same time next year

We all have them.  It may be with a doctor, a financial planner, or even an out-of town friend.  It’s that person we see once a year, but every year.  We notice their changes more than we do people we see regularly.  If they’ve gained or lost weight, we see it.  If their hair has changed color, grown longer, or even become more sparse, we take note.  We mark out own aging by how quickly it seems we last saw them.

And so it is with Joan.  When I moved to New York in 1985, I asked a friend if she could recommend an accountant. She told me about Joan, and that’s how we met.

Back then, Joan and I were both single. She is now married with two boys, and I have a son in college (and am still single).  Joan says to me today, “People tell me my husband looks just like Harvey Weinstein.”  I look at a picture on her desk and I see the resemblance.  Then she says, “I don’t know what Harvey looks like.  Is he good-looking?”  I suggest she google him, and then tell her truthfully that her husband is much better looking.

In the years I’ve known Joan, I have seen her gain weight and lose it.  Have long hair and short.  Curly and straight.  Light brown and blond.  She has seen the same of me (except for the hair color).  But today she looks the best I’ve ever seen her.

As for me?  Well, this weekend I am getting my hair cut.  Next week I’m getting it colored.  Today it is clean but a wavy mess.  I’m also about five pounds more than I’d like to be.  If I were to guess, Joan isn’t having the same thoughts of me as I am of her.

Before leaving, I ask Joan if she’ll do me a favor.  “When your assistant calls in late December to schedule my March appointment, please tell her to remind me to also get my hair colored and styled before coming in.” 

I think she’ll remember too.