I met a gentleman recently who has just begun his ninth decade. He was tall and fairly straight with only a slight stoop in the shoulder area. It was obvious that his hearing was dependent on aids and it was evident that he was making an effort to zone in on the conversations around him. We were at a social gathering where most of us knew each other and he knew no one except the host…or had maybe met a couple of us briefly at a previous function.

He made sure he talked to each person at this gathering, men and women alike. When it came to my turn, he showed me a slip of paper with each person’s name and who was with whom. Beside my name was “poetess” (he had obviously been briefed) and we were off and running on the topic of poetry and poets and his interest in studying logic and related topics. He was a delightfully interesting person and left an impression me.

Ninety years old…and yet looking into his eyes there was a fountain of interest and knowledge and life…a sparkle that belied his chronological age.

One can tell a lot about a person’s sincerity by their eyes. It is said that the eyes are the windows of the soul and perhaps that is why they hold a certain fascination for me. I love seeing people have “eye to eye” conversations, though with some people there is so much going on behind the eyes that it is sometimes difficult to feel engaged.

But of the delightful gentleman in question, I can definitely and unequivocally say, “the eyes have it.”