February 25th, 2009
Well, neither did I until Sunday night
(Posted by Ron)
I grew up in a relatively conservative area of the country. Although I was in a couple of plays in elementary and high school, I had a real problem with attracting too much attention to myself. I was never one to really dress up for Halloween and don’t remember ever attending a costume party until after Gayle and I were married. Besides, life is very serious and I made it my goal to maintain that seriousness throughout my life.
Marrying Gayle changed that. The first time I remember wearing makeup was when we painted our faces like Mardi Gras masks and attended a high school football game to watch my youngest daughter perform in the flag corps. It was Halloween, but it was still a huge stretch for me. It was even worse for my daughter. You should have seen her face when she saw us! By the end of the night all three of were sporting painted faces.
For many of the past ten years we have had Oscar parties. One of the rules of attendance is that you have to come as one of the characters in a nominated movie. This year I chose to attend as the Joker from the Dark Knight. It was the best costume I have created to date but as you can see from the picture, it wasn’t Heath Ledger quality. I was still upstaged by a male friend who came as the nun in Doubt. Having to shave off a very well developed beard of 15 years gave him extra points!
I believe being in a May/December relationship has been freeing for me. I can’t imagine dressing up (or singing the theme song from Oh Brother Where Art Thou as I did one year) without Gayle’s encouragement. I always believed that type of stuff was foolishness (a word from my childhood.) Enjoying life is not foolishness – it is a necessity (at least for me.) The fact that I’m in an age-gap relationship makes it easier to enjoy life, not harder.
Yes, greasepaint itches. It also brought enjoyment to me and everyone who saw me in costume. Even my kids have commented positively about the picture. Don’t be afraid you might have to change. Count on it. Revel in it! Put on your own version of greasepaint and have a ball.
Some secrets are meant to be shared!
Pass this one on…
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