Let’s face it … I’m photogenic. Well, in my mind, I’m photogenic. I’ve never met a mirror or a camera I didn’t like. But as I settle in to my 30’s, I’ve noticed my looks aren’t holding up the way they used to. I don’t just roll out of bed with my devastatingly good looks and tousled hair anymore. Now it takes spackle AND putty to hold my face where it needs to be.

Last week while traipsing through New England, my friend Kati and I swung by New Haven to play Joe Tourist. We perused the Yale campus and chugged the occasional hot apple cider. It was the perfect, crisp fall day. Not a cloud in the sky. Students were out studying or playing Frisbee or smoking pot – or whatever students do nowadays.

When we stumbled upon Yale’s Campanile, I was instantly smitten. There was so much good energy going on, I had to soak it all in. No, I literally had to soak it all in. I sat down in the middle of the quad and immediately started meditating. My friend Kati thought I had lost my mind. But the sun was setting and it seemed the perfect locale to plop down and have a Zen moment.

Right after I stood up to join the real world again, Kati snapped this picture.

I look relaxed … I look calm … and, more importantly, I look wrinkle-free. Thank God for Kati’s photography skills and ambient sunlight.

Years from now when I’m 80 (and I’ve had far too much work done and resemble Kenny Rogers), I’ll look back on this picture.  It’ll give me fond memories of a phenomenal New England adventure and, uh, what was left of my youth.