Masquerade

I was looking at the bottles of stuff my older brother has bought for his face. He has 30 bottles in the medicine cabinet alone and who knows how much more stuff in the cupboard. He is obsessed in trying to look young. I have 3 bottles of face cream, one for nighttime, one for day and a collagen filler for around the eyes.

I do take care of how I look especially if I'm going to be out in public. I love clothes and I always try to be neat and presentable. I use makeup but try to use a light hand with it. I have very fair skin and if I don't use some makeup I look washed out. I try to emphasize my eyes which are my best feature. Thanks Dad.

I was thinking about the 30 bottles of various expensive creams and how society keeps emphasizing looking young. In other cultures the elderly are looked on with a great deal of respect. They have the wisdom that only age and living can bring. Here in America we seem to push our elderly aside and fight time with all the money at our disposal.

In the pursuit of youth many people turn to plastic surgery and some end up looking like they are wearing masks. Cher comes to mind. She is a naturally beautiful woman but her face looks unreal now. I think we all wear masks to some extent when we deal with the public. We look and act in certain ways that will be accepted in our workplace. I know I do. The Patient Accounts Representative and the real me are two entirely separate people.

With real life we have to perform in a way that is acceptable to the norm if we want to succeed in our jobs. There are certain standards that we are expected to adhere to when we are in public. We look, act, dress and behave in a manner that is socially acceptable. To an extent that is a good thing. We need people to behave in a civil manner in order to prevent strife and problems in interacting with others.

There is another person however inside that also needs to be expressed. When I return home from work I change from my fancy work clothes into my jeans and t-shirts and kick back and relax. Evening is the time that I let the artist out and create. The artist in me has much more freedom then the work day person. I don't have the social constraints that I have at work. I can munch on snacks and allow my imagination to go wild as I work on my pictures. Sometimes I go into writer mold and I can populate the world I created with elves, unicorns, and dragons. I will go on line and chat with friends. I am not limited to the "rules" that guide my daylight hours.

Some day I hope that the artist will be able to support the daytime person and I can drop the mask I wear. I hope the prim and proper business woman will be able to give over to the free spirited artist. The picture is called "Masquerade."