When did you realize you were getting old?
- Thread starter tundrawookiee
- Start date
I arrested a kid and recognized the name from two or so decades back, way before he would have been born. I said, “Hey, I think I arrested your dad years ago, had the same name”. He answered, “No, that was my grandpa”.
I wept…..
I wept…..
Being old is relative and it can make for some odd moments.
When I deployed to Iraq, my butter bar Lt. was younger than my daughter. I literally had boots in my closet older than him.
When I was single, I went out with a girl born years after I graduated high school. She asked my out, I asked her if this was a dare from her friends, hahaha.
Did a track day in my sports car two years ago, got called an "old guy" by one of the children in my group.
On the bright side, we took a Viking cruise last spring and were two of the youngest people on the boat. Some of them were so old they circled the globe with Magellan.
When I deployed to Iraq, my butter bar Lt. was younger than my daughter. I literally had boots in my closet older than him.
When I was single, I went out with a girl born years after I graduated high school. She asked my out, I asked her if this was a dare from her friends, hahaha.
Did a track day in my sports car two years ago, got called an "old guy" by one of the children in my group.
On the bright side, we took a Viking cruise last spring and were two of the youngest people on the boat. Some of them were so old they circled the globe with Magellan.
People are still falling for the funeral home scam?
I told my wife to spend as little as possible for cremation and then take the money she didn't spend and to go on vacation to exotic locations and spread a little bit of me everywhere she goes.
When my dad died, he wanted to be cremated. And then dump his ashes in the Colorado river below Davis dam. He then wanted a 12 pack poured in. I asked him if the 12 pack could be recycled. He was not impressed.
age story: when i retired @ 65 i played a lot of sanctioned duplicate contract bridge. at that time,i was very often the youngest person in the room. in about '19 (?) the nat'l org and local clubs started with vaccine mandates to play FTF. the fear mongering and gov bullying were hugely successful. i refused,quite playing and ultimately sold all my books on the game. internet play got to be a big thing at that time. just another casualty of the deep states control grab. the fear that their aggitprop generated was palpable in that (oldish) segment of the popul. most others as well we know.
We are in the same boat except that I have prescription glasses (no line bifocals, slight cataract in my left eye.) Not only do I sometimes not remember if I posted, I am more likely to repeat something that I have already stated.The use of readers and the fact I might have already posted in this thread but don't remember!
At least if we tell the same story twice the same way, they know we ain't lying!
Right before Thanksgiving I went and visited a friend in an old folks home.
I had never been to one before, I avoid places like this as much as possible, but he was a good friend and the wife said you really should go it will mean a great deal to him. It did, and my "feelings" around a great many things changed A GREAT DEAL. after that visit.
Want to feel young, go to one of those places. Want to swear to drive your car off a cliff before you get old, go to one of those places. Want to think .gov assisted suicide might not be a bad thing, visit one of those places.
I NEVER EVER want to end up there. Some people may like it, to me....and I can even see an old me where I can't do much, this place would be hell. Don't get me wrong, it was a very nice, clean well run place. But please God let me go in my sleep.
I left that place determined to make (guessing) my last 20 years be the most they can be, within reason. So no, I could "afford" a GT40 but I am not going to buy one....but I will get that cool mustang again if you can follow.
I also left so damn depressed and my head swimming.
He wants a visit again, and I will go before Christmas again. He just wanted to BS about the cop shop, shooting, computers.....just stuff.
Yes I feel old, but not that old anymore.
I know that sounds a bit horrid, but it is the way I feel. I don't want to end up that way.
OK, I remember posting in here. LOL I just wanted to add a big indicator I forgot about...and that is:
Being calm and comfortable with my own thoughts to pass the time. When I was younger sitting 4-5hours of a morning stand hunt would practically but me into an asylum. Sitting in the waiting room 4hrs for my friend to have his cataract surgery. Wasn't nothing. I had panned out some handloads and bunch of other things.
I had a lack of understanding of the phrase, "This too shall pass". Having seen so many things, and people, and places come and go is reaffirmation nothing is forever. Especially not the moments of boredom.
Being calm and comfortable with my own thoughts to pass the time. When I was younger sitting 4-5hours of a morning stand hunt would practically but me into an asylum. Sitting in the waiting room 4hrs for my friend to have his cataract surgery. Wasn't nothing. I had panned out some handloads and bunch of other things.
I had a lack of understanding of the phrase, "This too shall pass". Having seen so many things, and people, and places come and go is reaffirmation nothing is forever. Especially not the moments of boredom.
Having to care for someone that's aged beyond their ability to care for themselves is terribly humbling. Watching the final absolute descent into the humiliation of being so old they cannot do anything for themselves makes me want to somehow ensure I don't make it that far. Knowing that everyone on the planet is headed to that same end is terrifying.... and I now way better understand the suicide rate amongst seniors. Nobody would want to endure that end if they had a choice. And I cannot imagine putting my family through that hell in an attempt to care for me either.
You never know what life brings. My wife lives in a skilled nursing facility. Her condition requires daily medication twice a day and medical monitoring to ward off seizures (not epilepsy.) There is not really a cure. It is demylination. Meylin is a coating around the nerve cells in the brain. When intact, the brain operates on an even keel and has an orderly flow of information back and forth. When that has eroded, one side of the brain can be slower than the other side. And you get seizures. It starts out small and subtle. Fixed stare. Lips are moving but no sound is coming out. Aphasic behavior (inability to track with a voice or turn.) In fact, she had that pre-seizure response and it was determined to be caused by a pain med (she fell a few weeks ago.) So, that pain med got stopped and they switched to Tylenol 3.
Sure, it would be great to have her at the house but there would be no one there for her to talk to. Where she is now, she has friends and activities. PT and OT. She has been learning to walk again and is really good at getting from bed to wheelchair and go to the bathroom and back. Or get dressed and go to activities.
She also has arthritis that is more severe on her left side than her right side, so she has curvature of the spine and it is difficult to for her to shower. So, I have been giving her (seated) showers for over a year, taking over from the aides. They don't have a lot of time whereas I will take the time to use her shampoo and conditioner, facial scrub, her favorite body wash.
And now she is using her left hand a little more and has taken over putting on her lotions. A face wash, Oil of Olay cream, arthritis cream, bruise cream (she bruises easily,) deodorant, etc. I put mousse in her hair and blow dry it for her.
When I am there, especially on the weekends, I put her jewelry on her including earrings. Once or twice, she has put on make-up. I helped with the mascara on the eyelashes.
Sure, there are some problems at the facility but it is the same everywhere. At least, she has her own room and is on Medicaid and Medicare A & B. She just turned 68 a few months ago.
And I thank God she came back from a Code Blue a few years (got a mucus clog on her tracheostomy she had at the time.) And she has a place where we can get her the care that I cannot provide by myself.
Others' mileage may vary.
I think it depends on the person. I think my wife would love it. She is a very people person and goes crazy if forced to stay at home. Covid was hell on her, the work from remote thing. She would be into all the activities, I have zero doubt of that.
Me I just want to be left the hell alone. I could do some things like models and such, but people just knocking and coming in, I don't like that. I just don't like people.
Please don't make the mistake (and I don't think you are) that I don't think there is value in these places, or that we should "retire" folks after a given age Logan's Run style. But that place just did not seem like my kind of place. Like you say I think it will depend on the person.
You hit the nail on the head. She is a people person. She used to work at a grocery store as a checker. She spent part of her lunch just walking around and finding where everything is. People would stand in her line even though other lanes were open. She even had a "boyfriend." Some guy was sweet on her and would bring gifts. He was a "contractor" over in the sandbox and was stateside recovering from an "injury."
Me, I can talk to almost anyone. Others are not like that. Her mother could be very quiet but her dad was outgoing.
When I started seeing attractive young women and thinking “I’d like to meet her mom!”
A few years back ... I sneezed and most of my vertebrae cracked, allowing me to cancel my Chiropractor appointment the next day and saving my $20 insurance copay ... that's when I knew I was getting old.
I'm coming up on 70. The two most recent eye exams showed my eyes are actually getting closer to 20/20, so my correction is reduced
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