Ch-ch-changes

Randy in 2012Randy in 1980When I posted this picture on the left to Facebook a couple weeks ago, it prompted a response from Lene, a friend whom I have known for 30 years. We met in 1982, when I was living in Watterson Towers, a dorm on the campus of Illinois State University, in Normal. Lene's question was this: "Why do you still look exactly like you did 30 years ago?"

I was flattered that she still saw me as when we first met, three decades ago. But then her question prompted questions of my own. I wonderered, Do I really still look exactly like I did 30 years ago, and, if so, is that a good thing?

Randy in 1981Randy in 1984So I dug up my old college IDs, which I've saved all these years. I found three of them from three different colleges (I was restless), taken in 1980, 1981 and 1984. I figured that these three photos provide a fair and representative sample of what I looked like 30 years ago. 

Looking at these old college photo IDs, a couple of things are obvious. One, my hair is much shorter than it was 30 years ago. And two, I smile a lot more now than I did 30 years ago.

The question is, have I really changed that much in 30 years? I hope I've matured mentally. I know I am not the same physically. Time has certainly taken its toll on my eyes and my knees. I need glasses to drive and I run only on a treadmill. There are other parts that might not work as well now, either, but we'll not discuss those here in public.

Randy as the Caveman Lawyer in 1993But I'll let you be the judge and answer Lene's question for yourself: Do I look exactly like I did 30 years ago? Have I been frozen for 30 years and thawed out in a strange world that only frightens and confuses me? 

I think David Bowie probably said it best in 1971, in his song, "Changes": "Time may change me. But I can't trace time."