Aging with Grace

All that glitters is not gold.

William Shakespeare

I just read a piece written by a friend’s son for the New York Times, The Best Book Covers of 2022, Dec.9, 2022. I love everything about this article. In fact, for that reason, I subscribed to the paper. To begin with, it made me laugh because another friend and I have a long standing joke about buying books when we like the covers.

I am a visual person. Book covers are important to me. I admit to buying a book because I was taken in by the alluring cover only to find out as I began to read it, the cover was the best part. As Frida Kahlo said, “Appearances can be deceiving”.

How often does something or someone turn out to be more flash than substance? Sometimes, people can very charming in a social setting when the reality can be lethal if consumed in large quantities. Being discerning can be difficult. We are taken in by the cover.

On the flip side, maybe someone who doesn’t dazzle at first glance is worth looking at further. Not everyone seeks the stage . The subdued cover could be hiding something more interesting and worth a second look.