What Was Your 'I'm Old' Moment?

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Dave03

Senior Member
Location
Dunder Mifflin, Scranton Branch
I was reading the thread 'You know you're getting old when...', and this is kind of like that, but not exactly.

What was that first moment when you realized 'Wow, I'm getting old', and how did you react to it?



For me, it was brushing my teeth. I looked in the mirror, and saw a goatee that was almost completely white. It was a weird feeling. I stopped brushing, and for the first time in I don't know how long, I really looked at myself.

There were a lot of white hairs in my eyebrows. I had one of those little pouches under my chin. Loose skin. my jawline was soft, and my eyelids were kind of droopy, just like my Gram's.

It shook me up a bit. When did this happen? How did I not see it coming? I mean, I knew I was getting older, but I didn't expect to see it all at once like that.

I still catch myself staring every once in a while. LOL.
 

Dave03 said:
For me, it was brushing my teeth. I looked in the mirror, and saw a goatee that was almost completely white. It was a weird feeling. I stopped brushing, and for the first time in I don't know how long, I really looked at myself.
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There is, on the right side of my chin, an unsightly mole that I have always been aware of, it doesn't bother others but I loathed it. In my early twenties I needed a medical examination for insurance purposes, so it was quite intrusive. I breezed through it. Afterwards, when getting dressed, doctor asked,"is there anything I should know of?" "Not really doctor," I replied, and then saw a chance of getting something done about the mole.

"Is it possible," I inquired, "to have this removed?" The doctor peered at it, prodded it and said that although it wasn't proven, the medical consensus was that removal might lead to the formation of cancerous cells. He then said: "Why don't you grow a beard?" Why indeed, simply because I hadn't thought of that.

My beard was kept short, trimmed and very tidy, it was there for over twenty-five years. Then that bathroom moment happened that Dave mentioned. Trimming around the edge of the beard, I saw grey hairs. "GREY!" I was too young to go grey. The beard came off, I would rather have the mole.

Vain? Who me?
 
It was the year that I read the lineup of musical entertainers for the two week run of our state fair and realized that I didn’t recognize any of them.

It doesn’t have so much to do with age as it does with being out of circulation for 20 years.

I’ve lost touch and interest in so many things that seemed important to me when I was still in the daily rat race. 😉🤭😂
 

It happens in stages - like 40 looks old to 25. I think my first awareness hit me in my late 40s when a younger person addressed me as "Sir."

It really bothered me when I was offered a senior discount at age 58 by someone who looked about 22.

But then at age 63, I went to an event that offered a 10% discount to those over 60, and had to show my driver's license to a woman who looked about 70. So, a lot of it has to do with the age and perception of those who see us.

The OP mentioned droopy eyelids. I hate those, but they can come and go depending on weather, sinuses, how much salt we consume, how we sleep, etc. Some days that top lid looks droopy, other days no.
 
Unfortunately, it was cancer at age 54 that started my downfall. It's been one health drama after another since then. I feel cheated out of my middle age. Went from young to old in a flash.

Losing my mother made me an orphan in my fifties. I remember an older co worker would say to me "How are you still so young?" and my answer was "because I still have my mommy." Aged from the loss of her.
 
When I decided after retiring to go on vacation in Sept. avoiding all the families with young children. I am sitting in a restaurant looking around thinking "boy, there are a lot of old people here this time of year".

Then it hit me that I was one too.
 
When I went for a run about a year ago and I could feel the pounding throughout my entire spine and hip joints.
I can only run on a treadmill now, no more hard surfaces. Felt so relieved I could still run like the wind - just on a treadmill.
My favorite thing about jr high and high school was track and field.

I was at the VA one day for an appointment for an MRI. The tech comes out with my paperwork in his hand and calls my name, twice, looking for me. When we were walking back to the treatment area, he said: "You are the youngest looking 68 year old, I was out there looking for a grey haired granny 68 year old! How do you look so young and fit?". I said: "Long hair, sunglasses, and work out like a crazy person...". Best compliment ever....especially as he was looking for a "grey haired granny" - I don't even color my hair as the blonde and grey mix up so well and my hair is long shiny and sleek.
 
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It was when l got my first white hair at around age 29. Then it turned salt and pepper and l loved it. Then my boss got fidgety about it and l started coloring my hair. l guess it had made him feel old. Since l retired l don't color it any more, except for now and then.
 
Pepper said:
Unfortunately, it was cancer at age 54 that started my downfall. It's been one health drama after another since then. I feel cheated out of my middle age. Went from young to old in a flash.

Losing my mother made me an orphan in my fifties. I remember an older co worker would say to me "How are you still so young?" and my answer was "because I still have my mommy." Aged from the loss of her.
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Losing my mother at the tender age of 18 ..didn;t make me feel old.... and Pepper, horrible as it is to get cancer at any age, you were young enough to put up the fight of your life, and came out the winner , and so you shouldn't have felt old because of it...🤗
 
MACKTEXAS said:
It happens in stages - like 40 looks old to 25. I think my first awareness hit me in my late 40s when a younger person addressed me as "Sir."

It really bothered me when I was offered a senior discount at age 58 by someone who looked about 22.

But then at age 63, I went to an event that offered a 10% discount to those over 60, and had to show my driver's license to a woman who looked about 70. So, a lot of it has to do with the age and perception of those who see us.

The OP mentioned droopy eyelids. I hate those, but they can come and go depending on weather, sinuses, how much salt we consume, how we sleep, etc. Some days that top lid looks droopy, other days no.
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Exactly. In the 6th grade we called our teacher "Old Man Davis" . He was 35.
 

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