It Sucks Getting Old

[HutchFan]

I'm 58.

 

[jazzbo]

Youngster. So much to come ahead of you! 

[AllenLowe]

I should add that, after my first 12 hour surgery I stopped sleeping (this was 2021). Six months went by; I was sleepless and suicidal until I discovered THC which, in small dosages, has kept me sane since September 2021. Thank goodness it was legalized and I recommend it; it kept me out of the looney bin (so far at least).

[optatio]

"Age is a condition, not an argument" (Helmut Kohl, former German Chancellor) ...

[Dan Gould]

Turned 60 last September.

There is no plan to retire because there is no money and I do mean that literally. We operate at a deficit.  My wife can't find a job that pays more and I fear she is about to be passed over for the one position that seemed the best possibility only a week ago.  Our retirement plan consists of:  my wife outliving me (I've maintaiined a life insurance policy, she let hers lapse and hasn't replaced) OR winning the lottery OR, me outliving my mother and her not outliving her assets.

Given the above I am not sure why I made such an effort to achieve a level of fitness and general "health" in the last 23 months (down 90 pounds, normal BP and cholesterol and A1C) but I was tired of seeing myself at 275 and I figure "live fast, die young, leave a good looking corpse": I can now achieve the last, at least.

Being over 60 all my friends seem to speak of is our weight and whatever medical issue or test result comes down the pike.  It's pretty boring frankly.

 

[Stompin at the Savoy]

73. Getting old isn't all bad.  My friends consider me a poor person and yet somehow I seem to have almost everything I ever wanted: several excellent acoustic guitars, an extensive collection of jazz, a huge library of books, a nice collection of cookware, clothes, video, computers, a reliable car etc, etc. I've lost much of my vocal range but my guitar has ripened over 60 years of playing and I'm able to amuse myself for hours every day. I'm retired, collect social security, and my needs are pretty modest so I don't have to work.  Just at the moment the ghosts of all those long ago sports injuries have begun to haunt me and joint pain has become a way of life, cannabis has become legal (sort of) and excellent dry herb vaporizers have come on the market.  And LED lighting.  I've had a hippie dream of living out in the country in Oregon since I was a teen and now I do.

Edited 5 hours ago by Stompin at the Savoy

[Dub Modal]

From another perspective, being older right now is likely way better than it's going to be in the future. While I'm not as old as some of you, I'm thankful for experiencing the analog life growing up and very happy to be lucky enough that it was without social media. I'll take the aches, pains etc all day every day over being in my 20s right now. The future looks bleak af and I'm not looking forward to it. 

[Stompin at the Savoy]

21 minutes ago, Dub Modal said:

From another perspective, being older right now is likely way better than it's going to be in the future. While I'm not as old as some of you, I'm thankful for experiencing the analog life growing up and very happy to be lucky enough that it was without social media. I'll take the aches, pains etc all day every day over being in my 20s right now. The future looks bleak af right now and I'm not looking forward to it. 

I think you are right.  Unfortunately the world we are bequeathing to subsequent generations is, to my mind, overcrowded.  Climate change is already creating scary wildfire behavior out here in the west that we didn't know before.  Immense fires that there is no question of putting out where entire towns go up - you try to move people to safety and redirect it at the edges...

[Kevin Bresnahan]

It's interesting to read about old sports injuries coming back to bite you later. You want to know the worst one? I was walking our late dog Auggie along the beach when he saw another dog behind us (that I didn't see). I use an extendable leash and it rapidly ran out behind me and I was too slow to realize it was happening. When it hit the end of the line, I got yanked into the air and I landed on a pile of rocks, mostly slamming into my left shoulder. I saw stars.

Don't ever injure your left shoulder if you can help it.

A left shoulder socket injury causes shooting pains down your left arm later on. They tend to wake you up. They also tend to mimic what you've been told is a heart attack.  It really sucks.

And yes, I do consider walking the dog a "sport".  Walking my dogs has been a big source of exercise for me for the past 35 years.

[Dub Modal]

42 minutes ago, Kevin Bresnahan said:

It's interesting to read about old sports injuries coming back to bite you later. You want to know the worst one? I was walking our late dog Auggie along the beach when he saw another dog behind us (that I didn't see). I use an extendable leash and it rapidly ran out behind me and I was too slow to realize it was happening. When it hit the end of the line, I got yanked into the air and I landed on a pile of rocks, mostly slamming into my left shoulder. I saw stars.

Don't ever injure your left shoulder if you can help it.

A left shoulder socket injury causes shooting pains down your left arm later on. They tend to wake you up. They also tend to mimic what you've been told is a heart attack.  It really sucks.

And yes, I do consider walking the dog a "sport".  Walking my dogs has been a big source of exercise for me for the past 35 years.

I have 2 huskies so I know what you mean. Retractable leashes on them would have me in the hospital for sure. 

[felser]

5 hours ago, Kevin Bresnahan said:

I switched to volleyball shortly after that. I played volleyball 3 or 4 nights a week until I was in my early 50's and loved it. Now I really can't jump much and I really shouldn't be diving around on a hard floor.  I do think about playing again. There was a time when several of the guys I played with were in their late 60's. One guy played until he was 75. He couldn't spike and he never dove, but he could still bump/set/serve fine, which was more than a lot of the younger players could do.

I was playing volleyball about 10 years ago on a concrete court, fell reaching for a ball, and have a plate and 10 screws in my left wrist from the resulting fracture.  That was my retirement from participatory sports.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

20 minutes ago, felser said:

I was playing volleyball about 10 years ago on a concrete court, fell reaching for a ball, and have a plate and 10 screws in my left wrist from the resulting fracture.  That was my retirement from participatory sports.

I stopped playing volleyball about 10 years ago shortly after a surgical procedure that left about 6 stitched up holes around my lower stomach area. I tried playing and when I went up to block a spike, my stomach felt like someone punched me. I had to sit down for about 10 minutes. I tried going back in but it still hurt.

I think it's been long enough by now that I could possibly try again but I bet I'd suck now. Too slow. Too old. I don't want to be that "old guy who can't play anymore". I remember not really liking playing with guys like that when I was younger.   

[miles65]

I'm 63 and I don't feel old. I fact I feel younger than 5 years ago. Not the body but in spirit. My social network expanded with younger people. With whom I have innocent uncomplicated fun.