When you run into someone you've not seen in years, do you wonder if you look as

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   rutleyposted 12 years ago

   When you run into someone you've not seen in years, do you wonder if you look as old as they do?

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   Diane Woodsonposted 12 years ago

   That hardly ever happens, but if I did, from friends I have seen on sites, I look younger than I am. When we go places people always are saying I look 20 years younger than I am. I hope they are telling the truth!

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   pmorriesposted 12 years ago

   I hate to admit the truth, but I do ask myself that question all of the time. Also, there is the Hollywood version of forty (look great with lots of help), and the everyday person version of forty (not so flattering).

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      rutleyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That's for sure! I wrote a hub about my over 40 butt!

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   sflorschposted 12 years ago

   All THE time!  And then I wonder if they are thinking the same thing because maybe I don't really look as good for my age as I thought   Good question!

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   Moon Daisyposted 12 years ago

   Ha ha, great question!  Well, to me, I do look my age, so I assume that I do to other people too!  But I suppose that different people have different perceptions of how a person looks.  It would be interesting to get an honest view of how old/good one looks, but most people probably wouldn't tell the truth about that!

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      rutleyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah....most people wouldn't say," Girl, you look like an old hag!" to your face anyway!

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      pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Oh no,honesty is not the best policy (let me live with my illusions).

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      Rosemary Banksposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It's all about telling the truth. It's nothing better than a clear conscious.

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      Moon Daisyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Rutley, you make me laugh! I do usually think that honesty is the best policy, but I'm a little hypocritical in this instance, as I would be a bit mortified if someone was honest enough to call me an old hag, lol!

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   MickSposted 12 years ago

   Yep, we all do, the look is hightened because you are remebering them how they used to look, and now is the reality, your long missed friends see you the same way.

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   MarleneBposted 12 years ago

   Oh yes. I look at them and they look so aged. In my mind, I don't look THAT old, and then I ask myself, 'Do I?' I go and ask my husband and he comes back with, "You look as old as you look!" What kind of answer is that? Anyway, I suspect I look as old as my long lost friend. I'm just not admitting it to myself yet. At the same time, my friend might be saying to herself, "Gee, girl, you look so... old!"

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      pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Your husaband is a very wise man. He knows how to answer a loaded question; however, I do not see any wrinkles your profile pick, so maybe he hedging his bets for the future?

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      rutleyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Marlene....you are beautiful!

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      MickSposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That sort of answer is the sort of perfect, get out of trouble, answer that men have been perfecting for milenia.

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   Larry Wallposted 12 years ago

   I hope I only look as old as they do. I started losing my hair when I was 28. It started turning gray a couple years later. I am 60 and have been getting senior discounts for the past six or seven years without asking. I do still get carded if I buy wine at some places.

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      Ciel Clarkposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Recently it has seemed strange when I get carded (every couple of weeks), and they do a double-take at my (pre- 70s)  birth year.   Strange, but not as strange as when I started getting called "Ma'am"

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   Rosemay50posted 12 years ago

   Every time. We tend to carry an image in our minds of how we remember the person and how they looked the last time we saw them. It sometimes comes as a shock to see how someone has aged and yet although we only see the gradual process in ourselves, it must come as a shock to the other person just how much we have aged too.
   .

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    Cobrafanposted 12 years ago

    Oh absolutely. Many of my high school friends look like they've aged quite a bit since I last saw them but I still see myself as the same guy that I was years ago. I suppose that's because we see ourselves in mirrors every day and the subtle changes just blend together, but when we don't see someone for a long time all those subtle differences come out the moment you see them.

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    Clive Donegalposted 12 years ago

    A few years ago I went to my first high school reunion. It was more than 30 years after graduation, and I hadn't see anyone from my class in the intervening years.
    When I entered where I thought it was being held, it looked like a golden agers meeting, so I asked an old fella near the door if he knew where the reunion was.
    He said, "Yes, Clive. This is it."

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       rutleyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Hey Clive...you should have said, " Oh, I thought this was the hip replacement and depends convention!"

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       Ciel Clarkposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       This is a great story!  Love it.  I went with my mother to her 50th high school reunion and I did think she looked much younger than the group-- probably it is more of a surprise if you don't see someone for a while.

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    mathiraposted 12 years ago

    I do sometimes wonder whether I look as old as the people as I see. but when they say that i do not show my age, I do feel happy.

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    fpherj48posted 12 years ago

    Well, in a word, NO.  I've sort of commented on this "age" thing once or twice somewhere in a comment section or 2, in response to the particular hub topic.  Through no great feat on my part, I come from a long line of some incredible combination of genetics that apparently have "preservatives" included. lol
    Both of my parents always appeared much younger than they were, at any given age.  When my Mom passed away at 82, she was still being guessed at  being in her 60's.  My only sister, who quite tragicaly lost her life to cancer at 60, was continually mistaken for the "sister" of her sons.
    My Class has a Reunion every 5 years (crazy bunch of party people).....at every Reunion when prizes are awarded, I always win the "Dick Clark" award, for the person who has aged the least. (I would probably win the award for the person who has MATURED the least too....but we don't have a prize for that)
    OH...and one more thing that sort of annoys my huband......when people come to the door, they ask me if my Dad is home!!!         Sooooooo, no, I never wonder if I look as old as others (as long as they're in my age bracket).  As a result I'm never hesitant to tell people I am ++ years old.   Oh dear, look at that....my numbers keys don't work.........Oh well.

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       rutleyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       You do look wonderful in your profile pic!  I bet you don't have an ounce of flubber on you either!  Thanks for the comments and your husband should be proud he has a hot chick answering the door for him!

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       fpherj48posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       You are sweet...thank you...but I cannot tell a lie.  I have a few pounds of flubber here & there and I'm not at all what can be called, "Hot!"  LOL   Thank you anyway.

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    Rosemary Banksposted 12 years ago

    Yes, that is always a thought. But my eyes sure aren't fooling me I know if I do or not. I think that question is the norm we all do that.

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    Alexander Markposted 12 years ago

    This is somewhat a hilarious subject, I laughed so hard at Clive's and fpherj48's comments. I know I've been blessed with a certain aura of youth and I won't go bald probably if my father and older brothers are any indication. Unfortunately it hasn't helped much in the romance department, ha ha!
    
    I've avoided high school reunions like the plague so I have to this date (17 years) not actually met anyone from that "era". But I did make contact with a friend from college and when we connected on FB, I was shocked at the difference - but she's still pretty. I wondered then how well I had aged!
    
    I think we all see ourselves as 20 for the rest of our lives and the fact is that we really do age too fast. I hate watching my family grow old. But I know where we are going and old age doesn't exist there.

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       rutleyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       This is a wonderful observation, especially the last sentence.
       Thanks so much.

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    Barbara Kayposted 12 years ago

    I just attended my Dad's funeral and saw all of my cousins after years. I was shocked by the way they looked. If you see someone everyday, you don't notice them aging. It's when you don't see someone for a long time that you notice the change.
    
    Yes, I wondered if they thought the same about me.

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