52 – and that’s not my house number

It's just past midnight and yes, I'm now 52. My wife has always remarked that I really should be doing something about my appearance. That's because for the past 52 years, I have never done a single thing about it. No dye has ever touched a strand of my hair and although the silver streaks seem to show more and more on my head, I'm quite oblivious to them. My brother and only sibling who's a year older has been dying his hair regularly since he was in his 40s. A friend who's in the "beautifying" business has told me repeatedly that in this day and age, it's not uncommon for men to have their faces done up, whatever that means. But nothing will induce me to have my face done or my hair dyed. Not even if people tell me that I'm beginning to look like my wife's dad.

There is one reason why I don't do these things. I know lots of people are prepared to have their faces injected with Botox (which I understand is a deadly poison) and all other chemicals just so that the lines on their faces won't show. But I'm happy to leave the lines on my face and the silver strands on my head. The reason is simple – I just turned 52 today. Of course one would expect to see lines on the face of a 52 year old, fat deposits in the "wrong" parts of the body and grey hair on his head. Why would I want to douse myself in chemicals just so that I might fool others into thinking I'm not really 52?

Just 7 hours ago, I was relaxing by my little pond, reading a book and having a drink when I thought I should take a photo of me so I could post it here under the caption "Birthday suit on my birthday". Here's the pic I took. Let this photo be a celebration of old age which really doesn't mean anything at all to those of us who love life and live it abundantly. Of course there are lines on my face and fats in the wrong places of the body and white hair on my head but I'm not suffering from premature aging so there's no cause for concern. I'm just 52 and this is the normal progression of the human body. And I really don't mind if anyone mistakes me for the father of my wife.

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