Now I look in the mirror once or twice a day to check and see if I'm still here and that no parts have fallen off. Fortunately our features change so slowly that we are fooled into thinking that few changes have taken place and the face we see is the one we always had.
Every once in a while something happens that brings a striking end to the idea that we still look the same. We can look at old photographs but even then we still have in our head that tht's what we still look like. We c an meet old class mates and they don't know us.
In one Innuit community that I lived in for two years I was called "Ehunga." I knew that they called me "Ehunga" and gradually I discovered that it meant "Crooked Mouth." This disturbed me quite a bit because I have always prided myself in being honest. One day I got up enough nerve and asked why I was called "Crooked Mouth." They instantly used their hands to demonstrate that my mouth slanted upward from left to right. Was I relieved! At least I was honest! I also had a major lower jaw protrusion. These issues were what I was born with.
When I needed some major dental work they did surgery to repair the jaw issue. There were some complications with the surgery and some nerve damage resulted. I don't have much feeling on the lower left side of my face. Aging has resulted in some more sagging of muscles on the left side. All these years I have been looking in the mirror and have not noticed much change. I guess things my eyes were seeing didn't get to my brain.
What brings about this major discovery that everybody else is aware of? Well, when I went on Skype the other day I saw myself on video for an hour and a half. I haven't been on video for a while. I was able to watch myself talk, smile and laugh. I was able to see these facial features that aren't always obvious when looking in a mirror. You usually don't talk or smile when you look at yourself in the mirror.
So I came face to face with myself while watching video. It was interesting, amusing and provocative. I was able to think about how we see. It's the brain that does the seeing. Sometimes our head really influences how we see.
Now if I had the technical expertise I would show you pictures for examples of what I mean. On the other hand consider yourselves lucky!
So some people see great beauty in a certain art piece and others consider it downright unappealing.
funny, I know what you mean about seeing self, its a little different isn't it. What I find really strange and foreign is how my voice sounds recorded, it is definitely not how I hear my voice. I thought that the recording was wacko but Gerald confirmed it was how my voice sounds, no way I say its just to weird. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteI see myself talking to my sister on iChat (the Mac version of Skype) and the one thing I notice is how much we resemble each other. I don't look anything like I did when I was young, but it's been so gradual I don't notice the changes. The passage of time takes its toll on everybody, not just you, Red. :-)
ReplyDeleteDJan, it's a good thing the changes are gradual. I don't think our brains could take a rapid change. You're right that we don't look anything like when we were young. I really like the three pictures of you on the blog. It's a powerful statement that says you are comfortable in your own skin.
ReplyDeleteTess, Gerald is absolutely right . We hear ourselves from inside our head. We don't hear from ourselves from sound waves. We hear everybody else from sound waves. I admit it does unnerve you when you hear a tape of yourself but you get used to it.
ReplyDeleteTechnologically challenged, eh? Me Too...the computer has skype, but haven't tried it yet...maybe someday...but maybe I don't want to see myself that way...hhmmm.
ReplyDeleteAw come on Judy. If I can handle looking at my face anybody can. For my wife it's a real treat as she likes to visit and to see the person makes a lot of difference for her.It's also great to see grand children
ReplyDeleteIn my head, I'm still a young, skinny kid. My mirror is laughing at my delusions though. ;)
ReplyDeleteLike the way you say, " My mirror is laughing at my dilusions. "
ReplyDeleteOne of my former classmates always says , "You'll always be eighteen in my mind." We haven't seen each other since that time.