A few weeks ago, as I was getting ready to go to the gym in the morning, my wife looked at my white cross trainer shoes and commented on the color. Being oblivious, I asked “what is the matter with white?” To which she answered, “Only old people wear white shoes to the gym.” Being somewhat stubborn I replied, “Well, I’m old.” She would have no part of that, since that would make her slightly less than old herself. 
Her retort was that I should look around the gym and see how many white shoes I could find. Very sure of myself, I did exactly that. When I returned home after work that evening she was waiting for me, and asked how many other pair of whites I saw. The answer was “one and he was old.”
The next day I found myself in a sporting goods store looking at shoes, and immediately picked up a nice pair of shiny whites. That was not going to work. The following weekend we went to New Balance and I came away with a $185.00 pair of gray cross trainers. The store had a record of my last purchase, the white ones, over nine years ago. I tend to keep things for a while. I might add that the gray was as close to white as I could find.
The next humiliation came when my older daughter presented me with some new and colorful Nike workout shorts and shirts. They were a little bright, but I thanked her appropriately. As we were getting ready to return home after my birthday dinner, she came over to me
and said, “…and dad, don’t tuck your shirt into your shorts at the gym.” Horrors, I’ve been doing that wrong too. Looking around the gym the next morning I counted the number of men with their shirts tucked in. You guessed it, there was one, and he was old.
Now at 6:00 a.m., I really am the oldest person in the gym, and that tends to serve as an inspiration for some of the youngsters. You know, those in their 50s and 60s. But that is only part of the point of my story. I have begun to realize that as we age we tend to hang on to old things and stuff; ideas and idiosyncrasies; and habits and actions.
We don’t do this on purpose. We just don’t know any better until someone near and dear tells us “not to tuck in our shirt.” We need more of these people in our lives and should encourage them to help us see things in a new and different light. An old saying that I remember from my early youth comes to mind. There was a neighborhood bar that my dad frequented “on occasion”, and on the wall was a sign that said, “Oh wad power the giftee gee us, to see ourselves as others see us” (Robert Burns – To a Louse). Our friends and loved ones are there to provide that power.
No matter our age, we are never too old to change with the times. Nor should we be offended when a loved one says, “only old men wear white gym shoes.” Remember, today you’re older than you’ve ever been, but you’re also as young as you’ll ever be.
Have you had any similar experiences with the critique of others? I’d like to hear about them.