There is an underlying fear of getting old that could really get to me, if I let it. I think it’s the thought of the unstoppable inevitability of old age that’s the worst. We are conditioned, maybe somewhat wrongly, to think of old age as a negative and, as a result, something to fear.
I get quite sentimental about stuff that people maybe would think was stupid. For example I celebrated/commiserated reaching the big 4-0 this year and we had a party at our place. When everyone was gone, I found myself staring at the empty chairs and left over glasses, thinking "That's it, another part of my life is over and will never come back." I've become more aware that this is a once only trip and you should grasp everything you experience with both hands and cherish it. Unfortunately. it's human nature that we take everything in our lives for granted and dispel the thought of old age and death.
When I was a child, all the adults in my life bitched about how much adulthood sucked. They were religious because when they looked around at their lives, they shrugged and said, "I'd hate to think this is all there is." Seriously! I was 'raised' by unimaginative simpletons who had no idea how to better themselves. My teens were a depressing mess, which only worsened as I became a legal adult. Doctors stuffed me with drugs that almost left permanent damage. I thought my situation was the realisation of the expectation my parents had instilled in me.....But my years of misery were just growing pains! I slowly came to understand that everything I had ever known was wrong. I had to learn or re-learn everything. I am still learning. I celebrated my 36th Birthday 10 days ago. Since my late twenties, my default normal emotion has been calm thrill! I am usually blissfully happy, the type of knowing reassurance that only comes with age, struggle, and wisdom.
Physically, I became sidetracked for most of my twenties by severe breathing problems and insomnia. In those years, I was TERRIFIED of getting older because I assumed that age = disease. All that doctors had to offer were drugs, so I was on my own to help myself (Just like with the depression.) I read thousands of pages of health books. I cured both ailments in months by simply going organic and discovering that I was allergic to several foods. I now know that diseases are actually caused- They don't "happen." It's empowering to know that I am in control of my health, or lack thereof. I am as healthy now as I was at 16, except I have better skin! People who don't know my age find it hard to believe I am over 30.
When I look back on who I was (and what I knew) a few years ago, I was ignorant of so many things. When I remember the me of decades past, I almost wince at the gullible fool I was! I'd rather be looking back at my clumsy, embarrassing youth than clawing my way through it. Comfortable middle-age suits me fiiiiine!
I love growing older. Thankfully, my mom is a great role model in that respect. She has no problem growing older. She's 67 and she's radiant.
Also, I'm stronger, and I encounter more and more people that inspire me to overcome my fears. I love that I figured out after all those years that what I love to do now is basically what I loved to do for over 30 years: read, hang with my twin, eat spaghetti. Also, I can sincerely say that no matter when it's my time to clock in I won't have any regrets. If I don't become a librarian before I die . . . it doesn't really matter does it?
There is no such thing as leftover pizza. There is now pizza and later pizza. - anonymous The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
I distinctly made a pact with myself at 16 - if I'm not married at 30 I would join a convent. hahahahahahahahahahaha.
Well, here I am 41 and I'm not in a convent, but I've read some very good literature since 16. The best part of my life is that I can read. Reading never grows old. Well written literature still makes me feel alive and engaged with the world.
There is no such thing as leftover pizza. There is now pizza and later pizza. - anonymous The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
I can think of few things that scare me more. In fact it scares the hell out of me. My mom and I were looking at pictures of her, from her wedding day. She mentioned her and my dad were my age, 25 when they got married. When she said that, it made my heart drop. The thing that scared me, was it just showed how much time flew. 25 years ago they were my age, and right now I consider them so old.
I think growing older for me, scares the hell out of me, because of how I am running out of time to do the things I want to do in life, and every birthday is in essence a marker that says "you are running out of time".
At a certain point, I dont know when, but at a certain time, a certain birthday, your birthday, my birthday stopped being happy and joyous and became a marker of you and me getting older.
I love my grandfather, he is 83, but, all he really does these days, is lay on his couch and watch tv. He doesnt have the energy or passion to go outside and do much of everything.
Growing older reminds me that this could be me. I could be like him.
Don't worry you won't consider 50 so old once you get there. Instead of being scared make great memories to enjoy once you get there. Your parents are the lucky ones- still in love- with happy children hopefully. This is wonderful to have this love. This is life. There is a peace that comes with age- a freedom to be yourself and not care what the world thinks of you. As far as a clock ticking next time think of the people who have left this world- I believe they have somewhere to go but that is the alternative so growing old is wonderful.
Life as a young woman would be so cool now that I am getting better at this living thing.
One great thing about getting older.....Is the way you look at things...The way you deal with situations....
Ya just cant help getting older and wiser.....You just cant help learning from your past mistakes, and how you dealt with situations when you were younger....
I see kids on this board.....Do some of the silliest fucking things......Or make a really silly decision.....
And as much as i would LOVE to give them advice......I instead say FUCK IT!!!!
Let them figure it out themselves.....hehehehehehehe
Post edited by SPEEDY MCCREADY on
Take me piece by piece..... Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
wow,,what a post..im scared sometimes but not getting old but my self,no matter years....its crazy if u just think how the time pass so quickly..i think getting older your fears are bigger..but the experience u get is awesome couse experience is the only thing in life that has no price and the only u can buy it,sell it pass it..u have to put the shit together by yourself....ok i know, sex is different,,quality against quantity..
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
And I will keep having fun, till they put my dumb ole ass in a casket..........
period...???
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
I think it's funny how people in their mid 20's freak out about getting older, and I myself was guilty of it. A lot of my co-workers are in their mid-20s and whenever I hear them get into a tizzy about turning 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 or *gasp* 30, I just have to laugh.
I'm 33 now. Almost 33 and a half! (I love that George Carlin bit) and I don't really feel older than I did when I was 25, but I know that I'm wiser. I know that my perception towards things and people has changed completely for the better.
So while I'm in no rush to turn 40, 50, 60, 70, 120 (ha), I don't fear it. I can only assume that the ride will only get more interesting from here on. So far, my 30's have been better than my 20's, that's for sure.
This is true. I am 37 and much happier with my life than I ever was in my 20s. I wouldn't go back to my 20s if you paid me, unless it was to make different turn somewhere along the way.
I'm really enjoying growing up. If we only knew then what we know now.
I'm not scared of getting old but I am scared'ish about how I die. I want to just drop dead one day while i'm in the middle of DOING something. Or maybe rocking my head off to....well, you know..............go on,
have a guess!
I distinctly made a pact with myself at 16 - if I'm not married at 30 I would join a convent. hahahahahahahahahahaha.
Well, here I am 41 and I'm not in a convent, but I've read some very good literature since 16. The best part of my life is that I can read. Reading never grows old. Well written literature still makes me feel alive and engaged with the world.
Reading ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you GO Ms. Haiku.
And I will keep having fun, till they put my dumb ole ass in a casket..........
period...???
Good morning Dimitris......
PERIOD!!!!! hehehehehe
Good morning SPEEDY
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
I probably seem ancient to you at 42, but honestly I don't feel any older than I did at 25. Yep my body isn't quite the young slender thing that it once was, and I've had a few health problems over the years. But, to be honest I'm probably happier with myself at this age than I have ever been before, I'm more likely to do things now that I wouldn't have considered when I was younger. I'm not so bothered what people think, in fact things are just pretty damn good.
Yes I know that I've got a lot more years ahead of me (hopefully) and things will crumble and become a bit more decrepid but I'm just going make the most of every year and every opportunity that comes.
Don't be frightened you really are quite early on in this big adventure and so far things have got a hell of a lot better for me with age.
great post!
really made me laugh too.
i truly enjoyed my youth. absolutely. enjoyed! however, there was a lot of BS too, like most people go through...and sae thing with age. i am fortunate in that my health has always been excellent thus far *knocks wood* and even thru some very tumultous changes, personally and professionally....you bet....i AM happy. the thought of losing my health is probably the ONLY thing that scares me about aging. otherwise, i am loving the ride! yes, of course...there are times when i think holy shit, where has the time gone?! or how much i have changed, physically and emotionally. gotta take the good with the bad. bottomline, life is all forward motion and we all only get a one-way ticket, so best to enjoy the hell out of it! i'm doing the best i can on that...;)
Life seemed so short when I was 25 and I was in a big hurry to do everything. I turned 55 a couple of weeks ago and my life is a lot better than it was when I was younger. Experience and the satisfaction of caring family and friends have made a big difference in my life.
I'm not afraid of getting older. Like most people, I have some fear of pain or being incapacitated but I don't dwell on those things or see them as causes for concern right now. I tried to keep a balance of planning for the future and living in the moment.
There are times when I feel like some kind of relic since I've worked around so many people who are younger than me for so long. At my last job I had coworkers just out of college who treated me like I was 150 years old. One of them asked me one day how something was done in the 1930s and I had to tell her sorry, I wasn't around then. :roll:
To the OP, if you're concerned about all the things you haven't done yet and life is passing you by--start doing them! I still have a long list of things I plan to do and places I want to visit. Revel in the opportunities you have now. As I said on my birthday, dude, I saw Jimi Hendrix live and The Who with Keith Moon. My husband saw Blind Faith. That's pretty cool but I think it's just as cool that I saw The Who at the VH1 Rock Honors and Pearl Jam a week ago at ACL Fest. :!: I'm going to keep rocking till I die.
i'm looking forward to it. i'm already a cantankerous old man convinced the world's going straight to hell as it is... i look forward to having the age to really dive into that kind of ranting and have a cane to use for effect.
There are times when I feel like some kind of relic since I've worked around so many people who are younger than me for so long. At my last job I had coworkers just out of college who treated me like I was 150 years old. One of them asked me one day how something was done in the 1930s and I had to tell her sorry, I wasn't around then. :roll:
To the OP, if you're concerned about all the things you haven't done yet and life is passing you by--start doing them! I still have a long list of things I plan to do and places I want to visit. Revel in the opportunities you have now. As I said on my birthday, dude, I saw Jimi Hendrix live and The Who with Keith Moon. My husband saw Blind Faith. That's pretty cool but I think it's just as cool that I saw The Who at the VH1 Rock Honors and Pearl Jam a week ago at ACL Fest. :!: I'm going to keep rocking till I die.
Excellent post! And there's someone on here older than me but not by much. I agree that if the OP is concerned about life passing by go and do it. You never know what's around the corner. I've lost 2 friends in the last couple of years before they had reached retirement age and it was completely unexpected. Too many worry about pensions and savings instead of enjoying life. We've been all over the place and are skint and I couldn't care less.
The main problem with getting old though is the ageist society we live in. After 50 you're regarded as over the hill and past it. It's a bit annoying when this attitude often comes from people who need 50,000 volts to put a bit of life in them.
The great thing though as Soulsinging looks forward to is you can be a cantankerous old bugger and it's expected.
My office phone doesn't work so I decided to eat half a box of chocolates. When I was younger I didn't have an office phone, so that couldn't have happened. Quite frankly, just given this example, growing older is much much better.
There is no such thing as leftover pizza. There is now pizza and later pizza. - anonymous The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
i'm looking forward to it. i'm already a cantankerous old man convinced the world's going straight to hell as it is... i look forward to having the age to really dive into that kind of ranting and have a cane to use for effect.
This is the best part about being old. I can blow everything off as to being old. If I am out in public and screw things up, I can just ignore the fact that I did that, and chalk it up to being old. I can ignore people I know but don't want to talk to, cuz I am old. I can do all kind of things. Its hard to put into words, but watch what old people do and get away with. I do what I see they do, if I am in some situation that it is useful to me.
Its quite nice. I can act helpless whenever I want.
You have a very good point. When someone is giving me attitude about my age I think You hope you make it to my age.
There is no such thing as leftover pizza. There is now pizza and later pizza. - anonymous The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
You have a very good point. When someone is giving me attitude about my age I think You hope you make it to my age.
exactly!
i always say...growing older is waaaayyyyyy better than the alternative!
:shock:
and hey, i am turning 41 next month...and i STILL very much look forward to my birthdays. i love birthdays. they are wonderful milestones in life, and i often make new decisions, commitments, choices and changes around my birthday. great time for self-reflection. also great time for indulgence.
Comments
I get quite sentimental about stuff that people maybe would think was stupid. For example I celebrated/commiserated reaching the big 4-0 this year and we had a party at our place. When everyone was gone, I found myself staring at the empty chairs and left over glasses, thinking "That's it, another part of my life is over and will never come back." I've become more aware that this is a once only trip and you should grasp everything you experience with both hands and cherish it. Unfortunately. it's human nature that we take everything in our lives for granted and dispel the thought of old age and death.
When I was a child, all the adults in my life bitched about how much adulthood sucked. They were religious because when they looked around at their lives, they shrugged and said, "I'd hate to think this is all there is." Seriously! I was 'raised' by unimaginative simpletons who had no idea how to better themselves. My teens were a depressing mess, which only worsened as I became a legal adult. Doctors stuffed me with drugs that almost left permanent damage. I thought my situation was the realisation of the expectation my parents had instilled in me.....But my years of misery were just growing pains! I slowly came to understand that everything I had ever known was wrong. I had to learn or re-learn everything. I am still learning. I celebrated my 36th Birthday 10 days ago. Since my late twenties, my default normal emotion has been calm thrill! I am usually blissfully happy, the type of knowing reassurance that only comes with age, struggle, and wisdom.
Physically, I became sidetracked for most of my twenties by severe breathing problems and insomnia. In those years, I was TERRIFIED of getting older because I assumed that age = disease. All that doctors had to offer were drugs, so I was on my own to help myself (Just like with the depression.) I read thousands of pages of health books. I cured both ailments in months by simply going organic and discovering that I was allergic to several foods. I now know that diseases are actually caused- They don't "happen." It's empowering to know that I am in control of my health, or lack thereof. I am as healthy now as I was at 16, except I have better skin! People who don't know my age find it hard to believe I am over 30.
When I look back on who I was (and what I knew) a few years ago, I was ignorant of so many things. When I remember the me of decades past, I almost wince at the gullible fool I was! I'd rather be looking back at my clumsy, embarrassing youth than clawing my way through it. Comfortable middle-age suits me fiiiiine!
Also, I'm stronger, and I encounter more and more people that inspire me to overcome my fears. I love that I figured out after all those years that what I love to do now is basically what I loved to do for over 30 years: read, hang with my twin, eat spaghetti. Also, I can sincerely say that no matter when it's my time to clock in I won't have any regrets. If I don't become a librarian before I die . . . it doesn't really matter does it?
The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
Growing old and alone does.
I am old....
And I am not scared.....
Anyone who has ever met me knows one thing....
I have FUN!!! PERIOD!!!
And I will keep having fun, till they put my dumb ole ass in a casket..........
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
Well, here I am 41 and I'm not in a convent, but I've read some very good literature since 16. The best part of my life is that I can read. Reading never grows old. Well written literature still makes me feel alive and engaged with the world.
The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
If I had known then what I know now...
Life as a young woman would be so cool now that I am getting better at this living thing.
Ya just cant help getting older and wiser.....You just cant help learning from your past mistakes, and how you dealt with situations when you were younger....
I see kids on this board.....Do some of the silliest fucking things......Or make a really silly decision.....
And as much as i would LOVE to give them advice......I instead say FUCK IT!!!!
Let them figure it out themselves.....hehehehehehehe
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
PERIOD!!!!! hehehehehe
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
This is true. I am 37 and much happier with my life than I ever was in my 20s. I wouldn't go back to my 20s if you paid me, unless it was to make different turn somewhere along the way.
BOS-9/28/04,9/29/04,6/28/08,6/30/08, 9/5/16, 9/7/16, 9/2/18
MTL-9/15/05, OTT-9/16/05
PHL-5/27/06,5/28/06,10/30/09,10/31/09
CHI-8/2/07,8/5/07,8/23/09,8/24/09
HTFD-6/27/08
ATX-10/4/09, 10/12/14
KC-5/3/2010,STL-5/4/2010
Bridge School-10/23/2010,10/24/2010
PJ20-9/3/2011,9/4/2011
OKC-11/16/13
SEA-12/6/13
TUL-10/8/14
I'm not scared of getting old but I am scared'ish about how I die. I want to just drop dead one day while i'm in the middle of DOING something. Or maybe rocking my head off to....well, you know..............go on,
have a guess!
Reading ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you GO Ms. Haiku.
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
really made me laugh too.
i truly enjoyed my youth. absolutely. enjoyed!
Let's just breathe...
I am myself like you somehow
I'm not afraid of getting older. Like most people, I have some fear of pain or being incapacitated but I don't dwell on those things or see them as causes for concern right now. I tried to keep a balance of planning for the future and living in the moment.
There are times when I feel like some kind of relic since I've worked around so many people who are younger than me for so long. At my last job I had coworkers just out of college who treated me like I was 150 years old. One of them asked me one day how something was done in the 1930s and I had to tell her sorry, I wasn't around then. :roll:
To the OP, if you're concerned about all the things you haven't done yet and life is passing you by--start doing them! I still have a long list of things I plan to do and places I want to visit. Revel in the opportunities you have now. As I said on my birthday, dude, I saw Jimi Hendrix live and The Who with Keith Moon. My husband saw Blind Faith. That's pretty cool but I think it's just as cool that I saw The Who at the VH1 Rock Honors and Pearl Jam a week ago at ACL Fest. :!: I'm going to keep rocking till I die.
The main problem with getting old though is the ageist society we live in. After 50 you're regarded as over the hill and past it. It's a bit annoying when this attitude often comes from people who need 50,000 volts to put a bit of life in them.
The great thing though as Soulsinging looks forward to is you can be a cantankerous old bugger and it's expected.
The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
Its quite nice. I can act helpless whenever I want.
The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
Understandable. What caused your father's death?
exactly!
i always say...growing older is waaaayyyyyy better than the alternative!
:shock:
and hey, i am turning 41 next month...and i STILL very much look forward to my birthdays. i love birthdays. they are wonderful milestones in life, and i often make new decisions, commitments, choices and changes around my birthday. great time for self-reflection. also great time for indulgence.
Let's just breathe...
I am myself like you somehow