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by Adam Zack — May 9, 2018

Look at it like a first date.

“I’m looking at the man in the mirror….”

– Michael Jackson

I got such a good response to last week’s blog that I feel the topic of really looking closely at what we see everyday needs to be probed a little further. I was listening to some comedy from the very funny and sardonic Dan Cummins recently. He talked about seeing himself straight on in the mirror: Looked good, aging well, seem fit. Some time later he saw a side view of himself, and thought “Holy crap! Am I a pregnant woman?” when he saw his gut. He didn’t see it when he was looking straight on. I think it’s something we can all relate to in some way. We look at ourselves in the mirror every day – looking good, aging well, hair mostly there, weight up a little but can’t really tell. Then, through some unexpected view of yourself, like in a hotel with a lot of mirrors or on a security camera or on someone else’s photos, you see yourself not through your own eyes of familiarity, but through the eyes of the rest of the world. Damn, I am going bald! Damn, am I that fat!? Damn, I don’t need to pack my bags because they’re already packed right under my eyes! It’s like last week’s familiarity story: You see the same thing every day and develop blinders to what strangers see. It involves a heaping spoonful of denial sprinkled with some who cares and topped with a it-is-what-it-is. Looking at your store like a stranger sees it is extremely difficult. Look at it like a first date. You want to be looking your best to impress this hot babe or buff dude, right? So ask your best friend: How am I looking? Does my breath smell bad? Do you think I’ll make a good first impression? Do I look pregnant from the side?