Are You Happy With How You Look?

It sounds like a superficial question and I suppose that in some ways it is just that. How we look really shouldn’t impact our self-esteem and sense of self worth. We should be measured by our actions and not the shell that covers our souls.

Now that we have gotten the standard response out of the way let’s go back to the question. Are you happy with how you look?

I’ll start. Nope, I am not happy about it. There are a variety of reasons why. I suppose that the primary is that in my mind’s eye I see a 20 year-old. Ok, I don’t really see my face, but I can see the body. I see the six pack abs, arms that were made of steel, broad shoulders that led into a wide back and small waist.

Physically that guy was in incredible shape. No responsibilities made it easy to spend large chunks of time working out, not to mention a metabolism that made it easy to eat with reckless abandon.

Now when I look at myself I see remnants of the body that was. The back and shoulders look the same. The arms aren’t cut like they used to be, but the natural strength of this Taurean body remains. The midsection isn’t so pretty. It is a little doughy there. If I flex I can see the outlines of the six pack that used to be there, but as soon as I relax the evidence disappears.

I don’t like it. I don’t like some of the things that have come with age. The hair on my head has begun to migrate to other parts of my body. A follicle disengagement is under way. I have offered subsidized housing near my forehead, but for some reason it is not all that popular.

Yet the reality is that although it bothers me, it is not enough to influence my eating habits and routine. I could do more to change. Age is not the sole reason I don’t look like that guy any more. I am married and a father, but that is not enough to explain this state of affairs.

So the only conclusion that I can come to is that I am bothered by this but not enough to change my habits. Well, that is how it has been. My goal is to change that. My desire is to do what I need to do to rectify the situation, not because of the superficiality of it, but because of common health issues.

I don’t have any health problems now, but that is not going to last forever. So here is the goal for the coming holiday season. I am going to work hard to not over indulge. I am going to work on trying to create a modern version of that 20 year old.

The goal is be able to still play ball with my children well into my 50’s and beyond so the time to start is now.