You Know You're Old When...

officerripley

officerripley

Well-known Member
Location
Porlock, Calif
It's gotten to where you become reluctant to call or text friends because you know they're going through difficult old-age related stuff (i.e., physical/emotional health, economic, arguments about where to live issues, etc.). And there's no way you can help other than just listening but sometimes I just dread it; I know it's wrong of me but I just dread it, I guess because of having my own stuff I'm dealing with. And of course, if you live long enough, the problems just increase instead of getting better.
 
Nathan said:
It's hard for me to reach out to people that are/have been going through a major life event like becoming widowed. I want to let them know that I care, but I don't want to intrude....does that make any sense?
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Nathan, I understand not wanting to intrude but at the same time you want them to know you're thinking of them and that you care. Not wanting to reach out isn't an old age thing. I think some people feel uncomfortable about it because they don't want to intrude, or they don't know what to say. If you feel like you would be intruding, then reach out by mail and send a card.

officerripley said:
It's gotten to where you become reluctant to call or text friends because you know they're going through difficult old-age related stuff (i.e., physical/emotional health, economic, arguments about where to live issues, etc.). And there's no way you can help other than just listening but sometimes I just dread it; I know it's wrong of me but I just dread it, I guess because of having my own stuff I'm dealing with. And of course, if you live long enough, the problems just increase instead of getting better.
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Rips, I get it, nobody wants to be burdened with someone else's troubles or grief when they're struggling to maintain themselves. It's difficult enough having to carry your own burden.
 
Bella said:
Rips, I get it, nobody wants to be burdened with someone else's troubles or grief when they're struggling to maintain themselves. It's difficult enough having to carry your own burden.
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Yes, I just feel exhausted all the time. I think back to my grandparents and my parents when they got elderly and all the women just seemed to be exhausted all the time. (The men never were because they got their way all the time.) Being old is just so hard and just keeps getting harder and harder and now I've got people I know who've got it even harder. So tired.
 
officerripley said:
Yes, I just feel exhausted all the time. I think back to my grandparents and my parents when they got elderly and all the women just seemed to be exhausted all the time. (The men never were because they got their way all the time.) Being old is just so hard and just keeps getting harder and harder and now I've got people I know who've got it even harder. So tired.
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Do you have any passions or hobbies to keep you somewhat distracted?
 
Nathan said:
It's hard for me to reach out to people that are/have been going through a major life event like becoming widowed. I want to let them know that I care, but I don't want to intrude....does that make any sense?
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Just make sure to SAY SOMETHING. Don't ignore the person. That was the worst thing when I was widowed; all those folks who I knew who actually avoided me rather than say something. Anything. Anything is so way better than nothing.
 
officerripley said:
Yes, my passion is information so I love to read. I do crafting just a little but can't do much because my hands are very unsteady (and I abso despise hot glue guns, lol).
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Well I’m not a fan of hot glue guns either. In fact, I’m not a fan of any type of gun.
Have you considered adult crayoning books?
My fingers don’t work very well either but I make sure to keep using them so they don’t completely seize up.
 
When you hear someone is having a party, when you are young you are afraid you won't be invited. When you are old you are afraid you will.

You know you're getting old when people thirty years younger than you are worried about getting grey hair.

You know that you are getting old when your arms become too short to read the newspaper.

You know you're getting old when the whole social media thing makes about as much sense as . . . well, it makes no sense whatsoever.

I looked up 50 ways to tell that you're getting old. Number one was: "Feeling stiff." Huh! I should be so lucky.

When my Godson replied to my text message he started with ROLF, this was over something amusing that I had sent him. he explained, what ROLF meant. I told him that he forgot the suffix CGUA. It beat him, I'm not surprised, I made it up. Told him that Roll over laughing on the floor should be followed by: Can't get up again.
 
PeppermintPatty said:
Well I’m not a fan of hot glue guns either. In fact, I’m not a fan of any type of gun.
Have you considered adult crayoning books?
My fingers don’t work very well either but I make sure to keep using them so they don’t completely seize up.
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I do some online adult crayoning, it kills a little time. I don't like adult crayoning using real books since the only thing I can stand to use my hands for is operating a computer keyboard or mouse; I hate using my hands for anything else, can't even stand to watch other people use their hands, like someone knitting or painting or playing the drums, ugh, too much irritating movement.
 
horseless carriage said:
When you hear someone is having a party, when you are young you are afraid you won't be invited. When you are old you are afraid you will.
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I'm going through that right now. My neighbor is performing about 25 miles away. I got a free ticket. I will have to drive. It will be over at 8 PM and I need to be home before dark. Something that would have been such fun a couple of years ago seems like a major challenge.
 
CallMeKate said:
You know you're old when you look at the obits and always know someone in there. :(
I still have 5 years to go until I'm even 70, so I dread what it will be like as it gets worse
year after year.
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Trust me, Kate, it won't get worse. I still keep thinking that I am 49 years old, so steer away from mirrors. :) But seriously, there's no doubt that various ailments will come your way in the next thirty-five years (or maybe not. They did in my case) but it is astounding how resilient the human spirit is and how quickly one tends to adapt to everything. I won't bother you again with all the things that are wrong with me at 87 but I am utterly sincere when I say that I enjoy every day to the hilt! The trick is to have hobbies that will occupy your day! Being on this forum is one of them!
 
I'm 88. Is anyone else here my age or higher?

What keeps me going is playing a computer game called, Civilization VI for 8 hours a day. I get to conquer other nations and kill millions. It is a fascinating game and I really live inside it. When one drops an atom bomb or a hydrogen bomb, one imagines all the people one killed.

The only problem is that, as I age, I keep doing worse and worse. It has 8 levels of Artificial Intelligence to play against. These days I lose fast and early on the lowest Artificial Intelligence level. In the old days I always won.
 
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What makes me feel old is making a list of all the things I need to do today. Then I get up from the chair and realize I can't do certain things like I planned. Bad knees are hurting when I stand up or walk. Or the Lymphedema has my feet swollen up and I need to put my feet up for awhile (which is like wasting time when I have things I wanted to do).
 
You know you're getting old when the new, contemporary bands look (and sound) to you like children throwing temper tantrums.

You know you are getting old when the only thing that gets hard are your arteries!

You know you're getting old when you've seen the same stupid fads come around four or five times.

You know you're getting old when all your favorite household products have been discontinued.

You know you are getting old when the memory starts to slip.
I was in the bathroom having a shave, getting ready for a vintage WW2 event that we were off to.
The door barges open, in she walks in her underwear, complete with vintage stockings. She turns around, treats me to a provocative pose:
"Are my seams straight?" She says, looking over her shoulder at me, with a cheeky grin on her face.
"Certainly are!" I replied, adding, "and that's not all that's straight."
"You've had that!" She replied, indignantly with a huffy sort of snort and flounced out of the bathroom.
"Well I don't remember," I thought, as I went back to finishing my shave.
 
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