Older and Weiser

Aging is just growing into the faces we know by heart.

I bought a giant photo of an elderly couple lounging at a Florida beach resort. He’s asleep while she reads a steamy romance in a housecoat. Their lounge chairs have their last name, “Weiser,” written on peeling tape.

My wife Trish took one look and said, “We’re not hanging that in our house. It’s embarrassing. That could be us someday.”

She’s not wrong. We’re starting to resemble our parents, and nobody wants to look like their parents. Then again, I was never as handsome as my dad looked in his army photo. And I have a picture of my mom when she looked like a 1950s TV star. I guess we wouldn’t mind looking like our parents did back then; we just don’t want to look like them right now.

The Weisers, though, look adorable. She’s glancing at him, not annoyed that he is asleep, but amused. In the background you can see more chairs labeled “Weiser,” suggesting they brought family on the trip. He is wearing a brand-new polo shirt that I just know she picked out for him. To me, it’s obvious they built a good life for themselves and for each other. After so many years, they’re still in love.

Trish and I aren’t the Weisers yet. We’re more likely to be playing tennis or jogging than snoring in the shade by the pool. But someday, when we get there, I hope someone will take our photo. I want everyone to see that we’re still in love too.