What makes you feel old?

[travelover]

.............
I REALLY begin to feel old when I am sick. The longer I am sick, and the worse it is, the older I feel.

On the other hand, not being sick and working out at the gym so that I am stronger and more capable, makes me feel younger. I think I have lost about 6 years this winter and spring.

+1. I'm nursing a cold right now and feel old and lethargic. However when I'm feeling well and am physically active, I feel as young as ever.

 

[JOHNNIE36]

I'll turn 75 this year, live in an adult community and still refer to some people as "old" when they are probably the same age or even younger. Just don't believe that I'm that old. I remember as a kid having a phone like Mayberry RFD. "Hello Mable, let me talk to Henry". Then we went big time and had a three digit phone number and a six page phone book. No yellow pages but the merchants had ads on the back cover to pay for the book. You still might pick up the phone and hear someone elses conversation on a "party line". Anyone else remember that far back?

 

[donheff]

What keeps me feelin' young is seeing surfers in the lineup who are still older-- and better-- than me.

On Saturday morning I was at my weekend house looking out at the white caps on the water and thinking about how ten years ago I would have tossed on a wet suit and rigged up a windsurfer. Now I have no interest in doing so. Definitely a function of age but it doesn't actually make me feel old.

On the cheap goods front I fondly remember the nickle soda machine at my corner drug store. It dispensed a cup filled with coke, root beer, orange soda or some sort of 7Up like stuff all mixed from cylinders of syrup and carbonated water in the machine.

 

[braumeister]

- Looking at my collection of CD's (about 10,000 of them) and realizing that a lot of young kids wouldn't understand why I wanted to collect

How about nine feet of bookshelves filled with ancient primitive artifacts called "record albums" consisting of large vinyl discs (not disks) in cardboard sleeves.

All (well, mostly all) well taken care of and still in good condition. They don't necessarily make me feel old. In fact, I tend to smile when I look at them. But they mark me as someone from the distant past.

 

[freebird5825]

This guy is the "curve buster" on the Age Exam.

100-year-old man takes sky diving trip - RT News

 

[rescueme]

You still might pick up the phone and hear someone elses conversation on a "party line". Anyone else remember that far back?

Sure (heck, and I'm "only" 63 ).

You answered the phone only if it was "your ring" (number of rings on a party line told you if it was your call or somebody else’s; if they didn't answer, your phone would continue to ring).

DW (GF at the time) had a snoopy neighbor who always picked up whenever we were on the phone (we could hear the click when she picked up). Whenever I heard her on the line, I would start making "remarks" about her . In fact, she started complaining to my future MIL about "too much time" being spent on the phone by me/GF. My future in-laws had to update their service to get a "private line" for an additional charge.

 

[scrabbler1]

Doing lots of volunteer work with young people (10-14 year-olds for one activity, college-aged kids for another) gives me plenty of chances to realize that I am getting old (I am childfree).

With the younger kids I am volunteer for school Scrabble (see my username?). Seeing that I am the age of their parents was nothing I did not expect (I am 47) but seeing a woman I attended high school with when she was waiting to pick up her son (not in Scrabble), made me feel a bit old, and that was about 9 years ago!

With the college-aged kids I help out at a dance class. First, few or none of them had ever seen a record player. Next, one record had a song ("Wild Wild West") I recall being a hit when it first came out in 1988. Then it dawned on me that these college kids were either not born yet or maybe still in diapers when that song first came out. That made me feel old.

 

[JBmadera]

Going in next week for yet another surgery (related to my arthritis) makes me feel really old. Now my dream of becoming a professional cyclist has been completely squashed...LOL

 

[easysurfer]

Really? Didn't know that. But then, I was a chocolate lover from way back and do remember the $.05 candy bars. My great aunt gave me a recipe when I first married ('67) that called for a $.17 bar of Hershey's...I was confused about what size to buy way back then...never made that wonderful candy.

I must have already been LBYM as a child. Probably had a 10 for 10 sale as in 10 boxes of Cracker Jack for a dime . Yes, mostly, they were about a nickel a box.

I recall in summers, as a treat my mom, dad or grandfather would hand out a dollar to me and my brother for us to load up on candy. Back then a buck could get a pretty good stash of candy We hand another brother who was a candy thief so me and my other brother had four holes drilled into this metal cookie can to fit two padlocks on so the candy was safe from the candy thief. Funny memories.

 

[FinanceDude]

I felt old a few hours ago when I was in my 32nd hour of work this weekend. I had to get all 6'6 1/2" of me down to the ground and it was very difficult and painful to get back up. I had to find something to grab onto to help pull me up or i'd still be on the ground. I'm only 31 years old. I don't want to think about what it'll be like when i'm actually old. I spent all night limping with both legs because my hip on the right side hurt and my knee on the left hurt. All the time while limping I was also holding and trying to massage my aching back. I must've looked like the walking dead.

How about finding a different job? What good is FIRE if you're so beat up you can't enjoy it?

 

[rescueme]

How about finding a different job? What good is FIRE if you're so beat up you can't enjoy it?

Sometimes, it has nothing to do with FIRE...

CMT : Videos : Craig Campbell : Family Man

While I'm not the OP, I've been there at that age (and for many years after that age).

While ER was not my goal at the time, it turned out that I was able to become FI and ER'ed a few years before those around me.

Sometimes, you do what you have to do - for your family - not only for yourself...

BTW, I have no regrets...

 

[Nords]

I do sometimes feel old when I go to work and have to explain to a 19 year old how to do something that seems simple to me.

You bring up a good point. When I was on active duty I had uniform articles older than some of those students...

 

[jayc]

I'll turn 75 this year, live in an adult community and still refer to some people as "old" when they are probably the same age or even younger. Just don't believe that I'm that old. I remember as a kid having a phone like Mayberry RFD. "Hello Mable, let me talk to Henry". Then we went big time and had a three digit phone number and a six page phone book. No yellow pages but the merchants had ads on the back cover to pay for the book. You still might pick up the phone and hear someone elses conversation on a "party line". Anyone else remember that far back?

Lived in the country. We had an 8 party line. (1963 - 1966) Our ring was 2 shorts.
You had a special way to contact people in your party by dialing then hang up.
My kid prank was ring up everyone at once and then listen to the confusion.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Interesting topic. I don't think I have felt old yet (I'm 60). I know intellectually time is passing, but when I get aches and pains I don't associate them with my age; I do things with younger people (20s on up) and although I don't feel at all that I'm their age of course (and I know they think I'm super-old) I don't feel like I'm on a different wavelength. I don't think about the past very much. DD and I went to a get-together for moms (all 50 and younger) and daughters a few months ago; DD didn't know anyone but she said afterward that I seemed like I was younger than the moms. I immediately told her she is my favorite child ever.

I think feeling old is going to hit me all at once and hit me hard!

 

[rescueme]

I think feeling old is going to hit me all at once and hit me hard!

I would venture to say that at the age of 100, you will feel the same (emotionally) as you did at age 16.

DW/I feel this way. Actually, we're all "young at heart" as they say, regardless of the infirmities of whatever age we currently are.

Thank goodness! I may look like an "old phart" (and even act as such, some days). At least the hopes and dreams of a younger age are still in my heart. And really - isn't that most important? If anything, that’s the “magic” of growing older…

 

[Aiming_4_55]

Early 40's and not old at all, but I feel old when I'm sick and/or body aches from physical activity. Standard desk job during the day.

For example, on Saturday I spent 10 hours performing residential rental property repairs, i.e. replaced 3 hot water heaters - throwing out the old units 100 ft away, changed out 12 GFCI outlets - being on my hands/knees at times, misc. repairs climbing up on a ladder a bit. By dinner time, I relaxed with DW and kids, but after the kids went to bed, I felt stiff. Sunday was a family R&R day and I'm fine on Monday =)

 

[Nords]

I would venture to say that at the age of 100, you will feel the same (emotionally) as you did at age 16.

"Inside the body of every 75-year-old is a 25-year-old wondering what the hell happened..."

 

[Dudester]

The gentleman says to me that in talking with his dad, his dad remembered when gas prices were 75 cents a gallon.

I can remember gas at 35 cents a gallon and people complaining about how high it was.

But what really makes me feel old is to watch live footage from World War II. It looks ancient and historical to me, but I was born smack dab at the midpoint of the war.

 

[missionfinder]

I feel old when someone posts a Grace Slick "White Rabbit" video!

 

[bbbamI]

Realizing it's been 36 years since I graduated from high school.

I used to look forward to the ages of 13, 16 and 21. Now I look forward to 62 so that I can draw my SS check.

Grunting when I get out of the recliner.

Grunting when I walk across the floor.

Did I mention grunting?

.........

 

[NW-Bound]

My wife and I both look much younger than our age: few wrinkles, very little gray hair, reasonably fit.

But my body keeps reminding me that I am in my 50s when I try to do something a bit more strenuous.

And of course looking at other people in our age group reminds us that we are in a geezer group. Gasp!

 

[Mulligan]

I think old is generally 10-15 years older than your current age is for most people, so the definition is fluid. However for the men, when your hair in your ears is thicker than whats on top of your head your probably in the old age danger zone!

 

[veremchuka]

i am surprised at how many people that are a lot younger than i am are complaining about aches, pains and how doing a minor amount of physical activity kicks their butt.

the work i do growing vegetables all spring thru fall not to mention splitting, picking up and moving 3 cord of firewood to the woodshed plus all the other bs i do as a home owner must keep me young. in addition to that a healthy diet of real food, no processed or refined junk that comprises the standard american diet (sad), the way people ate 100 years ago no doubts helps. i will say in my early 30's i had a terrible diet and was starting to exhibit many health problems associated with the way i ate which is why i changed my life style. i did not have gray hair until mid 40's, need glasses until 48 or 49, still have a full head of hair no bald spot, look at least 10 years younger than my age and i am never sick.

it may be good genes but i suspect my diet has a lot to do with it plus i never had kids. too much stress with kids, everyone i know that had them was much older, sicker and worn out than me at any given point in time.

i hope people don't think what i have said is bragging because i am not, apparently i'm the healthy exception tho i do glow blue in the dark. i said this to express what i have experienced since it seems to be so different than the comments i'm reading. ymmv.

 

[Khan]

I'm 60, there is a lot of pain involved.

skills:skills [ObsoleteSkills]

 

[bbbamI]

i am surprised at how many people that are a lot younger than i am are complaining about aches, pains and how doing a minor amount of physical activity kicks their butt.

I'm not sure how old you are...but, the reason I have aches and pains is because even though I'm a female, I've lifted and worked like a man for most of my life. (What I mean by this is usually men are stronger, IMO)

I've lifted racks of clothing, done heavy lifting in landscaping and have picked up and moved my household furniture ten times. The last time we moved, we hired someone else do the heavy work.

Doing all of that for 35 years took its toll on me. I was foolish to punish my body that way...because now I'm paying for it.

...and yes, I know....the mileage does vary.