About Growing Older...

[sgeeeee]

There have been some comments about aging on a couple of threads lately. From Will Rogers *

~ Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.

~ The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.

~ Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know "why" I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved.

~ When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to youth, think of Algebra.

~ You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.

~ I don't know how I got over the hill without getting to the top.

~ One of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it is such a nice change from being young.

~ One must wait until evening to see how splendid the day has been.

~ Being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.

~ Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft. Today it's called golf.

And finally ~ If you don't learn to laugh at trouble, you won't have anything to laugh at when you are old.

[Spanky]

SG,

Thanks for those encouraging words even though our physical abilities may deteriorate a little.

Spanky

A brief note for you youngsters out there.

The leisure activities that I expected to spend the majority of my time on in retirement are completely over for me now. This happened gradually over about 10 years. When I was 50, I never thought of what I would
have to give up as I aged. Thus, another ER surprise.
I am plenty busy with lots of hobbies/interests and
am not whining. It's just a lot different than what I envisioned when I first got the ER idea.

JG

[REWahoo]

A brief note for you youngsters out there.

The leisure activities that I expected to spend the majority of my time on in retirement are completely over for me now.

Sad but true...."Don't worry abut avoiding temptation. As you age, temptation will avoid you."
REW

[dex]

A brief note for you youngsters out there.

The leisure activities that I expected to spend the majority of my time on in retirement are completely over for me now. This happened gradually over about 10 years. When I was 50, I never thought of what I would
have to give up as I aged. Thus, another ER surprise.
I am plenty busy with lots of hobbies/interests and
am not whining. It's just a lot different than what I envisioned when I first got the ER idea.

JG

This is one of the reasons why I decided to RE 6 months from now when I'm 50. I fully believe in what JG says. I'm expecting 50 - 60 to be some of my best years and I don't want to spend them behind a desk. Thanks JG

[MJ]

Tony Randall might disagree with you (from his grave). In his 70's, he got married to a very young chickadee, become a father and is quoted as saying this was the best time of his life.

Mix genetics, attitude and a bit of wealth and you can live forever that is until you die!

MJ

[Jarhead*]

Not bad, when you consider the alternative

[RAE]

Dex - good for you, and I agree with you. I'm 50 and would love to retire right now, but my situation will keep me working for another 5 years. I'm not desk-bound all the time and I have a lot of flexibility with my job, so I can't really complain, but it's certainly not the same as being ER'd.

MJ - Yeah, I saw the old interview with Tony Randall (and the recent interview with his widowed wife) too, and he did say that some of his best years came after 70 (he remarried a very young woman and had a couple of kids, etc.). However, I don't recall him saying that he was as physically active in his 70's as he was in his 50's (in fact, I believe his wife said that she wished he would have been much more physically active....she wanted to "climb mountains", and he much preferred to go to London, was the example she used). For those of us that are physically active and long for more free time to pursue our favorite activities (whatever they may be), there's no question that retiring at 50 will give us many more years of pursuing those things than retiring at 60 or 70 will. Not only that, but just having the freedom to wake up each day and decide that day what you are going to do for the day would be an incredible luxury that I can't wait to experience.

RAE

Hello RAE! I have the "incredible luxury", it's just that
my options have been steadily reduced. I know it's only nature
having it's way with me, but I don't have to like it.

JG