Mesmer Man

“Welcome, sir, welcome to the senior interest night. Is there anything that you are looking for specifically?”

“My wife told me that if I didn’t stop bothering her and find something to do, she was going to kill me in my sleep.”

“Oh! I hope you find something here then.”

Since my retirement, my wife and I have been seeing way too much of each other. We’re getting on each other’s nerves.

My friend John and I retired about the same time. He is having a similar situation, but with him, it’s his children. There are also the less spoken-of aspects of retirement.

The presenter ascends the podium. “Welcome to senior night. At this college, we have put together several courses to serve retirees. We offer courses ranging from financial advisement to arts and crafts…”

We watch the projection screen at the front of the room as the speaker continues. “Also, we bring courses to the local senior centers…”

“This isn’t really what I had in mind,” I said, turning to my friend. “I feel a little over-educated to be taking basic classes at a college I taught at last semester.”

John nods. “I’m not looking for time killers either.” He frowns at the screen.

John looks at me. “It’s difficult; we have so much tied to our jobs when we are working. It really feels like something is missing. All the stimulus that we got used to is gone.”

“Yes, now our families must adjust as well. It is almost as if we are getting in the way. It’s creating lots of tension.”

“I preferred being up in front of the class and commanding everyone’s attention. No one questioned whether I should be there.”

Smiling at this statement, I add, “Yes, I preferred professor to ‘hey you,’ but life moves on.” John rises from his seat preparing to leave. “We should think and talk about this tomorrow. How about morning coffee?”

The coffee shop bustles with the activity of young professionals starting their day. We sit at one of those small tables, with coffee in hand. I look around and notice the people.

“Identity and purpose are what they seem to have; we lost much of that when we retired. I would guess that most of these people identify with their professions, relationships or even religion. It shapes who they think they are, how they act and perhaps how they think.”

“We learned how to act like professors,” I continue. “Why are we yearning to choose another round of that?” I point around the room. John looks confused, like ‘what is he talking about.’

“I read on a website that two of the biggest psychological problems with retirement are loss of identity and purpose. Have you seen the percentage of older Americans taking antidepressants?”

“I know,” John said. “My doctor offered to write me a prescription after I told him I was feeling off. I may need something, but I doubt that’s it.”

“There must be something more fun! Have you ever seen a child in a superhero costume? They get just as involved with that identity as these people do with theirs. It energizes; it frees their imagination to be whatever they choose. We could use some of that magic now.”

Cough. “Don’t choke on your coffee. Here’s a napkin.” John looks at me. “You want us to become superheroes?”

With a mischievous look, “So why has play become such a foreign concept to us? I’m sure I would look great in spandex! How about a slightly pudgy Superman? Leap a small step-stool in a single bound and all that? You really need to be more careful with your coffee. With all the coughing, we are going to have to dub you Covid Man. Very toxic.”

“Perhaps secret identity would be better.” He responds. “Superman spent most of his time as Clark Kent, and no one thought he was insane. Apparently, you’re good at hiding your insanity as well.”

“I see your point. We’re in Las Vegas, so we have a little more freedom. If we wore costumes on Fremont Street, people would just think we were street performers. Going to the bank? Nope, nope, nope. When you think about it, no one wears their job description on their clothes. They certainly don’t list the values they cherish on a t-shirt.”

John leans back. “So you’re speaking of pure imagination; what’s the point?”

“It’s just a thought. Do we have to conform to expectations, or can we have some fun and let others deal with it? Pure imagination? Or, we can always go to a center and take a meaningless class.”

“Since you brought it up, you figure it out…”

When I return home, my research into a new topic occupies my time. My wife gets a reprieve from my constant presence.

Two weeks later, I enter the same coffee shop; I am carrying a folder.

I approach John’s table, hold my arms up dramatically, “I am Mesmer Man!” I wave my fingers in front of his face. At first he looks surprised; he knocks my hand away.

“Seriously, I have documentation!” I open my folder and hand him the identification card I purchased on the Internet. It has me wearing a silly magician’s hat, and the ID format looks similar to a driver’s license.

“See, it’s me. Height, weight, age, country of origin, prescription lenses required - it’s all there. Mesmer Man!” I reach into the folder again and pull out a large photo. “Here’s the studio shot.”

“What on earth are you wearing?”

“Just a black bathrobe over my street clothes, hat, and a stick I painted silver.”

“Uh.”

“There’s more, here’s my birth certificate!” I hand John the fake document.

“Nice touch, planet of origin, Earth.”

“You can never tell with a superhero.”

I take the birth certificate back and hand him the last piece. “Finally, the portfolio.”

“This says you’re courageous, compassionate, persistent, and oozing animal magnetism. You failed to include humble.”

“Ha! Humble!, what a concept! Read on; it has Mesmer Man’s purpose.”

“Let me see. Oh, purpose, defeat bad people. Bend reality. Spread happiness. Inspire play. Nothing else?”

“It was a long day. I had to devote some time to designing the website.” I open my laptop and place it on the table in front of John with my prototype site open.

“Are you retired? Is your main excitement a round of high stakes bingo? Do you long for a renewed sense of direction? Are you visiting Las Vegas soon? Let us create your superhero persona. You too can join our family of powerful retirees!”

John gives me an incredulous look. “All this time, you’ve been talking about a business idea? I thought you were losing your mind.”

“I promote the brand, John. Besides, I think identifying with abilities and purpose at our age can only be beneficial.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“I say we partner with one of these fantasy photo businesses in town. Perhaps we could work after their hours are done. We keep the initial investment as small as possible.”

“How?”

“We could have the prospective client fill out the information online. Unless they had their own idea, I could create the character, fill in the portfolio and birth certificate. Once they arrive at the studio, have a ‘transformation’ ceremony, make an official ID and return them to where they came. Also, perhaps we could have an option to purchase the costume.”

“How?”

“That’s where you come in, John. You have an MBA, so that should be more in your area. I am just the crazy guy who escaped from the attic at this stage.”

I continue, “Think about it; we can have a project outside our houses. We can ease the tension at home and have some fun.”

John looks thoughtful. “Perhaps we can start with an agreement with a photo studio. You could get the costumes and provide the papers you showed me.”

Looking thoughtful again, he continues. “You could have your ceremony somewhere in the shop. They could take the pictures, make the identification and give us a commission on the work they do. Small investment, slight risk. For them, it should be almost like a photo session.”

We searched for the pieces to put our project together.

It took a while. We found a female photographer just starting out. That was fortunate because we hadn’t thought about the makeup. Neither of us could do makeup, much less theatrical makeup. She could also use her editing software to add touches like lightning, smoke and other special effects.

The costume shop was also great. We could forward the information from the client, the superhero name and description, and they pieced the costume together. I just had to pick it up and return it.

It wasn’t perfect, but we did the best we could, given the circumstances.

I am about to meet a client at the business. The photo studio is fairly small. The lobby looks new. Some feminine touches on the walls reflect the owner’s personality.

My next client is in ‘makeup’ with the photographer. As she emerges, I see an older lady in her superhero silver and black costume. The eye makeup looks severe and has streaks of silver. She appears to be having a good time; that’s important. The business is brand new; I need the reviews.

“Are you ready, Lightning Avenger?” She nods. As I extend my wand, “Let’s go to the transformation ceremony room.”

I am wearing an upgraded version of my Mesmer Man costume, ready to ‘bend reality’.

We enter the back room of the studio. I start a light show; it looks something like the backdrop of a psychedelic-era band. I gently sit my client in the comfortable chair.

With a theatrical wave of my wand, I start in what used to be my loud teacher’s voice.

Lightning Avenger, this is your beginning!

Please gently close your eyes.

From the beginning of time,

your lineage has passed on the power.

You can picture the home planet of your parents.

See their loving power course through their being.

Lightning flashes from their fingers;

power flows from their being.

As they sense you, they transport toward the earth.

In this room, they place their hands on you

and transfer the power!

It enters your entire body!

It’s strong!

(I hit the thunderclap sound effect.)

“Yell Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”

“You have become! Welcome, Lightning Avenger!”

I gently help her from the chair. With retirees, it pays to be careful.

“Now, let’s complete your new identity with the photo shoot.” We are both smiling; it’s just play, but it is definitely not the typical boring day to day...

I enter the coffee shop for what has become our informal weekly meeting.

“So, John, when are we going to make you a superhero? I’m thinking of something like ‘Sky Tiger’”.

“I’ll do the superhero thing when your wife does.”

“Yeah, she gives her blessings for me. It gets me out of the house. I don’t think she will join our family soon.”

Thoughtfully, I continue. “Who knows where this thing is going. This may be the adventure we needed. What do you think about a superhero network?”

“Whatever keeps our lives interesting.” John lifts his cup. “I’m good.”