You know, I haven't been exactly thrilled about having turned 60 a few months ago. I don't feel like sixty inside. In fact, I keep waiting to grow up. But there are two situations in which I know I'm getting up there: when I get up from sitting on the floor, and when I have the misfortune to see myself in the mirror.
As for sitting on the floor, well, I recounted my Sunday adventure in a previous blog. We visited 9 temples, and I sat on the floor of every one of them, requiring that I then get up again off the floor of every one of them.
And actually, seeing myself in the mirror, or actually the reflective glass of a building on Sukhumvit Road, was what made me think about being "out there". When I saw my reflection, I realized I looked absolutely ridiculous, in my khaki shorts, short-sleeve button down shirt, socks, and sandals. But in fact that leads to one of the advantages of age: one cares (or at least I care) less and less about what people think about me, or about my appearance, my behavior, etc.
In addition, there is the benefit of being a Farang in Thailand. The Thai already expect our behavior to be strange and unpredictable. We are admired for some of our achievements (and aped for many of our material advances) but (silently) scorned for our unrefined behavior.
So it turns out I really don't have to care much about what people think of me or my appearance. If you come to Thailand, you'll see men of my general appearances are a dime a dozen, and they all look pretty much as absurd as I do. But I'll get respect for being older. And nothing I do will make me anything but a slightly weird, occasionally charming Farang.
Actually, that shtick works better here than in Southern California.
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