Old Guys Are Not Old Men
There is a song by Toby Keith titled, ‘Don’t let the Old Man In.’ It is about the old man (AKA Death) knocking on his door. The message behind the song is about staying in the moment and keeping focused on what’s important, like loving your wife, staying close to friends, toasting each sundown with wine. In other words, being thankful for what you have. That’s how you keep the old man out.
Photo by Jeyho Moon. Iranian men in village of Garmeh.
This is a way heavier topic than we are used to here at Old Guy Skincare. But in the short period we’ve been in business, we’ve noticed a few times that men of a certain age don’t want to be reminded or identified as such. We get it.
One person gave Old Guy as a holiday present, and the 80-year-old man said adamantly, “I hate the name. I don’t identify as an old guy.” What he meant to say was that he does not think of himself as an old man, yet. More power to him.
And that’s the whole point of Old Guy Skincare. It is to identify as anything you want to be — while you spray on Dew It! and then apply Soak It Up! on your handsome face.
Because it’s your face in the mirror. It’s your point of view. It’s your fricking life.
The old guy state of mind is about owning where you are in the moment. When I walk down a street young people smile at me, and it is not the same kind of smile I occasionally got when I was in my 20s. They see a kindly old guy, and no matter what I think about how hip I really am (dripping sarcasm), that’s their point of view.
So, what do you want them to see: an old guy or an old man?
There is a difference. One has style, the other age. (And let’s not go down the rabbit hole of “my old man” as in boyfriend/partner/beau/paramour. That applies only when the guy is a hippy in his twenties.)
Old guys are thrilled to be walking and having people actually acknowledge their presence. It proves they are not invisible (which is again a good reason to have nice skin).
Old guys can be younger than you think
This old guy mindset was recently expressed by a 35-year-old world-class athlete.
"It doesn't matter the age. What is important is the mind… You don't know tomorrow what is going to happen. I live in the present, in the moment. The moment is good, I feel happy, I feel sharp and in a good moment in my life. I hope to play many, many years more but you never know... When I speak to young boys I always say 'enjoy the moment' because we never know what will happen. My eyes see the future very, very bright, so I am happy with that."
In the world of professional sports, creeping up to your 40s is regarded as old, and it is very common for the older athletes to identify themselves as the old guys in the locker room. But once they leave paid sports, they are viewed as being in the prime of their lives, and definitely not thought of as an old man. So, when asked how old is an old guy, I usually say when they identify as one.
Oh, the athlete quoted is Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the two greatest soccer (football) players in the world today. We are not quite ready to send him Old Guy Skincare just yet, but we like his old guy attitude.