Things people don't tell you about getting older!

Ronni

Ronni

Well-known Member
Location
Nashville TN
43157246_2399224460120234_8848422152123187200_n.jpg

Right??? :lol:

I've been slowly compiling a list of the things that bug me about getting old, things that I never expected would happen, things that took me by surprise. I imagine I will be adding to this list as I get older, but for right now this is it. And note that it's written from the female perspective, so men, your mileage may vary. ;)

Many of the clothes you used to fit into don’t fit you now because your body is going through these weird shape changes and you’ve gotten smaller where you used to be bigger and bigger where you used to be smaller even though you've worked really hard to keep the scale showing the same thing that it did last year and the year before and the year before that.

Your skin turns into crêpe paper and dimpled fat.

You know that old fart shuffle and stoop? Well, guess what? Part of the reason for that is because that muscle mass and those muscles you took for granted your entire life decide they’ve paid their dues after 60+ years of faithful service, so they pack their bags and move to Jamaica!

Who knew that my earlobes would get longer, f’serious dude! What’s THAT about? But gravity has taken over my chest and my bottom too, so I guess my lobes are pretty innocuous by comparison.

Bunions OMG!

I figured my eyesight would have problems, but I never even thought about my hearing. I feel like one of those ancient dudes with their pants up around their underarms doddering around saying “Eh? Speak up!” and aiming their ear cone at the speaker.

Digestive issues. ’Nuff said.

What I didn't expect was that my olfactory sense would become much sharper, maybe to compensate for the failing hearing and sight? Like, if there’s danger, though I can’t see it or hear it, at least I can SMELL it coming!!

That iconic old person thing, the one we’ve all laughed at and shaken our heads over, where the old dude can tell you it’s raining because of his aching bones? OMG IT’S TRUE!!!! At least arthritis has some use beyond making you snap crackle and pop when you get out of bed in the morning.

All that, and more, is why I turn my hair weird colors, wear tutus, ride a harley, randomly skip for no reason whatever and go on All The Adventures! If I’m gonna have to deal with all that old people stuff, I figure I’ve earned the right to have fun and be goofy along the way. I've said it before but it bears repeating...y'all are gonna have to drag me kicking and screaming into old age!

I will say, just to balance this out, that even though I'm not a huge fan of the changes to my body, ;) I DO love that I've gained the wisdom I have. Even though my life hasn't been easy, I've learned SO much, and have experienced so much, and gained much strength from those things I've struggled and fought and clawed my way through, and I will always be grateful for that.

What's your least favorite thing about getting old(er)?
 

You tend to be surrounded all the time by old geezers, always talking about their aches and pains, and lamenting how much better things used to be in the good old days. I love to be around young people, but it doesn't happen often enough.
 
Sunny said:
You tend to be surrounded all the time by old geezers, always talking about their aches and pains, and lamenting how much better things used to be in the good old days. I love to be around young people, but it doesn't happen often enough.
Click to expand...

This is why we won't get interested in going to a Senior Center until way later. We act and look (some, anyway) younger than we are at 70/wife and 69/me. But, our aches/pains, mainly arthritis related, let us know enough how old we are. Those that say "age is just a number", obviously don't get the pains we do or "remember when" we use to do this or that, but can't anymore. IOW, "double-edged sword"...…..look and act, but feel (sometimes), very different story.
 

Sunny said:
You tend to be surrounded all the time by old geezers, always talking about their aches and pains, and lamenting how much better things used to be in the good old days. I love to be around young people, but it doesn't happen often enough.
Click to expand...

I LOVE my young friends!!! And I have more of them that you'd think at my age, in part at least because I'm still very physical and enjoy doing things that my friends my age can't do anymore, due to weight, health issues etc. So I have this circle of younger friends that I go paddle boarding with, or zip lining, or hiking, or any of the other fun physical stuff that I like to do. It's especially fun when I get together with a collection of friends of different ages, and I get to interact with them all, each on a different level!!! <3
 
Oh yes I have aches and pains where I never had them before..even just a year ago ( osteoarthritis in my hands ) and I notice my hair is thinning too... ...but I have to say I have no crepe skin or dimpled fat ... no bulges where there shouldn't be...still got my muscles....and I'm 63....and your post has depressed the heck outta me if I think any of that is going to happen to me in my 60's...... ***Yikes**
 
hollydolly said:
Oh yes I have aches and pains where I never had them before..even just a year ago ( osteoarthritis in my hands ) and I notice my hair is thinning too... ...but I have to say I have no crepe skin or dimpled fat ... no bulges where there shouldn't be...still got my muscles....and I'm 63....and your post has depressed the heck outta me if I think any of that is going to happen to me in my 60's...... ***Yikes**
Click to expand...

OH NO!!! I didn't mean to upset you, it was meant to be funny!!!
 
The one thing thing that sticks out for me is no one told me how much my concept of time would change. 30 years ago often seems just like yesterday to me but when I was kid one week often felt like a year had passed by.
 
I count myself lucky to only be suffering with a few of the items on your list but know that more may rear their ugly heads without a moment's notice.

Not a fan of the crepey skin, but am grateful not to have developed the dimpled fat. My body is pretty much the same shape I've had since my 20s, mostly due to a happy spin on the DNA wheel. A few gravity issues, but nothing serious. My vision and hearing aren't as sharp as they once were, but so far those erosions haven't cause too much grief.

I have some osteoarthritis in three knuckles so some pain and unsightly swelling there, plus a problem wearing rings. My mother developed spinal stenosis in her 70s and I'm hoping against hope to not follow those footsteps. Not crazy about the beginnings of a turkey neck, sparser eyebrows and lashes, or thinning lips.

My balance isn't what it once was, that's for sure. No, I'm not falling, but the days of me casually standing on one foot are well behind me.

I have difficulty getting an uninterrupted, full night of sleep.

All in all, I don't have a lot of complaints about how well my body is holding up. I also have friends of every age and love interacting with them.
 
Ronni said:
I LOVE my young friends!!! And I have more of them that you'd think at my age, in part at least because I'm still very physical and enjoy doing things that my friends my age can't do anymore, due to weight, health issues etc. So I have this circle of younger friends that I go paddle boarding with, or zip lining, or hiking, or any of the other fun physical stuff that I like to do. It's especially fun when I get together with a collection of friends of different ages, and I get to interact with them all, each on a different level!!! <3
Click to expand...

Well, your opening sure doesn't tell of someone who has fun. Sort of sounds more complaining about the health issues, etc. you have and then, turning around and talking about what you can do that others can't, because of some of the same issues you have. Something a little strange in your Thread. That's all.
 
Upon reflection, my parents and their friends always had strong relationships that spanned across generations. Likewise, even in my twenties I was friendly with people of all ages. So why do I feel the need to congratulate myself on that score now - or even notice it? Perhaps we're all patting ourselves on the back a bit too much over natural behavior.

As for whether we look or act our age, it's amusing that virtually every one of us is convinced that we don't look our age. Even more importantly, we certainly don't act it! :yeahright:

This article explains it well: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/everyone-thinks-they-are-above-average/
 
ClassicRockr said:
Well, your opening sure doesn't tell of someone who has fun. Sort of sounds more complaining about the health issues, etc. you have and then, turning around and talking about what you can do that others can't, because of some of the same issues you have. Something a little strange in your Thread. That's all.
Click to expand...

What? :lol:

Guess you didn’t read my post all the way or something. Sure I’m complaining, my 65 year old bod isn’t like my 25 year old one and yes again it does have more issues but I don’t intend to let that stop me which is WHY I made the comment I did about having to drag me kicking and screaming into old age. :)

I simply stated a fact that my friends my age can’t do the physical stuff I’m still doing. It’s unfortunate but true. So I can either choose to do less to match their activity level, do the physical stuff alone, or cultivate additional friendships with folks who challenge me physically. Of those options I choose the last one.

Don’t know now why you’re giving me grief for a few factual or honest statements. Having a bad day are you?
 
StarSong said:
As for whether we look or act our age, it's amusing that virtually every one of us is convinced that we don't look our age. Even more importantly, we certainly don't act it! :yeahright:
Click to expand...

QFT. I always think I look pretty good until I see a photo of myself. :D So I try to avoid cameras.
 
I think, Ronni, the reason you can list all those negative things about getting older and still smile about it is that you have someone who loves you just the way you are. And isn't that really all that matters? Looking through the eyes of love is what makes all the difference.
 
C'est Moi said:
QFT. I always think I look pretty good until I see a photo of myself. :D So I try to avoid cameras.
Click to expand...

CM, do you ever spy a reflection in a store window without realizing at first that the stranger - that older older woman you saw - is actually you? Talk about unsettling!

p.s. I am hating photographs now, too. I'm ok with how I look in the mirror, but not photos. So last week I had a makeover. My DIL's close friend, Kim (who has now become a friend of mine), is a TV and movie makeup artist. Kim did my makeup (very light touch) using her tools of the trade, then the three of us went to lunch and makeup shopping - using her 40% off professional discount, thank you very much! I was always a drugstore makeup person before but she convinced me that it was time for a higher line foundation, mascara and brow liner, and she was right.

I've been practicing with the products. Last night hubby and I went out to dinner with son and DIL. DIL was pleased and complimentary about my being able to reproduce Kim's work. When I get a bit more practiced I'll have hubby take some photos - the proof being in the pudding.
 
i thought what ronni said was hilarius--i can check off right many of the complaints of old age---i can still move arround and drive the rest i dont care about--the scale says the same but the rest of me got a little rearranged
 
I feel like I need to invest in WD-40 and duct tape because there are sure a lot of things that are supposed to move and don't and many more things that aren't supposed to move and do.

No, really, the biggest thing I wasn't prepared for is how quickly I'm losing my friends and relatives to the Grim Reaper. It's accelerating at a dreadful speed.
 
StarSong said:
CM, do you ever spy a reflection in a store window without realizing at first that the stranger - that older older woman you saw - is actually you? Talk about unsettling!

p.s. I am hating photographs now, too. I'm ok with how I look in the mirror, but not photos. So last week I had a makeover. My DIL's close friend, Kim (who has now become a friend of mine), is a TV and movie makeup artist. Kim did my makeup (very light touch) using her tools of the trade, then the three of us went to lunch and makeup shopping - using her 40% off professional discount, thank you very much! I was always a drugstore makeup person before but she convinced me that it was time for a higher line foundation, mascara and brow liner, and she was right.

I've been practicing with the products. Last night hubby and I went out to dinner with son and DIL. DIL was pleased and complimentary about my being able to reproduce Kim's work. When I get a bit more practiced I'll have hubby take some photos - the proof being in the pudding.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you're enjoying the cosmetics and using them. The older I get, the less interest I have in any makeup. I don't like spending time on things like that (since I don't feel like it helps anyhow) and mascara makes my eyes itch and burn. I basically use moisturizer and lip balm. :D "It is what it is."

And isn't it weird how we are ok with our mirror reflection but photos are so awful??? What's that all about, anyway?
 
Agree with most adding my very wonky thyroid that seems to have trouble deciding between fast or slow,resulting in a box full of Synthroid in various micrograms and a doctor with a confused look,lol
On the other hand,my parents both died before 50 so also grateful to be here!
 
C'est Moi said:
And isn't it weird how we are ok with our mirror reflection but photos are so awful??? What's that all about, anyway?
Click to expand...

Olivia said:
The lighting. :)
Click to expand...

Olivia. Lol. :laugh:I think part of it is lighting but I think a big part is because when we look at ourselves in the mirror, we generally look at ourselves at angles which we prefer so we are ready to see ourselves. With pictures we don’t often have the opportunity to set our expression at an angle that most suites us mainly since others are the ones taking the picture.
I don’t do selfies. I’m hopeless at them. I use the mirror.


Forgetfulness is creeping in but other than that I still don’t really feel old yet. Then again I’m not yet 60 either.
Caring for my parents has stepped up my attitude somewhat. My dad can complain until the cows come home but my mom rarely complains about the aches and pains of being older. She manages to be discreet and humble and I admire her for it.
 
C'est Moi said:
I'm glad you're enjoying the cosmetics and using them. The older I get, the less interest I have in any makeup. I don't like spending time on things like that (since I don't feel like it helps anyhow) and mascara makes my eyes itch and burn. I basically use moisturizer and lip balm. :D "It is what it is."

And isn't it weird how we are ok with our mirror reflection but photos are so awful??? What's that all about, anyway?
Click to expand...

What we see in the mirror is what we WANT to see. What we see in the photo is what is THERE. Sigh.
 
jujube said:
What we see in the mirror is what we WANT to see. What we see in the photo is what is THERE. Sigh.
Click to expand...

If that's true then every picture of a person should look the same. But they don't.

In political campaign ads the adversary usually selects a photo of their opponent that makes them look like they just got paroled out of prison. True, true! Lol
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top