voices

have you ever spoken with someone on the phone and pictured them in your head...then when you meet them, you are a little thrown off by it?

let me give you two examples.
1. tonight i was shocked when i met this man that i've been speaking with for about 8 months. he's a therapist for one of my cases. i totally pictured him as a man about 50, really introspective looking (you know, the kind who srunches their eyes and puts their fingers to their chin). i would have said he was a little bit overweight with salt and pepper hair (more salt than pepper). in fact, he's probably somewhere around 35, kinda short, brown hair nicely styled and ladies and gentlemen, he had on hot pants. light yellow with grey pinstripes. can you say different than expected?

who knows where these pictures in our heads come from. i'm not sure that a voice can really tell you that much, but my mind tells me what they look like, until i meet them and everything changes.

2. several months ago i had been speaking with another therapist for another case. i would have guessed her to be about 28 and tiny with short dark brown hair. why? i don't know. in fact, she is somewhere around 53 and a bit overweight, with long salt and pepper hair always in a bun.

this just struck me tonight, and i found it very interesting.
i wonder how many people picture me as this older woman with big red bushy hair (or something.)