What is it like getting older?

[FlyingLemons]

I do actually feel fitter than I do when I was 22, funnily enough. Back in the day I would drink and indulge, uh, other things as I felt immortal and it was true, I could bounce back from them very quickly. Now I do actually feel hangovers, I intend to indulge them only when the kids are away and it's just basically sit in with the wife, a couple of bottles of wine and get wrecked laughing at stupid TV. It's rare, and I only do it because I know I'll be able to crash into bed, attempt to have drunken sex and then fall asleep at home rather than smashing my face on Prince's Street (which I did do upon moving to Edinburgh... never again).

But I now feel more compelled to take care of my body, so usually I hit the gym before and after work for three days of the week, and start the morning by swimming laps at the university pool before I come to work when I'm not going to the gym. I have to say, I think my 22-year old self would probably develop crippling body image issues if he looked at me now...

 

[RJDiogenes]

I hope that the singularity kicks in before I personally reach a particularly advanced age, finding us an end-run around the problem!

Heh. Me, too. That's why I still feel immortal.

 

[propita]

I was just watching "Gigi," which has the song "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore."

For your enjoyment:

How lovely to sit here in the shade
With none of the woes of man and maid
I'm glad I'm not young anymore

The rivals that don't exist at all
The feeling you're only two feet tall
I'm glad that I'm not young anymore

No more confusion
No morning-after surprise
No self-delusion
That when you're telling those lies
She isn't wise

And even if love comes through the door
The chance that goes on forevermore
Forevermore is shorter than before
Oh, I'm so glad that I'm not young anymore

The tiny remark that tortures you
The fear that your friends won't like her too
I'm glad I'm not young anymore
The longing to end the stale affair
Until you find out she doesn't care
I'm glad that I'm not young anymore

No more frustration
No star-crossed lover am I
No aggravation
Just one reluctant reply
"Lady, goodbye!"

The Fountain of Youth is dull as paint
Methuselah is my patron saint
I've never been so comfortable before
Oh, I'm so glad that I'm not young anymore




I suppose there's a lot of accuracy in the lyrics, huh?

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ That's fantastic.

 

[scotcat]

I'm 30 (31 next month). I spent my 20's studying, working and - in my free time - being massively insecure. I wouldn't go back to 10 years ago if you paid me.

I saw turning 30 as a fresh start, something to look forward to since I'd wasted so many opportunities in my 20's. I intend to try and make the most of it.

 

[Australis]

Just gone 54. Some days are cruisy, some days are far tougher than they should be. If there was one piece of wisdom I could impart, it would be:

Whatever you want to do, start it as soon as you can. Getting an education, saving for a house, raising a family, becoming an artist, anything. Start now.

And, I'm reluctant to say it, you have to do two things: find the thing you really want to do, really really want to do, and do it. And if it doesn't support you straight away, make sure you have a second string to your bow that will support you and your family until your passion can become your full time gig. Friend of mine, really good bassplayer, also learned to be a bricklayer. He had to do it for years, but he now lives off his music and has a recording studio. Whereas I left things late, and well...

When you get older, it gets hard. Hard. Do it now, make it easier in the long run.

 

[Aurian]

Honestly, I get shocked everytime I remember my age.. I feel like I am early 30's but I am 37 this year.
I feel terrific, I have never been this healthy and I have a great well paid job, a wonderful husband-to-be and my kid is awesome.
But I still haven't gotten around to buying that house, getting another baby (and I do NOT want to be over 40 for that one) and so on.
I do not fear getting older though. I will take care of myself and do the best I can and hopefully things will keep going towards the better.

I would never, ever, ever want to be in my 20's again. What a wasted period of my life.

 

[Balrog]

I'm 42. I believe there are pluses and minuses with every age you live. Some things become better or easier, others become more difficult.

Physically, I don't feel younger for sure! When you wake up in the morning with more pain than when you went to bed, you're getting older. . Also, the annual check-ups with the Dr. Get more dicey. You have to watch your weight, your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol. Exercising is great, J. I have been lifting weights and doing a cardio regimen for a while now, and it's been paying off huge dividends. Keep going with that! I don't recover like I did when I was 20, but I take supplements for muscles and joints that help. It takes work to feel good these days, which might be viewed as a minus. But because one doesn't necessarily need to accept feeling badly and has the power to do something to change it (excluding those who have severe medical conditions), I view it as a plus.

Professionally, I am in a good place. I have more confidence about my work and care less about what others think. I relish this part about being older. I have a great sense of who I am and what I am doing and it brings me a great amount of peace I did not experience in my youth. In my 20s and 30s I felt I spent most of my time chasing success. I feel in my 40s that I have achieved it. I am doing what I like, and I'm doing it well.

Life is constantly changing, some for the better, some not. As I get older, I am realizing more and more how temporary things are. Something that happened earlier this year has kind of thrown me for a loop - My sister passed away in April from lung cancer at age 48. She passed quickly (11 months from the time of her diagnosis). It is sad losing anyone close to you, but losing a sibling who has always been there, and you expected always would for the forseeable future, was a shock. We were close, and it has been heartbreaking to say the least. I have come to realize this is the other side of the coin as we grow older - we will lose those we love.

But it reminds me to live life to the fullest and try to be a better person everyday. I cherish those in my life more. I pay more attention to the little moments. I also laugh more and try not to take things too seriously.

At least, that's the philosophy that's been working for me these days.

 

[Gil T.Azell]

51 it doesn't suck yet., it just a number you're as young as you feel.

A QUESTION OF THE AGED

An old man was asked, "At your ripe age, what would you prefer to get -
Parkinson's or Alzheimer's?"

The wise one answered, "Definitely Parkinson's. Better to spill half an
ounce of rum than to forget where you keep the
bottle!!"

this was sent to me by a retired co worker.

 

[RJDiogenes]

 

[Amaris]

I love you guys, and I appreciate all of your responses. I really do.
Also, exercises are getting easier! I can do 20 pushups now without crying like a little girl! Also, my blood pressure was 128/76 today, which is the best I've seen in more than a year!

 

[Tora Ziyal]

Go, Rainbow Dash, go!

 

[cooleddie74]

One of the most poignant things about getting older, at least for me, is that I turn 38 just a few days before the election and in less than two weeks. My dad died at only 49 of brain cancer complications and he's already been gone for more than fourteen years now. When he passed there was a quarter-century difference in our ages. Now it's down to just barely a decade.

I look more like him as I get older and I always think of him. I wish he had been able to see his fiftieth birthday. If I'm lucky enough to make it to my own half-century mark it'll be a very bittersweet moment for me. It's extremely common for a child to outlive one or even both parents (my mom passed away over four years ago), but for a parent to die so relatively young...I guess as a kid and a boy I always imagined my dad in his old age with silver hair and that grumpy old grandpa attitude towards so many things, yet still treating me like his precious little boy.

Treasure every moment. Savor everything you can.

 

[KimMH]

^that's very sweet and very true Eddie. I'm sure they'd both be very proud of you.

 

[Random_Spock]

One of the most poignant things about getting older, at least for me, is that I turn 38 just a few days before the election and in less than two weeks. My dad died at only 49 of brain cancer complications and he's already been gone for more than fourteen years now. When he passed there was a quarter-century difference in our ages. Now it's down to just barely a decade.

I look more like him as I get older and I always think of him. I wish he had been able to see his fiftieth birthday. If I'm lucky enough to make it to my own half-century mark it'll be a very bittersweet moment for me. It's extremely common for a child to outlive one or even both parents (my mom passed away over four years ago), but for a parent to die so relatively young...I guess as a kid and a boy I always imagined my dad in his old age with silver hair and that grumpy old grandpa attitude towards so many things, yet still treating me like his precious little boy.

Treasure every moment. Savor everything you can.

Definitely true there .

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Physically, in my daily life I feel considerably more energetic and am measurably stronger than I was two decades ago in my late thirties. My doctor really likes the answers from all those blood tests, etc. as well.

Which really doesn't bear on the essence of aging. I'm aware that under circumstances of prolonged physical stress - not necessarily real high stress, but constant - when I get worn down I really take longer to bounce back. And I'm closer to that sudden stop at the end of life no matter how good I feel.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

But I still haven't gotten around to buying that house, getting another baby (and I do NOT want to be over 40 for that one) and so on.

I'm not sure about the house, but I bet quite a lot of guys here would be willing to assist with the baby

 

[Finn]

^Dude, not cool

 

[trekkiedane]

^Not a dude

 

[Finn]

^in some places, dude is used for both genders