In the Eye of the Beholder

There is a new book out, titled You Don’t Look Your Age—And Other Fairy Tales.

Sheila Nevins wrote the collection of poems and essays about her path from Barnard College to Hollywood, with candid reflections on her face-lifts, frenemies and other topics.

We’re Not What We Used to Be

Yes, those of us “of a certain age” are not what we used to be. On my good days, I look in the mirror and think, “I look a little like the actress Shirley Jones, who starred in The Music Man.”

On bad days, I look like Richard Burton. He had a famous romance with Liz Taylor while making Cleopatra, but lost some of his boyish good looks as time went on.

Trust me, I am not trying to look like Richard Burton, but after spending time volunteering at the local elementary school, I have a new appreciation for reality. My job was to direct the kids from the hearing-test station to a second station where a Marathon County employee checked their vision.

Kids Tell It Like It Is

The youngsters were adorable and so serious about doing their best. But a couple of them threw me for a loop. There was Timothy, a dark-haired kindergartener with huge brown eyes. After I directed him to a chair, he looked up at me with his mouth hanging open. Then he asked, “How old are you?”

I sputtered that I was a grandma and asked him if he had a grandma. But it was a bit shattering to realize how old I appeared to him, compared to all the other people in his life.

And Then Another One—

Soon he was followed by Mason, who took one look at me and commented his grandmother died this week. As I sympathized, he told me, “She was 91.”

Then he asked, “How old are you?” looking me up and down to see if I was about to keel over.

“Not that old,” I assured him, as I shooed him along to get his vision checked. Obviously, that kid

needs glasses.