What is it like getting "old"?

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Hmm...Just some rambling musings of mine, whats it like getting old :? ...? I mean, most people would probably consider me being young still (20yrs old), and i'm beginning to feel "old" already, i've lost my teenage years already ...But is getting old really just a state of mind? Or do only young or semi-old people say that? What age do you consider to be old and no longer young? I've heard some people in japanese society consider 25 to be no long considered a young age...Did you become more pessimistic and bored with age or have you taken advantage of your age or did it open up more opotunities to you etc? Were the best times of your life you've had so far when you were young or when you started to become old?
Sorry if this is kinda a vague thread(well it is, i guess :blush: ), but part of me fears getting old right now, and another part just wants to speed the whole process up, and the rest of me is either in doubt of what old age really brings i guess. So i guess i just kinda want to hear what age brought you and how its changed your life or you as a person, for better or worse :? ?

 

[No-name]

I'm 40. My feet hurt. I have insulin resistance, beta thalasemia, my blood pressure is borderline... I can't eat anything I want to...and I have to excercise.

I just lost 25 pounds though. And you do seem to have a lot of opportunities... income is higher...

 

[Hachiro]

I'm 43 and really don't think of myself as "old". Ok I can't drink like I used to, now I'm down to a case of beer at a time instead of 2. I sleep less but find myself needing less and less.

Ummm I get tired easier than before, and what I used to do all night long, now takes all night long to do. (That part makes my wife happier though)

 

[No-name]

I can't drink at all. Fatty liver and some liver infection in my 20's. Plus that japanese gene that makes you turn really red when you drink...It is almost like an allergy.

I still play paintball, go sledding, rafting, skiing whenever I can. I'm learning Karate. I still play music LOUD...and I've got to get back on guitar and bass again. I want to buy a kayak. and rebuild my Hummer H1 replica so that it actually works!

 

[dreamer]

Well...to my mind ...
"You feel old when you stop feeling young"
For most people I'm still young but fact is that I'm surrounded by young teens who're around 15-18 YO. Sometimes it makes me feel like I've lost my youth while sometimes it feels good to see teens still speaking to me as if I was still part of them.
Still it sometimes pains me to see the foreign students calling me "Sir" when some of them are not even 2 years younger than me...
Anyway you'll figure it out by yourself when age catches you

 

[Thor]

10-17
I feel totally different from when I was ten years old. I understand how some aspects of society work now. I have ambitions, and they don't include getting the latest Power Ranger action figure anymore. There is a big void in front of me, and that void is all the oppurtunities I have. I can be anything I want right now. Nothing is set in stone. It feels good to have gotten this far, but there is an insecurity eating away at your mind.
I felt secure, happy, and contempt when I was 10 years old. My mom, and dad bought everything I needed. I didn't get everything I wanted, but I got what I needed. Life was good!

I'm looking forward to the future posts in this thread.

 

[Tsuyoiko]

I definitely feel different in some ways. I am more confident, more laid back, more sensible and more outspoken than when I was younger. Physically, I feel like crap. I haven't got anywhere near the energy I had 10 years ago, I get all kinds of aches and pains and digestive problems. My brain doesn't work as quickly as it used to, but I don't get stressed or depressed as much. I don't know if it is age or the circumstances I am in now.

 

[misa.j]

I've heard some people in japanese society consider 25 to be no long considered a young age...

It's called "christmas cake" because nobody wants it after the 25th. It's kind of a joke among the Japanese.

 

[JoRuDeNnA]

I think mentally it depends on the way you feel, you can be lets say 25 years old and feel like and elder person or be 60 and feel young. Physically..thats another story, obviously when you get older your body is not the same and you have more health problems. Im study at medical school and even the administration of a medicine depends on the age, because the body works different, the organs are more sensible in kids and in elder ppl, but if you have a healthy life you wont suffer as much as a person whose life is sedentary. I think that kind of ppl will feel older than their age. In my case Im 20 years old just like you and still feel pretty young. And in psicology you become and adult from 25 years old, and still there are persons who act like a teenagers. So for feeling older it depends on each person and the kind of life they are living. LOL I dont even know what Im saying so I better stop now :blush:

 

[Reiku]

Well, it varies from person to person...

Myself, I've always felt older than I was when I was younger, and now that I'm old I feel younger than I am...

...hmm, maybe I hit a reincarnation somewhere in my 20's and just kept the body?

Seriously, it's odd.

I still feel a bit weary, mentally--and certainly not as motivated as I was when I was young. It's kind of peaceful--in a boring, "been there, tried that--why bother?" kind of way.

But on the other hand, I've rediscovered some of the simple, childish joys I was too busy "growing up" to experience when I was a kid...

...which is nice, because--selfish and carefree as a child may be--true hedonism can only be properly appreciated by an adult. :blush:

>sigh<

All those wasted years seriousness and discipline...

...now that I've developed a powerful taste for wine, women, and song in my lecherous old age, I finnaly understand what I was missing. :evil:

Fortunately, my outside matches the inside fairly well: When I was young, everbody thought I looked older than I really was--now I look quite a bit younger than I am. I can't help but think life's given me a second chance to be a rouge and a bastard.

 

[Mitsuo]

I like getting older. The older I get, the more I feel that I have completed another stage in life. Well, I guess that's true. I wish people would enjoy and be proud of their age. Some people hate being 40 or 50. My mom hated turning 50. But I told her, "Hey you should be proud that you made it this far. Some people don't make it to this stage in life, and it's something that gives you a new perspective on things". Well, she is now very happy with her age. Not to mention that she looks 30! To me getting older is like evolving into a different phylum. We live life, but might have different challenges that we face.

 

[Pachipro]

Interesting question Tokis-Pheonix and one I have not really given much thought to until you asked it. Someone once said that, "Age is a matter of mind. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." I believe in that saying.

In a way, I sometimes wish I were in my 20's again as it really was a great time in my life. In fact it was the best time of my life. I had hardly any money and no aim in life other than get through college, but I did have fun! That is what those days are for: to have fun! So enjoy it and do not worry about getting old as there is nothing you can do to stop it. You can slow the aging process down though by eating healthy, taking suppliments and limiting stress, but you cannot stop it.

I am now 51, but I feel, both mentally and physically, like I did when I was your age. Granted, I'd like to believe that I am wiser and more mature than I was 25 years ago, but I still feel no different although my body has aged. I still look at young, good looking women in their 20's or 30's through the eyes of a single 20 something and I have to remind myself that I am married and old enough to be their father. That was a shock when that realization set in. (The age factor that is.)

Today I have the money to do all the things and buy all the things I couldn't when I was younger, but to tell the truth, they don't seem all that important anymore. Saving for retirement from the workforce is the number one priority right now which I hope to do in a few short years as well as staying healthy to enjoy my savings. However, I am still enjoying all life has to offer.

Alot of people my age are now worrying about retirement as they are severely in debt and have not saved hardly anything towards retirement. They lived above their means and are now paying for it and are really stressed out. Couple this with their unhealthy eating habits and alot of them are ill quite often. Me, I am not worried as I saved and saved beginning about 18 years ago and lived below my income level. I will be comfortable and will not have to depend on the government to assist me in my old age.

After you decide what you want to do in life, it may be wise for you, and others your age, to do the same as it is too easy and tempting to get into debt above your head which may take years to pay off. I've seen many people around your age or in their 30's who spent themselves into tens of thousands of dollars of debt buying things they really didn't need, with money they didn't have, to impress people they didn't like.

When I was younger it was common to hear people say, "I'm saving up for a new car, or stereo, or downpayment on a house." Today you never hear anyone say that anymore as credit is too easy to get. Buy now, pay later seems to be the norm.

When I was younger a typical family could live on just one income and could have a car, a boat, and maybe even a summer home. Today it is impossible.

I cannot say which decade, other than my 20's, was best or worst. Also, my wife and I never had any kids so I cannot comment on that aspect of life either. After college it was time to get serious. I just took things day by day, the good and the bad, but I stayed out of debt which saved me from alot of stress and enabled me to change jobs as I wished and to finally do what I truly love. My 30's and 40's went like a blur, or so it seems.

Do I hate or regret getting old? No. As long as I have a sound, young mind and a healthy body it doesn't bother me in the least. I will not dye my hair or get a face lift as I know I won't be kidding anybody but myself. Will I say that when I'm 60? We'll just have to wait till then to find out.

As I age time seems to go faster and faster and the days and weeks are just flying by. Things that occured 5 or 10 years ago seem like they happened only a few short years ago. It is just unbelievable how fast time is going. I cannot believe that 30 years ago I was a young 22 year old living in Japan having the time of my life. Now I am a 51 year old with an AARP card (American Association for Retired Persons) taking advantage of all the discounts I can.

I believe the saying is true that, "Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes." So I enjoy each and every day and do not concern myself with getting old.

Sorry for rambling on. Sometimes I cannot help myself. Typical of an old man right?