Age is in the Eye of the Beholder

Most women can tell when they are getting older by their reflections in the mirror – the grey hair or two (or twenty or two hundred), the wrinkles around the eyes, etc. My “rude awakening” came in another, very Israeli way.

When I first came to Israel I was a twenty-year old student. I spent most of my time in my studies, but I of course went away for Shabbat to many interesting places, and I went on my share of tiyulim, both organized and spontaneous. So I had plenty of opportunity to ride both the local Jerusalem and the inter-city buses. What do you see on buses and at the central bus station? IDF soldiers, of course. Now I come from a long line of women who think that a man is easier on the eyes in a uniform. The “problem” is, is that in America at least, nice Jewish boys and uniforms don’t usually mix (David Bogner notwithstanding). Not so in Israel. Not only are there tons of nice Jewish boys in uniforms here, but many are even religious, their uniforms complemented with kippot (skullcaps) and tzizit (ritual fringes). Although I was newly religious, and I didn’t purposely boywatch, my eyes still worked, and every once in a while a really good looking soldier would catch my eye. In short, being single, I saw most of the young soldiers as potential husbands.

After making aliyah and moving to our yishuv, the green uniform took on a slightly different significance. My neighbors were now the soldiers – either career officers going off to work or those doing their once-a-year reserve duty. There were one or two soldiers at our gate, but they were more often than not reserve soldiers too. (I guess they sent the young guys to more dangerous areas). So now the IDF soldier became the regular guy on my street.

I commute to work now, after years of being at home. So I drive through the local checkpoint a lot more often than I did before. Recently as I waved through the window to say good morning to the soldiers, I found myself saying outloud to the empty car, “gosh, they are such babies!”

A horrible feeling came over me at that exact instant. Here I was, thinking that I had been quietly but steadily climbing up, and this one statement catapulted me right over the hill.

You know you are old when the sexy soldiers you see remind you of your kids, and bring out the maternal instincts instead of …..uh, other ones.

I guess it happens to the best of us.