A New Headshot?

by Marilyn Turk

At a recent writers’ conference, one of the speakers advised the attendees to get
new headshots to keep their profiles up to date. A headshot, in case you didn’t know, is
the photo of just your head, the picture of you that goes on the back of a book or on
your website, Facebook page, etc. It had been a few years since I had changed mine,
but I didn’t want to change it. Since I dislike most photos of myself, I wanted to stay with
the only one I liked. Why should I change it? I hadn’t changed. Or had I?

I remembered an incident a few weeks before when my grandson saw a picture of me taken many years ago when I worked for a major corporation. He was certain the picture wasn’t me, and I could not convince him otherwise. Looking at the photo, I had to admit it did not look like me now. But my current headshot? It was only ten years old.
At the conference bookstore, I picked up a book by one of the faculty members and flipped it over to read the back cover copy. The picture of the author was shocking,since it showed him so much younger with brown hair instead of his current gray. How long had it been since he’d gotten a new headshot? Should somebody tell him?

Shortly after the conference, I sat with a group of single women at lunch where
the conversation revolved around men and how their social media pictures were always
much younger than the way they currently looked, a real shocker when you met the
person. That difference in appearance gave the women the impression that the men
were not being sincere. These men weren’t showing their true selves, so they must not
be honest in other ways too.

I glanced at one of my bookmarks which displayed my old, flattering headshot
from ten years ago. Had I really changed so much in ten years? I wondered if by using that picture, I was being dishonest? I didn’t want to believe I looked older. I wanted to
hang on to my younger appearance. Don’t we all? However, I wanted to convey
honesty, and that I was thankful to have lived another ten years. Someone once
referred to age-related signs like wrinkles, droopy eyelids, and other unwelcome
changes on our bodies as “birthday presents.” And that’s what they are: gifts from
having lived longer. Unfortunately, we can’t return these gifts.

The late Jimmy Buffett had a line in one of his songs I like. “Wrinkles only go
where the smiles have been.” If only that were the case. However, I’d like it to be true,
so when I look at the mirror, I tell myself I earned those wrinkles, not from bad times, but
from the good ones. After all, I am a fiction writer. The definition of aging gracefully
means accepting the natural process of getting older with a positive attitude.

I remember years ago when I went over to my parents’ house and found them in
the kitchen laughing. When I asked what was so funny, my mother said, “Daddy and I
just found out something we can’t do anymore!” Knowing them, they had probably been
listing those things they used to do but couldn’t anymore and were able to laugh about
it. I want to have that attitude too.

I know I don’t have much control over how my body ages. However, I can
continue to study God’s Word and learn more about Him. The Bible says as much:
“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet
inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” 2 Cor. 4:16 (NIV)

So maybe I do look older on the outside, but you wouldn’t believe how much
younger I am on the inside! And maybe it is time to get a new headshot.

Award-winning author Marilyn Turk is thankful to have over  twenty novels and novellas in print. Her stories span several genres – historical, contemporary and even a cozy mystery — all laced with suspense and romance. Her historicals are set in several eras, the Civil War, the Gilded Age, and World War II. Visit Marilyn on her website at https://pathwayheart.com/.