Can we talk?

Inherited Traits

         My brother and I had a pity party last night. We both wear glasses now. I have bifocals. Because of the frames we chose, we both think we resemble our maternal grandmother. Some people might think that's not a bad thing, but she was no beauty even when she was young.

         From the pictures I've seen of her when we were babies, she had jet black hair which she kept in a long braid, wrapped around her head. She was big boned, but thin as a new grandmother. She probably was a size 18 before she died, but that came from years of retirement, and not walking everywhere all the time once she learned to drive. She never wore make-up or colored her hair. So I remember her as salt and pepper, then solid gray. But she had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh. I admired her for learning to drive after age 55.

         My dad's mother was only 5'2", small boned, and had a size 5 foot. She did wear make-up, accessorized her outfits, and could really dress up when she wanted. She colored her hair that cheap blue shade. She wore glasses, too, but we don't look like her. We thought for a while that we might because my dad, my aunt, and my uncle all wrinkled the same way she did, and had matching jowls, None of us (I have 3 brothers) were short or small boned. In fact my cousins on my dad's side joke with us about the big heads that run in our extended family. It's tough on pregnant women.

         I know I'm making us sound like mutants. But isn't it odd how genes dictate our appearance, and how we evolve through the decades? Out of 4 grandparents, why do we resemble one more than another then at a certain stage resemble another? Why are the dominant genes the ugly ones? Both my grandfathers were sort of nice looking. We could have had some of their traits, but no.

         We can't overcome Mother Nature. I guess we'll just keep our glasses on, not look in the mirror, and hope we end up with some of their observed traits, like generosity, humor, hard work, honesty, nurturing, pride in a job well done. They were, after all, revered by their grandchildren, even if we are starting to look like them in their old age.