Type 2 wrinkles

Just minutes ago, I received a spam text that read: “Would you be open to sharing photos to see if we are compatible with each other?”

I hit “Delete and Report Junk” without hesitation. Being very happily married for more than 50 years, I have no curiosity about my compatibility with unseen strangers.¹

But I was also laughing as I booted and blocked future messages. You see, in addition to being short, balding, and having what I have always viewed as overly large ears, I’m wrinkled. I definitely have some “compatibility” issues if you’re basing it solely on looks.

Wrinkles are funny things. As babies, people are often wrinkled. That seems to be more a function of our bodies growing into our skin, filling up, and smoothing out. Those early wrinkles — type 1 wrinkles² — most often disappear for a good part of our lives. But they can return. That’s why an entire industry has emerged to keep them away. Gels, injections, and even surgery can ward off wrinkles for quite a while.

A quick glance in the mirror every morning reminds me that I am the recipient of what I like to call type 2 wrinkles. These little lines and canyons in my face are a result of time. Exposure to sun, wind, and life, in general, causes the skin to lose elasticity and natural collagen. That, along with repeated facial muscle contractions (think frowning and even smiling), can hasten the formation of wrinkles.

I’m partial to the Type 2 wrinkles on my face. They are the result of my experience. Both challenges and joy can be read in the lines they create. The details may be lacking, but my story is there.

And even though I’m less a fan of the sagging skin that accompanies the wrinkled spaces, I’ve come to recognize it as a reflection of the ways that age has loosened me up to new ideas and allowed me to be less concerned about things I don’t fully understand.

I know that we can see all of this as the ravages of aging. And we have a natural desire to stay young and vital. No matter how old you are, never forget that the wrinkles, big or small, tell your story. And the way you wear them can give hope and brighten the world around you. You see, in my book, you are oh-so-very compatible.

1. Or, more likely, some sort of phishing bot. I get it. Bot or not, the sender was trying to initiate some kind of scam.

2. Any self-respecting dermatologist or even the sales people at the cosmetic counter in the Mall will realize that I am making up terms here. “Type 1 wrinkles . . . who ever heard of such a thing!”, they would exclaim.