If Wrinkles Could Speak...Or Not

Written by Jen Wednesday, 06 October 2010 01:51

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The commercial got my attention with the promise that this product was "rated #1 among dermatologists" for its anti-aging formula.

Ok, tell me more.

Fewer wrinkles, fewer lines, firmer skin. Reports from everyday women (who look mysteriously like they're about 20 years old). Sounds good so far.

Then there is that comparison with other, waaaay more expensive products. And this works better? I'm sold!

Wait a minute. I already use this product.

After a quick look in the mirror I have to admit: I don't see it. The lines are still there. And while I don't remember any promise of lessening those under-eye circles, they appear more like saucers right now so it didn't work if it was supposed to.

Well that's a big fat disappointment.

By now, I'm thinking this is really funny. I fell for the marketing! I lapsed into that old recapture-your-youth trap for a total of about 15 seconds. If this product is really the best there is, uh-oh. I'm outta luck. Or I need an airbrush rather than a wrinkle cream. Or maybe I'm just like everybody else my age, though perhaps "normal" is stretching it a bit.

My husband reminds me, as he is so apt to do every time I bemoan my crackling joints, that 20 year olds know nothing. They can stand around and look good but they should just keep their mouths shut for at least another 10 years. (He borrowed this from a comedian he can't identify but I like to believe there's some truth here.)

The inference I get from this frequent discussion is that yeah, I'm getting older. So is he. But we have some knowledge, some wisdom, some insight worth sharing that we didn't when we were 20, or 30, or...

And that's where it all falls apart ‘cause I'm actually not so certain we're that much smarter. We probably just realize that we don't know much so we keep our mouths shut more. Or at least he does. My learning curve is longer. And I'm apparently more vain.

I pondered these painful truths the next morning while entering the gym. As is my habit, I chose a "spiritual vitamin" from the jar on the counter. These snippets of wisdom, typed on colored slips of paper, are a lot like advice from Grandma-or the pulpit. I keep the ones that speak to me. Oddly, they often reappear on the floor of the car, in a pocket or where I least expect it while I'm urgently looking for something else. I figure it's God's way of getting my attention if I wasn't listening the first time around.

Today's verse is once again appropriate: "‘Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt." Abraham Lincoln said that. Smart guy. Just guessing he had a few wrinkles at the time.