What do you think about aging?

I am totally preferring being old as to being young.

Being young was never a positive thing from being respected for me knowledge or experience.

Additionally, the image of being young was never appealing. For me it had been engraved as "Young and Dumb".

@Barltik2065. It’s good to hear that you enjoy being older. The “young and dumb” message sounds like a difficult one.

Every accomplishment I have achieved was when i was young.

The world is changing so quickly that the knowledge gained from my years of experience means nothing. Then there is the weakening of my body that has happened quicker then i care to admit.

All in all I should have kept with my original plan of not getting old.

@Gettingbettertoday. It’s nice that you had some accomplishments when you were younger. It’s true that the world is changing rapidly but I do think that older people can still contribute in many ways.

@Gettingbettertoday I totally understand...

@Gettingbettertoday

The weakening of the body is the worse. Would give anything to be in my 30’s again. Will skip the 20’s though.

I feel a letting go that has seasoned and expanded throughout the years. It's both beautiful and terrifying for the ego, which wants to hold tight to youth and relevancy. Purpose has become more profound and clear with the diminishing of mental structures that I once clung to pretty tightly. I think we have thousands of practice runs for the final goodbye as we age. The death and letting go of who we think we are again and again.

@caringApple4449. Wow this is vey deep about the “practice for the final goodbye as we age”! I hope that there are still ways for you to feel relevant.

I feel like I'm deteriorating faster than my peers, that's what I find difficult.

@AffyAvo

It must be hard Affy. I admire though your strength and determination to help other people despite the pains you suffer yourself.

@AffyAvo. I have had trouble with that myself. It’s hard but I’m trying to not compare myself to others.

@adventurousBranch3786 Yeah, I agree with you on that, but it's difficult not to!

@amiablePeace77 Thanks!

@adventurousBranch3786

How do you feel with regards to aging? Do you view it as something positive or negative?

Aging has given me many benefits like becoming calmer, more content with myself and my surroundings. There are of cause physical challenges, I do not have the energy I once had anymore and my knees hurt at times but when seeing the greater picture I would say I'm feeling better now (60+) than ever.

@amiablePeace77 It’s good to here that you experience some benefits along with the negative aspects of aging.

I hate it.

Yes, you read that right... I dislike aging. Belay that: I really [bleep]ing hate getting old.

I know we're all supposed to settle into it gracefully, yadda yadda yadda. I haven't & never will. The main reason is the inevitable physical decline. Perhaps I would be more tolerant of aging if I were a healthy person. Since I have chronic conditions with my worst one starting in my late 30's (though I didn't know it at the time), I definitely don't qualify.

It is often said that with growing old comes wisdom. First off wisdom is not guaranteed; as the saying goes, there's no fool like an old fool. Secondly, by the time you attain this wisdom it's too late to do anything with it! What's the point of figuring out how to deal with situations that a young person is most likely to encounter when you stopped getting into those situations a good while back? Then, of course, once you are old enough that wisdom is stolen from you by senility...perhaps senile dementia with schizoid tendencies, just for spice. You might as well have never gained it at all.

There's the visual evidence you see every time you face the mirror: wrinkles, spreading waist/stomach (no more washboard abs for you, buddy), thinning hair, going gray, age spots ("freckles" my ∆ss!), varicose veins, etc. We can pretend it's attractive all we like, but it is not & everyone knows it. Calling an older man "distinguished" is the verbal equivalent of wrapping a bow around a dog pile & calling it a box of chocolates.

I can't talk to available women anymore...not romantically. How would you feel as a young woman if a guy shows interest--& is around your father's age?...yeah, I wouldn't go for it either. The two middle-aged ones I've met so far have at least one divorce under their belts, are hauling baggage & have an overinflated sense of self-worth. Aside from that I don't play the field much these days anyway, because of the next problem: lack of energy.

Older people with vitality are rare birds indeed. We all know it. The reasons are many; our living in a society fed by industrially produced foods full of sugar, salt, fat & preservatives is surely one. But at some point ebbing energy is inevitable even for the healthiest person. There are so many things I'd like to do & several I need to do. Getting the latter done is difficult & sometimes impossible; the former I try not to think about. Why dream about things that are out of your reach?

With every passing year, the motto "live fast, die young, & leave a good-looking corpse" only seems more right to me.

"All say, 'How hard it is that we have to d!e'--a strange complaint to come from the mouths of people who have had to live."

- Mark Twain, Pudd'nhead Wilson

@slowdecline48. It’s hard to live with chronic conditions for sure. I hope that you can find some things that can bring you some pleasure.

@adventurousBranch3786

Appreciate the thought. Sometimes I find pleasurable things...every so often. Usually it's when a creative effort works out well.

@slowdecline48 Thanks for posting my thoughts as well. Saves me having to type them out. Try to enjoy a few moments now and then when you can.

@SleeplessVet Yer welcome. Normally I'm not so blunt in forums like this one, but in this case... It needed to be said. I can only take so much positive-sounding pretense about a phenomenon that, as far as I can see, is almost never positive for anyone.

@adventurousBranch3786

With this new and small world of social media you see all this physically attractive people achieving the best of things all the time! And that has sort of put this idea into everyone's head that they need to achieve things faster. And for me now thinking about ageing reminds me that I am so short of time. So many things to do and so little time.

I agree with all the things everyone said here. I wish everyone here a healthy and not very painful old age.

At the end of the day if you have build a strong support system of people who love you and a good life for yourself ageing shall become far less scarier. Atleast I would like to believe that.

@sociableJackfruit3877. Building a support system is a really good idea. There are also support groups for chronic illnesses irl and online which can be helpful. Some communities have senior centers and adult education too.

How do you feel with regards to aging? Do you view it as something positive or negative?

It's a mixed bag.

I am a lot more comfortable now with just being myself and not worrying about what other people think about me. That's a positive thing.

The realization that I've already lived more than half of my life is ... sobering. Quotes like "today is the first day of the rest of your life" take on an entirely new meaning.

My life in this moment is nothing like I thought it would be (if you had asked me 10+ years ago), but that just has to be okay. Because plans change, people change, and nothing ever says the same. I do what I can to stay healthy, stay sane, and try to live conscientiously.

@GoingInCircles365. I agree that is a sobering realization that you mentioned. I’m glad to hear that you feel more comfortable with being yourself.

@adventurousBranch3786 For me, you have more wisdom, the older you get, that is the positive side, the negative side, is as you get older, you have more aches and pains, and your less mobile, then when you was younger. You might use a cane or a walker to get around. I happen to use a can to get around. When you pull something, like a mussel, it takes a bit longer to heal. You use more pain relieving rubs, and ointments, then when you were younger. Getting older, sometimes it is not as fun as people think it is. But, we can relate to the younger generation, when they get an ache or a pain. We can say "I told you to be careful," now look, you're in your late (Fill in the Blanks), well you get the idea. Thanks for this post and for writing this. I hope you get a lot of replies to this post.😀

@calmMango9611. It’s nice that you have gained some wisdom! I hear you about the aches and pains.

Why are all these names being tagged?

@Spearman60 This is the tag list for 50 plus. So they can be notified of new threads.

@adventurousBranch3786

I didn't see my name in the list.... yet I got the notification....😊

@Spearman60. I’m not exactly sure why. I might have to check with someone else. Do you not want to receive these notifications?

@adventurousBranch3786

It's okay, I'm not complaining. I don't mind. 😊

@Spearman60 @adventurousBranch3786

I think this may have been a featured thread. The taglist gives the green notification for being tagged. The feature thread notifies everyone who is subscribed to the community, and is a light blue and begins with New [Community name] Featured Thread

If you were actually notified due to tag that's weird unless someone tagged you (besides this side conversation) and deleted it.

@AffyAvo

Well, I will need therapy then if someone purposely deleted me.... LOL!

@AffyAvo Thanks for the explanation!

@adventurousBranch3786 good and bad... good because you get more confident and care less about other people's opinions... but bad because you have less time to live and less options generally. it's harder to find a partner later in life I think. it's harder to change career... etc etc. just my opinion.

@benevolentMemory43. I hear you about having less time to live. It’s grat that you care less about other peoples opinions.I know some people who have met by attending adult activities and classes. Is that an option for you?

@adventurousBranch3786 I feel like when we age it can be positive and negative. The older we get the more wiser and aware we become of our situations at home and we become aware of what is really happening, and we see everything that was hid from us as kids. But in the positive, as much as it is hard for us to grow up, we learn tough lessons and we learn whats good for ourselves and what we want in this world.

@ang110206 Learning tough lessons is a hard part of growing up for sure. It’s good to hear that you are gaining some wisdom.

Thanks for posting this interesting prompt. So, we joke in my household that as we age, we have to "use what we have." Every day something new crops up where I have to ask myself, "Should I call a doctor, or is this just the way it's going to be now?" Haha. As long as I can have a sense of humour about the aches and pains, I'm ok with it.

Also, I have rediscovered the joy of swimming, got the ear plugs all figured out, goggles, cap, great forgiving suit, and we found the community has a lap pool and a warm pool which is frequented by the "Mermaids," mostly elders like me, sporting a variety of injuries (arthritis, bad knee, recovering from broken wrist). Don't worry, we have "Mermen" as well! One is recovering from a concussion! And then there's the Heavenly Jacuzzi, where a person can sit in very hot water and be transported. We pretend we're millionaires, looking through the skylight of our exquisite Jacuzzi fully built by our tax money. Refreshed after one of those adventures.

I didn't used to have that, it was always rush, rush, rush to the next meeting, practice, through traffic, and remember to pick up item X at the grocery store. Call kids. Do this. Do that. Now, I'm slower, more meditative. Still gotta do some stuff, but it's different for sure. Better. Aches and pains aside.

@VioletVeritas. I agree slowing down is a good thing for sure.

Enjoy your time at the swimming pool and whirlpool!