Thoughts On Growing Old

[Foxfyre]

It isn't anything really obvious unless you take time to look at it closely and introspectively. It happens slowly, quietly, over a substantial period of time.

But at some point, usually somewhere around the time a person passes his/her 60th birthday, that we begin noticing a divide between the young and old. The older generation is still loved, appreciated, cared for, and usually included. But in the eyes of the young we aren't as hip, as savvy, as bright, or as capable as we once were.

On the job, we are as valued as ever for our work ethic, experience, know how, and competence. But we notice our advice is sought less from our more junior coworkers, and we might be omitted from invites to more strenuous after work activities.

In public we are often treated somewhat differently, with more deference, than other folks. We are more likely to be offered a seat or people will offer us assistance whether we need it or not.

It is at that point that we realize we have become the older generation with the perception that there is a very wide gap between us and the young who are certain we could not possibly understand what they are thinking or feeling, that we couldn't possibly love as hard, anticipate as much, hope as passionately, or feel as deeply as they do. And while we aren't exactly seen as stupid, the perception is that we just aren't as sharp or aware or as capable as they are.

Sometimes knowing this is inevitable is okay. And sometimes is sucks along with the physical issues that often come with old age.

This thread is not intended to be a complaint or criticism. Simply an observation of how it is.

 

[Swagger]

The only thing I think about with regards to getting old is how I'll cope once my faculties begin to fade.

 

[Wake]

It's not a picnic.

Being a home health aide, I see a lot of things revolving around old people.

1) Save and invest your money. Don't be foolish and spend away what could be a decent retirement.

2) Lose weight and take care of yourself. Cliche, but factual. I've had an obese senior die in front of me of a heart attack. It's not fun. Another is dying from emphysema because he couldn't stop smoking. It's not fun hearing him gasp, cough, and suffer. Drop the smokes and excess food and put it towards retirement.

3) Have kids and raise them right. It's sad caring for seniors that have nobody else left in the family. You can be all alone, 88-years-old, with no one but strangers to try and take care of you. Or you can be 88-years-old and have 199 grandchildren, 19-great-grandchildren, and basically have a familial support network to support you in your twilight years.

Being a young 26, I am aware of time's current, and how everything's wearing down and changing. Mom recently turned 50, and she mentioned how suddenly her 20/20 eyesight just took a hit, and now she's getting glasses. I don't feel as loos and limber in my joints as when I was a plucky teen, either. What one of my goals is for old age is to keep up with the present instead of adhering to the past. Some clients refused to use computers or cell phones or other technology because they weren't comfortable. I'd rather keep up with the present than stay stuck in the past.

I worry about the future. The socio-economic times of today make me think we're in for some trouble. Few people have respect any more. Or are selfless, or innocent. Just gonna do what I can to sock away and invest money hand over foot, invest time in gardening and exercise, and focus on my family and enjoying life with them. I don't want to be in a nursing home when I'm 70. If it means eating bulgur, garden plants, and walking 4 miles a day I'll do it to fight and stay in this world longer. Hopefully I can live at home in my twilight years along with my children and grandchildren. Once I am old toast I want to be near the young, like my great-grandbabies, and speak with them so they know my voice, and leave them letters for them to read when they are older. Boy... I'm getting emotional now. *Sniff*

 

[gipper]

It's not a picnic.

Being a home health aide, I see a lot of things revolving around old people.

1) Save and invest your money. Don't be foolish and spend away what could be a decent retirement.

2) Lose weight and take care of yourself. Cliche, but factual. I've had an obese senior die in front of me of a heart attack. It's not fun. Another is dying from emphysema because he couldn't stop smoking. It's not fun hearing him gasp, cough, and suffer. Drop the smokes and excess food and put it towards retirement.

3) Have kids and raise them right. It's sad caring for seniors that have nobody else left in the family. You can be all alone, 88-years-old, with no one but strangers to try and take care of you. Or you can be 88-years-old and have 199 grandchildren, 19-great-grandchildren, and basically have a familial support network to support you in your twilight years.

Being a young 26, I am aware of time's current, and how everything's wearing down and changing. Mom recently turned 50, and she mentioned how suddenly her 20/20 eyesight just took a hit, and now she's getting glasses. I don't feel as loos and limber in my joints as when I was a plucky teen, either. What one of my goals is for old age is to keep up with the present instead of adhering to the past. Some clients refused to use computers or cell phones or other technology because they weren't comfortable. I'd rather keep up with the present than stay stuck in the past.

I worry about the future. The socio-economic times of today make me think we're in for some trouble. Few people have respect any more. Or are selfless, or innocent. Just gonna do what I can to sock away and invest money hand over foot, invest time in gardening and exercise, and focus on my family and enjoying life with them. I don't want to be in a nursing home when I'm 70. If it means eating bulgur, garden plants, and walking 4 miles a day I'll do it to fight and stay in this world longer. Hopefully I can live at home in my twilight years along with my children and grandchildren. Once I am old toast I want to be near the young, like my great-grandbabies, and speak with them so they know my voice, and leave them letters for them to read when they are older. Boy... I'm getting emotional now. *Sniff*

Good advice.

Many years ago my parents moved to Florida. I would accompany my father, now deceased, to the Home Depot so I could fix some things around their home. I always felt so young there, since nearly everyone was elderly. Now I am reaching that age.

Oh well, we can't stop aging so we must do our best to stay fit and healthy.

 

[saveliberty]

I suppose the young could work as hard as me, but I'm either going to have to sandbag or they have to pick up the pace. I have to admit, my video games skills are poor. Oh the horror!

 

[Wolfsister77]

My number one piece of advice for growing old. Always have a dog or two with you. A cat is also acceptable.

 

[saveliberty]

What is everyone's opinion on acting older? My grandparents seemed to accept acting older in dress, behavior and socially. I see more rebels in that regard these days.

 

[Pennywise]

If it were possible, I'd love to get young people to understand that when they grow old, they will still feel anywhere from 8 to 20 years old at heart, depending on the moment. I noticed this in my 30's, I became acutely aware that this will never change. I'm a long way from elderly, but old enough to remember no cable TV, no VCRs and one telephone at home that gave a busy signal if someone was using it and a call came in. Interestingly, I started to notice a generation gap in my late 20's, that the kids in high school and college really looked like kids to me. I digress...

To the young, realize that when you see an old person, they were once your age, and they still remember it like it was yesterday. The gap between you and them is just time and you can learn more from them than any of your contemporaries.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Growing old.

1. If you feel sorry for yourself, do it privately and not for long.

2. Stretch for 20 minutes twice a day.

3. Walk at least two miles or exercise to the equivalent.

4. Treat your partner as if each day will be your last.

5. Keep a dog or a cat, two if you can.

6. Try to find a charity where you serve the homeless and needy.

7. Post at least 30 times daily on USMB: get out the grit.

8. Be thank for and remember your blessings.

9. Have your legal needs in order.

10. Be kind to teenagers and young millennials because most of them have not a clue.

11. Prepare and secure a letter to each individual important to you to receive after your death.

12. Remove any curses you may have placed on others.

13. And always: place your eye glasses, hearing aids, and dentures in he same places every night.

 

[gallantwarrior]

I've already started following some of the advice Wake wrote about. I've recently lost about 40 lbs and have changed my diet drastically. I feel so much better, physically and mentally. Just to be able to look at my reflection and not think, who is that old, fat, geezer? Some of my persistent aches and pains are fading, as well. I guess that extra 40 lbs took a toll on the knees, hips, and back that you don't notice until they don't ache all the time.
Growing old is, indeed, no picnic. But if you find you can't do some of the things you used to do, find new things better suited to your abilities. Cherish your family and friends. Enjoy life!

 

[JakeStarkey]

What is everyone's opinion on acting older? My grandparents seemed to accept acting older in dress, behavior and socially. I see more rebels in that regard these days.

The boomers are much like Syrio Forel, whose only prayer defiantly is to the one god he recognizes, the God of Death: not today.

 

[Moonglow]

 

[Foxfyre]

I suppose the young could work as hard as me, but I'm either going to have to sandbag or they have to pick up the pace. I have to admit, my video games skills are poor. Oh the horror!

My video games skills are pretty darn good. I love playing games like Bejeweled and Zuma that require speed, quick thinking, sharp observation, and quick hand/eye coordination. I think they really are a kind of beneficial mental exercise for us 'older' folks. I love most games actually, working puzzles, and can beat just about anybody at Scrabble. I do mourn the fact that physical limitations prevent me from being a competent bowler, square dancer, or volleyball player these days.

 

[Defiant1]

I've already started following some of the advice Wake wrote about. I've recently lost about 40 lbs and have changed my diet drastically. I feel so much better, physically and mentally. Just to be able to look at my reflection and not think, who is that old, fat, geezer? Some of my persistent aches and pains are fading, as well. I guess that extra 40 lbs took a toll on the knees, hips, and back that you don't notice until they don't ache all the time.
Growing old is, indeed, no picnic. But if you find you can't do some of the things you used to do, find new things better suited to your abilities. Cherish your family and friends. Enjoy life!

There should be an off button that one can push.

 

[Foxfyre]

The only thing I think about with regards to getting old is how I'll cope once my faculties begin to fade.

The thing is, a lot of us aren't experiencing mental 'fatigue' so much. Physical disabilities and issues we didn't have to deal with when younger are indeed a fact of life for many of us, but most of us do cope quite well.

The worst thing is the sense that we are being humored more while being sort of shuttled aside and out of the way. For the mentally sharp, that is pretty aggravating.

 

[Foxfyre]

I've already started following some of the advice Wake wrote about. I've recently lost about 40 lbs and have changed my diet drastically. I feel so much better, physically and mentally. Just to be able to look at my reflection and not think, who is that old, fat, geezer? Some of my persistent aches and pains are fading, as well. I guess that extra 40 lbs took a toll on the knees, hips, and back that you don't notice until they don't ache all the time.
Growing old is, indeed, no picnic. But if you find you can't do some of the things you used to do, find new things better suited to your abilities. Cherish your family and friends. Enjoy life!

All true. But I simply refuse to give in and BE old, you know? For most of us our priorities do change as we get older--we have a different perception of what is really important and what there is to be afraid of--but otherwise we feel as deeply, laugh as much, grieve as much, care as much, want as much, hope as much, and things mean as much as they ever did.

 

[AVG-JOE]

It isn't anything really obvious unless you take time to look at it closely and introspectively. It happens slowly, quietly, over a substantial period of time.

But at some point, usually somewhere around the time a person passes his/her 60th birthday, that we begin noticing a divide between the young and old. The older generation is still loved, appreciated, cared for, and usually included. But in the eyes of the young we aren't as hip, as savvy, as bright, or as capable as we once were.

On the job, we are as valued as ever for our work ethic, experience, know how, and competence. But we notice our advice is sought less from our more junior coworkers, and we might be omitted from invites to more strenuous after work activities.

In public we are often treated somewhat differently, with more deference, than other folks. We are more likely to be offered a seat or people will offer us assistance whether we need it or not.

It is at that point that we realize we have become the older generation with the perception that there is a very wide gap between us and the young who are certain we could not possibly understand what they are thinking or feeling, that we couldn't possibly love as hard, anticipate as much, hope as passionately, or feel as deeply as they do. And while we aren't exactly seen as stupid, the perception is that we just aren't as sharp or aware or as capable as they are.

Sometimes knowing this is inevitable is okay. And sometimes is sucks along with the physical issues that often come with old age.

This thread is not intended to be a complaint or criticism. Simply an observation of how it is.

Try doing it in Florida. It's weird!

The first thing I notice when I go to public places in other states is how young the crowd looks, and I'm only 50 something!

 

[AVG-JOE]

It's not a picnic.

Being a home health aide, I see a lot of things revolving around old people.

1) Save and invest your money. Don't be foolish and spend away what could be a decent retirement.

2) Lose weight and take care of yourself. Cliche, but factual. I've had an obese senior die in front of me of a heart attack. It's not fun. Another is dying from emphysema because he couldn't stop smoking. It's not fun hearing him gasp, cough, and suffer. Drop the smokes and excess food and put it towards retirement.

3) Have kids and raise them right. It's sad caring for seniors that have nobody else left in the family. You can be all alone, 88-years-old, with no one but strangers to try and take care of you. Or you can be 88-years-old and have 199 grandchildren, 19-great-grandchildren, and basically have a familial support network to support you in your twilight years.

Being a young 26, I am aware of time's current, and how everything's wearing down and changing. Mom recently turned 50, and she mentioned how suddenly her 20/20 eyesight just took a hit, and now she's getting glasses. I don't feel as loos and limber in my joints as when I was a plucky teen, either. What one of my goals is for old age is to keep up with the present instead of adhering to the past. Some clients refused to use computers or cell phones or other technology because they weren't comfortable. I'd rather keep up with the present than stay stuck in the past.

I worry about the future. The socio-economic times of today make me think we're in for some trouble. Few people have respect any more. Or are selfless, or innocent. Just gonna do what I can to sock away and invest money hand over foot, invest time in gardening and exercise, and focus on my family and enjoying life with them. I don't want to be in a nursing home when I'm 70. If it means eating bulgur, garden plants, and walking 4 miles a day I'll do it to fight and stay in this world longer. Hopefully I can live at home in my twilight years along with my children and grandchildren. Once I am old toast I want to be near the young, like my great-grandbabies, and speak with them so they know my voice, and leave them letters for them to read when they are older. Boy... I'm getting emotional now. *Sniff*

Good advice.

Many years ago my parents moved to Florida. I would accompany my father, now deceased, to the Home Depot so I could fix some things around their home. I always felt so young there, since nearly everyone was elderly. Now I am reaching that age.

Oh well, we can't stop aging so we must do our best to stay fit and healthy.

That's the circle though... We all face the inevitable equalizer - and no matter how fancy your coffin is, stuffing it with gold is a fools errand.

 

[saveliberty]

Thinking about making my own pine coffin. Sort of points out I considered fully my end.

 

[AVG-JOE]

My number one piece of advice for growing old. Always have a dog or two with you. A cat is also acceptable.

That one is tough for me... Boo just died in August and Kea has too few years left. I'm tearing up as I write this... I know that dogs aren't supposed to last forever but friends like that can't simply be replaced.