DON'T LOOK AWAY

TASK 3, JANUARY 19 to JANUARY 26

"What an ugly beast is the ape, and how like us". Cicero (106--43B.C)

To see yourself as you are, you must see yourself as you are.

There's nothing worse than looking at yourself naked in a mirror. Nothing. I'd like to think that's true for all men, but I have seen guys who clearly aren't ashamed of what they look like in their birthday suits. Just the other day, at the gym, there were several guys walking around naked--not in the gym, mind you, but in the locker room--and it's pretty much a truism that if you are comfortable strutting around naked in a men's locker room, you are a confident man. As for me, I wear a towel. Or towels.

We only get one body. And we're stuck with it. There are adjustments that can be made, of course. If you have a lot of money and an oversized ego, you could probably find a plastic surgeon who can turn your flabby-ass into Chris Pratt with two hours of out-patient surgery. Well, actually you won't look like Chris Pratt, you'll look like a phony Chris Pratt but you get the picture. Most men, however, don't go the surgery route; it requires, after all, a trip to the doctor's office--and what man likes to go to a doctor's office?

So, like I said, you're stuck with what you got. Once a year I examine what I got. I wait til my wife leaves for work, my kids are out of the house, then I toss the dog into the back yard, lock the doors, go the the bedroom, take off all my clothes and stand in front of my wife's full length mirror that hangs on the close door and make an excruciatingly detailed assessment of what I see before me. Then I grab my notebook and write it all down.

I will share a portion of my list. I divided it into three segments: The Good, The Bad and the Oh God Why Am I doing This?

GOOD

Tall. Over six feet. Posture of a marine. Chin sticks out in a strong, but not arrogant manner. Decent nose, lips. Solid shoulders.

BAD

Paunchy stomach. Hair on solid shoulders. Smallish dick. Protruding knees.

OH GOD WHY AM I DOING THIS?

Pock-marked ass. Love handles. Hair in ears.

You don't need to know any more than that...

TASK

The task this week is to look at yourself--really look at yourself--and catalogue what's good, and what's not so good. Find a mirror. A floor-to-ceiling mirror if possible. Strip off your clothes. Inspect yourself. Carefully. List the good, the bad and the ugly. Spare no criticism. Write down everything.