hair has help. I have some caps on my back  molars. I have glasses/contact lenses. I have undergarments that hold up and in and whatever else they can do (unfortunately now, they don't do a very good job, but at least there's effort.)

I have razors. Moisturizers. Nail clippers and files plus the other fancy stuff you may use. Ever use make-up to make  your lashes longer and darker, your lips shiny, or your skin smoothed out free of blotches and your cheeks rosy?

I have deodorant and access to soap and warm water every day.

Good shampoo.

I'm sure you are getting the picture.

Think of what you would look like, say one hundred and five years ago (I just pulled that out of a hat.)

Then go back to "middle-class" living in London in the 1800's.

Yikes.

What would you look like?

Let me help: If you are much over forty, your hair would more than likely be grey. Your skin would be very wrinkled, like we think of really old people looking today. You would have lots of teeth missing, and those that remained would not be exactly pearly white. You'd be hairy in places (like your face, and I'm talking to you, girls) that we don't want hair to be.

We wouldn't smell all that great.

And worse, much worse: we might be hungry a lot. And because of that, we'd be humped over.

Don't get me wrong, I'd still love you just the same. And I hope you'd still love me...

Remember the old skit with Phyllis Diller where she and her husband (played by maybe Harvey Korman?) are home after a party and they are gossiping about all the phony people at the party? While they are talking, they are looking in the mirror, getting ready for bed. She takes off her wig, her false eyelashes, a bridge, contact lenses. He removes his toupee, hearing aids and corset.

They never see the hypocrisy.

Aren't we that way when we judge or criticize others?

Why, yes. Yes we are.

So, take a look in the mirror.

I don't know about you, but me?

I've got a lot to work on, and I don't mean washing my face one more time before bed.

I'm talkin' to the (wo)man in the mirror...