Our man Bob honestly believes that he’s just a few small tweaks away from looking exactly like the man in the mirror. And who are we to crush that kind of optimism?

Sure, present-day Bob is standing there in boxer shorts that have lost their elastic will to live. His T-shirt is doing that permanently-wrinkled thing cotton does when it’s given up. His hair looks like it’s actively trying to escape his skull. But in Bob’s mind? Oh, he’s right on the verge of a comeback.

It’s not that he’s delusional.
Okay—he’s a little delusional.

But it’s the good kind. The kind that lets a middle-aged man genuinely believe that all he needs is a little hair gel. Or perhaps some strategic lighting. Maybe a fresh pair of Spanx and the memory of a time he thinks he looked like Brad Pitt (which may or may not have actually been Brad Pitt in “Ocean’s Eleven”).

Men do this. We somehow remember ourselves as better, smoother, sharper, more Brad-like versions of the current model. Maybe it was high school. Maybe it was a dream. Maybe it was a magazine cover we accidentally imprinted on.

But in Bob’s mind—and in our own if we’re honest—it’s never too late to get the outside to match the inside. The inside that still feels … not the same age that is shown on our drivers license. The inside that still believes in comebacks. The inside that swears, “Just give me one afternoon and a few grooming products and I’m basically a movie star.”

It’s delusion.
Optimistic delusion.
The best kind.

Because deep down, every man wants to believe he’s only one minor adjustment away from being his ideal self. And sometimes, that belief alone is enough to make the mirror sparkle … even if the rest of us still look like Bob.

PS: Hey, there is a rumor that I may or may not have done something similar the other day. https://youtu.be/SiMa75AxFFk