I had my old student ID for a very long time, and I always kept it in the same place in my wallet: in the central plastic window, so I could flash it quickly to bus-drivers and such (we don't have to pay the fare if we have a student ID). It was in that little window for about 3 years, during which time the black ink on the picture of my face slowly seeped into it. Now there is a permanant image of me on the window, composed of only the dark parts.

I just got a new ID, with a horrible picture, light all shining off my greasy, vulnerable face. But when I place it in the window, exactly where the old ID used to be, the dark markings of my old image are superimposed on the new one, giving a strange conglomeration of who I was then and who I am now.

I feel a little haunted by it. I wanted to get a new picture, not just because all the ink had leeched out of the old one, but also because the old one looked so serious and morose. It seems I can't escape it, not entirely. But this also comforts me: I don't want to leave myself behind completely. It's good to have a sense of continuity. I can be new and stay the same, without giving up either.