Things Older People Do

[Elbata]

I'm almost reaching my mid-sixties, and I'm finding I'm doing things that when I was younger, I thought they were odd.

For instance, my wife and I sleep in different rooms. I'm loving it. If I want to watch TV, computer, read a book, I'm not bothering her. She long ago abandoned the bed because the dogs took over, but now she sleeps in a separate room.

There are other things I do that I thought, "Nah, I could never do that", but now I'm doing them with regularity. Makes me realize I held opinions that were not valid.

 

[REWahoo]

I'm almost reaching my mid-sixties, and I'm finding I'm doing things that when I was younger, I thought they were odd.

Not just odd, cruel.

For example, in kindergarten I thought having to take a nap was punishment. No more.

 

[kcowan]

Well we always rent 2BR apartments when we travel. We start out in the same room but usually end up in the other bedroom. I think the main reason is insomnia during the latter part of the night. She reads and I watch TV.

 

[Freedom56]

For instance, my wife and I sleep in different rooms. I'm loving it.

Sleep in different rooms? I can't even fall asleep unless my wife is with me in bed and that's after...

 

[Nemo2]

I'm past my mid-seventies and neither DW nor I would ever contemplate separate beds.

(PS...mid-sixties is not (yet) 'old'....just wait. )

 

[joeea]

For instance, my wife and I sleep in different rooms.

Whatever makes you both happy.

But don't characterize that as "Things older people do." At least not the two older people that live in my house.

 

[Dtail]

Not just odd, cruel.

For example, in kindergarten I thought having to take a nap was punishment. No more.

+1
Love that 20 minute afternoon nap.

 

[COcheesehead]

We sleep three to a bed. Me, the dog and my wife. The dog would be upset if we did it any other way.

 

[MRG]

We sleep three to a bed. Me, the dog and my wife. The dog would be upset if we did it any other way.

+1 I sleep between two females and DW between two males. They didn't sleep with us for their first ten years, while they don't mind crates they get so happy at bedtime.

 

[CaptTom]

I know a young couple who sleep in separate rooms. Similar reasons to those mentioned here. Still...

For me, the one thing I never thought I could do is move slowly. Like take the stairs one step at a time. I still don't like to, but I'm finding it's not as hard as it used to be!

 

[Nemo2]

Like take the stairs one step at a time. I still don't like to, but I'm finding it's not as hard as it used to be!

Keep at it...with a little practice you'll be able to do one riser in two steps.

 

[marko]

When I was a kid my grandparents slept in separate rooms. I thought that's what all old people did.

I was astonished when I discovered that my other grandparents slept together and I thought they were the odd ones.

 

[gretah]

I'm wearing ugly shoes.

I vowed I would never wear old lady shoes. But these Sketchers are irresitably comfy.


Last spring, I caught myself putting on sandals over my socks. (Not quite warm enough for bare feet.) I stood up, looked down, and said "I did NOT do that!" And took off the sandals, replacing them with the comfy ugly shoes. (Dodged a bullet there.)


I used to paint my tootsie nails in summer. Now they are too far away. I can't contort to get them close enough to be within range of my reading glasses. I tried to paint last month. Made a mess.

 

[aja8888]

My DW has totally forgotten how to use the stove or cook.

At least she still remembers how to do the laundry though!

 

[ls99]

OTOH having a GF does make the bed warmer. Im so many ways, even after 70.

 

[Bamaman]

We seldom eat out, and eat inexpensively when we do--Captain D or Krystal. Let me rephrase that. She seldom eats out and I sneak around at lunchtime.

She keeps different hours and watches Tyler Perry reruns on OWN. I watch too much politics on conservative news and love police and prison television in the middle of the night. We both are trying to keep Xena the Rottweiler sleeping on the floor.

 

[PawPrint53]

Turning up the sound on the TV and falling asleep when I read.

 

[ronin]

I am playing music from 50 yrs ago right now. Chambers Bros. - Time. Not my parents Mantovani.

 

[Moemg]

I will do something and realize I am turning into my Mother .

 

[audreyh1]

The insomnia thing - fairly common when getting older, and lots of possible causes. My wee hours awakening was cured with hormone supplementation. Sleeping much better now. Plus Dr. has me maintain a sleep discipline of at least eight hours (even if just lying there for an hour) which I can do when at home, and it has really helped too.

Uh-oh, I’ve been wearing sandals with socks for years!

 

[Midpack]

We sleep three to a bed. Me, the dog and my wife. The dog would be upset if we did it any other way.

+1. We did the same. We had two dogs, fortunately one dog choose to sleep on the floor, must not have liked DW, me or the other dog.

DW and I have never slept in separate beds, guess we're not "older" yet?

Uh-oh, I’ve been wearing sandals with socks for years!

Me too.

 

[Car-Guy]

Not just odd, cruel.

For example, in kindergarten I thought having to take a nap was punishment. No more.

 

[Telly]

Last spring, I caught myself putting on sandals over my socks. (Not quite warm enough for bare feet.) I stood up, looked down, and said "I did NOT do that!" And took off the sandals, replacing them with the comfy ugly shoes. (Dodged a bullet there.)

So glad you caught that major error!
At the big U I went to, that was the look of a Physics grad student
Which was about the worst cut that a student could lob at another.

As seen written on the back of a stall door in a dorm hall bathroom... "PHEW
MAN, Pull'em Up! You smell worse than a Physics Grad student!!!"

 

[Telly]

Some things I'm on the lookout for, to avoid doing, I mean --

Chewing one's cud, when not actually eating; Talking/mumbling to oneself in public, including soundlessly moving mouth making words; Looking like a Physics Grad Student (I had to slip that one in!); Not wearing pants with the beltline up at armpit level; Severe case of Halitosis and insisting on being up-close talking to people; Parking a big car at that close-in space at the library by repeatedly backing in and running up on the curb in the exact same spot over and over again; Talking to and dressing up little yip-yip dogs as if they were human babies; Not washing clothes often enough (like PGS above ); Talking loudly in the wrong places (are there really that many hard of hearing people, or is it the "I don't give a damn attitude?"); Using punctuation incorrectly (OK, I haven't been able to completely avoid THAT one!)

 

[Scuba]

Older people sleeping in separate bedrooms is apparently very common. I used to work in the senior living industry and our Marketing staff told me that many couples insist on a 2 BR apartment because they each want their own bedroom.

Hopefully that will not happen for DH and me. We have 3 BR’s in our condo, but one is an office and the guest BR doesn’t have a view. Our master has a beautiful view of the ocean, and I don’t see either of us wanting to sacrifice that! [emoji23]