At what age is a person considered old?

As a 42 year old, I enjoy calling myself "old" - but I view it as a compliment. Old means you don't give a #%^@ what other people think about your clothes. You don't need to impress anyone, you are invisible to the desperately insecure attention seekers. You get nodded to by the police instead of getting eyeballed. Man I love being old. Plus the principal at my kids elementary school is in her 40's and pretty cute and she always makes time to chat with me when I pick them up.

Objectively, the decade of most significant difference in ability seems to be the 70's. I've met plenty of 70 year olds who still run around and live an active life. Not many 80 year olds. My wife's grandpa still hunts deer with a crossbow at 85, but he is definitely slowed down.
 
A person is considered old when they are addressed as 'sir'. When you describe some activity recently engaged in and someone says, "Well good for YOU!" (As if you just finished your peas and didn't spill too much on your shirt) Recently for me, it was with a physical therapist who said that when I told her I teach skiing part time and race off road motorcycles in the off season. "Well good for you!" She said.

Bah!

But seriously, old is when you smell old. You know what I'm talking about! Old people smell different. Old wimmen smell like pee and too much talcum powder and old men smell like stale cigars and a slight sour sweat.
 
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skipro33 said:
A person is considered old when they are addressed as 'sir'.
Click to expand...

Someone called me that the other day......although I think they spelled if c-u-r.
 
55-60 for construction workers. I worked with men who worked hard and that is the age we had to baby them. Young workers do the hardest labor where the old workers make sure they do it right. We started making sure we had heated shops so they could get out of the weather once in a while. The average age of the workers was getting up past 55 since young didn't want to go into the trades so we had to keep the old guys from quitting. Some couldn't breathe well, some got new knees, generally started walking like they were old, some had heart attacks.
Men in my family in union trades tend to be worn out at 58. My brother had a bum shoulder so retired at 58 now at 67 has a bad liver and prostate cancer and can only work in the yard about 15 minutes without a rest after he finished radiation.
Some are still very active longer but even the best of us start having little things signaling it is time to consider how long we have to enjoy the good years.
 
Being old happens to everyone who doesn't die, but acting old is often a choice people get to make.

You are acting old, when everything from when you were a kid was somehow better than it is today.

You refer to yourself as a "seeen-yerr" in hopes of getting special treatment.

You mention being "On a Fixed Income" in hopes of getting a price cut.
 
The question can't be answered IMHO, because I see people every day who are "chronologically challenged" yet I would never consider them "old." Similarly, I see others who have far fewer years on them but act "old."

Kind of like asking when you become middle-aged. It all depends.
 
Amethyst said:
Being old happens to everyone who doesn't die, but acting old is often a choice people get to make.

You are acting old, when everything from when you were a kid was somehow better than it is today.

You refer to yourself as a "seeen-yerr" in hopes of getting special treatment.

You mention being "On a Fixed Income" in hopes of getting a price cut.
Click to expand...

I could never figure out that fixed income remark .Aren't you on a fixed income when you work since you only make so much ?
 
braumeister said:
The question can't be answered IMHO, because I see people every day who are "chronologically challenged" yet I would never consider them "old." Similarly, I see others who have far fewer years on them but act "old."

Kind of like asking when you become middle-aged. It all depends.
Click to expand...
Chronologically challenged! I will have to remember that one. :LOL:

All my body parts are quite used (or pre-owned in today's car language), but I'm still OK. I won't use that ugly word mentioned in the thread title. ;)
 
Lsbcal said:
Chronologically challenged! I will have to remember that one. :LOL:

All my body parts are quite used (or pre-owned in today's car language), but I'm still OK. I won't use that ugly word mentioned in the thread title. ;)
Click to expand...
Now you are talking my language. As Alan Jackson said in one of his songs. (Work in Progress) " I need a major tune up. Maybe a full, body-off, restoration"
 
Sad that everyone perceives "old" as "bad," considering we are all getting older unless we die first.

I decided I was old at the point that, in photos taken from the year of my birth, the clothes, hair, and especially the cars looked quaint.

Lsbcal said:
I won't use that ugly word mentioned in the thread title. ;)
Click to expand...
 
To me, it's bad when your body deteriorates to the point that you can't do a lot of the things you used to enjoy. To some extent you can find new things, of course, but when you have to give up your driver's license, you can walk only limited distances, etc. that's getting old. I'm not there yet and not looking forward to it.
 
It's all based on "smell".


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum
 
I'm six months older than my husband, so I will always be "old" to him.

Other than that, it's state of mind/health. I've seen plenty in their 50's look like they are ready to roll into a grave, and many over 70 who can easily outrun my 5k pr.
 
When the question posed by the OP takes up three lines on the screen because the font has been enlarged so much.
 
My son told me that I was "old" when I passed about 50. I was startled and we had a good natured debate about it. When I turned 60 he said I was definitely old. I pointed out my mother was 90. And, no way did I see myself as "old" compared to her. His comment was that she isn't old -- she's ancient.
 
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