Seeing through me

I wrote my first post about turning invisible in 2005. I've repeated the sentiment umpteen times since. Considering I started fading in my early 40s, I am pretty much not here now.

I got my haircut Sunday at one of those franchise haircutting places. It's a cheap and quick haircut without frills like coffee, shampooing and head massages that tack about $40 onto the cost. The downside is that, like Forest Gump's box of chocolate, you never know what you are going to get.

But when you are invisible, it doesn't matter.

I checked in on line and drove to the place. When I walked in, this person who has cut my hair several times greeted me and took me right back to cut my hair. There was no acknowledgement that she recognized me. But I imagine they cut quite a few heads of hair in any given week and they only see people every other month or so.

To her credit, she tried to make small talk (which anyone who knows me knows I love). At one point, she asked me what I did for a living. She had asked me this same question on an earlier visit and I thought when I responded she'd remember cutting my hair before, because I'd gone in greater depth than I like about being a public transportation marketing person.

But she didn't remember me or anything I'd told her before. She asked the same questions and seemed totally oblivious to what I did or the company I work for.


Now normally I get this type of response from younger people. But this person had to be in her 50s and dealing with her own invisibility issues. But I saw her. I remembered her. But to her, I was invisible.

And of course, after the haircut, no one noticed it. I also got new glasses a few weeks ago with what I think are very different frames. Pretty much no one noticed.

But what should I expect since I'm invisible.

Sometimes I wonder if it is more than just aging that makes me invisible. Maybe it is just that people are so inwardly focused that they don't really see anyone unless they are screaming for attention. And the young scream much louder than people past 50.

This explains things like Instagram and Tik Tok. There's a whole lot of screaming going on there.