Pickles by Brian Crane for November 14, 2022

It is said that children age you. That may be, but in reality, it is mirrors that age you.

I felt nineteen until my knees started reminding me. Now I’m feeling about 40. I wish EITHER of them were true.

No, Sylvia, that shriek was from Grandma. Earl left the seat up again.

Every now and then I’m feeling like a million bucks, then catch sight of myself in the mirror and I think…..THAT can’t be right.

“You get older every second,” as I always say.

“Everyone gets older, but no one has to get old”George Burns

One of the better days as a teacher for me, was the day students and I were kidding each other. I was in my late 40’s and they labelled me as ‘bald-headed’ [A small ‘picnic area’ at the peak], bow-legged [they had me there], and potbellied [a trick of the light, I said]. When the laughter died down, I gave them the following forewarning:

It’s been fun, Kids, but how about a reality check. Take a moment right now to think of the relative that your family says you most resemble and remember this: one day, 30-40 years from now, you will see that person looking back at you from your mirror. When you get over the shock, you also will see my face over your shoulder . . . and I’ll be laughing.

That was about 40 years ago and I get a good laugh knowing that some are even now remembering those words.

While “skinny” mirrors exist, if someone could invent a “youthful” mirror, they would become a billionaire.

Time for that facelift, huh Earl?

I momentarily think, “Whoa! Who is that other guy in the room?”

We get too soon old and too late smart, Earl!

I look in the hallway mirror and see a sagging wrinkled old lady. Then I look at my family ALWAYS there for me, and I FEEL GREAT!!

Pink Floyd …….. “Time” …..

Ah, the shriek of reality…

I look in the mirror and see my grandmother looking back at me. Good grief!! How’d that happen?? ;-D Growing old is better than the alternative, though.

Inside of every old person is a young person thinking “what the h3ll happened?!!”

The shriek was only the opening act. The string of mild profanities went on for some time. The brooding attitude has a long tail.

That really is a problem once anyone (man or woman) hits their 70s. They, sometimes, can’t believe it’s been THAT long until the effects hit them, such as occasional loss of memory, grey hair, weight gain (and maybe things I never knew).

Time is amazing, think of something that happened 20 years ago… attack of America. Feels like yesterday. Think about 20 years from now, seems like forever!, and for at least 15% of the population will not be around to see it! Good news is as we head into 2050s, there will be no Biden, Putin or Trump…

Soemtimes my mind thinks its 30. My body says, “you crazy.”

Nope……. that was something else ENTIRELY.

Mirror, mirror that I see. Is your reflection really me? Where’s the young man I used to know Without the lines and gray in tow? I see lines when your smile is there. And that’s not grey, it’s silver hair. Youth is not what handsome depends. It’s love of family and good friends So ignore that older face you fear And thank God you’re younger than you’ll be next year.

I have always been very active, and retired @ 78!

I still feel like rock n rolling and I’m never gonna give up! ☺️

No mirror? Great. Plausible deniability. I’m still a wild buck, roaming free.

They say that is a problem with men. We establish out identity when young and we never update it.

Men look in the mirror more than women but we only look at part of us in the mirror, the part we are concerned about; such as our face when shaving, our hair when combing, etc. So we rarely get a full update on what we look like currently. And we forget it quickly for our perceived identity.

Some friends of mine were kind enough to host a little celebration for my birthday last year. After the cake was paraded in, and the candles extinguished (without the aid of a fire extinguisher, I add with some pride), a young lady aged six and half, told me in wide-eyed wonder, “Wow! You’re older than my grandpa – and he’s dead!”

Call 911! My father is trapped in my mirror!

yep… and where is the wisdom that was supposed to come with age??

No that shriek was Opal when she groggely sat down on the toilet. Earl forgot to put the seat down again and that porcelain gets cold.

Crane was born in 1949 so he is 73 today. He would have been Nelson’s age in 1955. So if Opal/Earl are based on his grandparents who likely were in their 60’s (born in the 1890s) there is a big difference between being 65 in 1955 and being 65 in 2022 (born in 1957). I am 71 and just about everyone I know is >70 and none of them even those in their 80s act/look as old/decrepit as Earl.

That was actually Opal when she sat down on the toilet. Earl left the seat up again.

No, that shriek was from sitting on the cold toilet seat.

Shriek? Nah, primal scream therapy, is all. : )

I can remember my father telling me the same thing. Now at 75, I’m experiencing those same feelings.

“No. That was your mother finally noticing how much I’ve aged.”

We feel young inwardly because Soul never ages, just the body ages.

My healthy, active 89yo mom says that every time she looks in the mirror she wonders: “Who is that old lady & how did she get in here?”

And then there is this about (gracefully?). aging.https://www.gocomics.com/basicinstructions/2022/11/14?ct=v&cti=1589938

Not for me, my body has aged and I feel that. I thought, which will take place next May as my lower hip bone is still healing, and my upper muscle though fighting, is still healing, I am being weaned off from a walker to a cane, done with the wheelchair, been the longest 6 months heading to 7 months. Is age 66 to 67 young to have cataract surgery only on one eye? Vision Dr. been checking it and I had trouble on two eye tests.

I completely relate to the first three panels.

I know what he means. Since the late 90s, I’ve really changed.