The moment you realize you're old...

[Ronstar]

I went to the running shoe store to get new shoes. Had to get 13 wide. Salesman said that people’s feet widen when they get old from walking on them for such a long time.

 

[MarieIG]

I muttered some expletive's under my breath when the first AARP mailers arrived.

I'll see you the AARP mailers and raise you multiple solicitations from the local funeral home AND cemetery.

 

[braumeister]

I went to the running shoe store to get new shoes. Had to get 13 wide. Salesman said that people’s feet widen when they get old from walking on them for such a long time.

That came as a surprise to me too, and it's longer as well as wider. In college, I wore size 10-B shoes. Today it's 12-D.

 

[jollystomper]

I first realized I was "old" when, after a weekend of flag football in my early 40s, I had to take a 5 hour flight and when it landed, seriously thought I would have to request a wheelchair to get off of the plane. Shuffling through the airport told me "it aint gonna get better" .

But, I will keep thinking I am not too old as long as I can still be athletically active. I certainly cannot run, jump, or throw as I could when I was younger... but I can still run, jump or throw if I choose to. And I still walk at a brisk pace.

When we dance at a social event, we are almost always the oldest ones dancing. But (as I related on the "do you still dance" topic), I am not ashamed to say that I appreciate the compliments we get, especially (for me) from the women . In June, at the wedding of DW's late college roommates daughter, we danced so much that, when the ceremony ended around 10, we were invited to the after party at a location location, which was going to run until 2AM. We would have been the oldest folks there by at least 20 years... but we declined, knowing that ibuprofen would be our friend the next day .

At our recent family reunion, we spent one evening in one of those indoor amusement places. We had a large laser tag battle where I and one of my older brothers (73) finished in the top 5 of scoring. That showed our young family whippersnappers . And yes, the next morning, lots of teasing ("Uncle Jolly, are you limping from last night? do we need to get you a soft cushion?").

DW has the genetic fortune to look 10-15 years younger. At times she prefers to be seen as her age instead of that younger view. On the other hand, breaking her ankle trying to go off of a slip n slide last summer was due to her thinking she was young enough to try it... so now she says she will try acting more "her age". Except for dancing, of course .

 

[imjustawarrior]

Can't order off the kids' menu anymore
Can buy alcohol but get carded
Can buy alcohol and not get carded
Same age as the professional athletes
Older than all the professional athletes
Hair starts growing in strange places
Hair stops growing where it use to
Aches and pains that take longer to go away
Can't eat whatever you want if you want to sleep
and the progression continues until it doesn't

 

[tmm99]

In my mid-40s, I rode a new rollercoaster at Great America an amusement park in Santa Clara, CA. I think I hung down from some railing, but I could be wrong. The ride made a lot of jerky movement. My neck and shoulders were in pain afterwards, and I felt like I needed to see a chiropractor. I used to love rollercoasters, but I realized that I'm too old for serious rollercoasters at that point, and I haven't been on a rollercoaster since. I'm sure I would still enjoy Matterhorn (a very mild rollercoaster ride) at Disneyland, but yep, I think those things are for younger people.

 

[harllee]

DH and I are age 73 and our hobby is dancing--we go to to dance venues and do a lot of dancing--we are good dancers, especially swing dancing (we even teach). Usually after we dance we get many compliments as we walk back to our seat, some people even ask us about lessons. Last night while walking back to our seats after a swing dance a group of 30-40 year olds stopped us to tell us how much they enjoyed our dancing and one of them said "I bet back in the day you two could really tear up the dance floor" and my husband said "we can still tear up the dance floor, didn't you see us."

 

[Flieger]

Couple of things with respect to this:

• My wife always asks after we run in to some of my friends from HS or College - "Do we look like that?"
• A person at work came in to my office and looked at a pic of my wife and I from not very long ago and said "Look at young Jim in that picture"
• I get asked about Sr discounts.

Now, my Dad, who just passed away less than a year ago at 86 told me he looks in the mirror and sees some old guy, but in his mind still thinks of himself as 20... That's how I hope to stay!

 

[Dawg52]

Not bad, what was your score for the back nine?

Not sure.....I just quit counting when I reached 73.

 

[iloveyoga]

I went to the running shoe store to get new shoes. Had to get 13 wide. Salesman said that people’s feet widen when they get old from walking on them for such a long time.

I am 65 and for the first time I had to get bigger walking shoes. My old ones were too small and hurt my feet!

 

[Kings over Queens]

I'll see you the AARP mailers and raise you multiple solicitations from the local funeral home AND cemetery.

Ouch. Yeah, you win.

 

[pacergal]

First morning my hips and shoulders hurt when getting up out of bed.

 

[Midpack]

When my Mom was about 60, I asked her what she thought it would be like to be 80. She said, 'I'll be dead long before I'm 80!' She lived to be 93 yo...

 

[mystang52]

I'm 72 now. I mentioned to DW that I've noticed how more strangers are deferential to me lately. Examples: even when I'm a bit of a distance away, someone waiting for me while holding door open; letting me go ahead in a line; offering to assist me while doing a return at a computerized kiosk. Also, after a lifetime of being a roller coaster fanatic, I "retired" from them about 10 years ago. I went to a Six Flags, then, and after the 5th coaster or so I called it quits as I was getting dizzy and weak.

 

[Luvtoride]

Our shore home city just opened a brand new Senior Citizen center near our home. They had a grand opening last week and we went and “signed up”. I asked the minimum age for a membership card and they said 60 years old…I made it with almost 7 years to spare.

 

[old medic]

Got a phone call the other day.... Inviting me to a retirement party for a Paramedic I helped train many years ago....

 

[rembrandt]

When I got a haircut, I got the senior citizens discount without asking. I also did not like seeing all the white hair being cut off.

 

[MC Rider]

I get the senior discount without asking now and then. No mail from funeral homes or cemeteries. Yet.

 

[Andre1969]

A few weeks ago, I was talking cars to a younger friend, and mentioned about how nowadays, when you flip the visor down there's a warning saying airbags can kill, but back in the day there were instructions detailing what to do when you flooded the engine trying to start it. And with late 70s/early 80s cars, there was a really good chance that you WOULD flood it, at some point in life. I told him that you had to pump the pedal to se the choke and prime the carburetor, and he looked at me like I was speaking Klingon or something. I asked him if he knew what a carburetor was, and he shook his head "no", with a glassy eyed stare. That made me feel kinda old.

He probably would have given me the same glassy-eyed stare if I asked him if he knew what "Klingon" was.

 

[MC Rider]

And in the 70's if someone said they start their car with a fob and has electronic fuel injection, and computerized tuning, and airbags, and..........

You would have a whole herd of deer in headlights.

 

[DJRR]

A while back my wife and I went to a restaurant that had a number of good reviews. We walked in, were greeted and seated, and we ordered our items from the menu. As we sat there on our lovely date looking around the restaurant, we realized all the other patrons were in their 20's or 30's. We suddenly felt really out of place...

C'mon, if you want to hang out with the old folks you need to go the early bird

For me it was talking about gas prices with folks in the office - "This is nothing. Remember when there was gas rationing and you could only get gas on odd or even days based on the last digit of your license plate? That was bad" As they look at me like I have three heads I ask "What year were you born?" 1988. "Nevermind".

 

[MC Rider]

When I realized I am 5 years older than this super cool old Ducati.

 

[Dtail]

I'm 72 now. I mentioned to DW that I've noticed how more strangers are deferential to me lately. Examples: even when I'm a bit of a distance away, someone waiting for me while holding door open; letting me go ahead in a line; offering to assist me while doing a return at a computerized kiosk. Also, after a lifetime of being a roller coaster fanatic, I "retired" from them about 10 years ago. I went to a Six Flags, then, and after the 5th coaster or so I called it quits as I was getting dizzy and weak.

That's why in general, one doesn't see grandparents with the kiddos on the major roller coaster rides.

 

[aja8888]

When I realized I am 5 years older than this super cool old Ducati.

View attachment 51863

That would fit in with my old 1960's Bultaco Matador. My best friend had an Ossa back then.

 

[MC Rider]

I guess I better get going to Magic Mountain and ride those coasters again soon. Viper! It has been a long time. Too long.