What Have You Learned About Yourself Since Becoming A Senior?

OneEyedDiva

OneEyedDiva

SF VIP
Location
New Jersey
For me:
~I need to be at the ocean as often as possible (it's necessary sometimes)
~I like dried basil in my Italian dishes
~ I like watching regatta races
~ I enjoy traveling by train and
~looking at luxury apartment listings (even though I'm not planning to move).
~I enjoy social networking and
~playing games on my phone/tablet.
 

  • That I no longer have to be concerned about what anyone else thinks of me
  • That I no longer have to patronize people that are insincere
  • That I have to live in the moment
  • That material possessions are only a small part of happiness
  • That my previous career was only a means to an end, not the end itself
  • That life is precious and we need to live it to the fullest
 
dseag2 said:
  • That I no longer have to be concerned about what anyone else thinks of me
  • That I no longer have to patronize people that are insincere
  • That I have to live in the moment
  • That material possessions are only a small part of happiness
  • That my previous career was only a means to an end, not the end itself
  • That life is precious and we need to live it to the fullest
Click to expand...
What you said spoke to me. So very wise and true!:)
 

OneEyedDiva said:
For me:
~I need to be at the ocean as often as possible (it's necessary sometimes)
~I like dried basil in my Italian dishes
~ I like watching regatta races
~ I enjoy traveling by train and
~looking at luxury apartment listings (even though I'm not planning to move).
~I enjoy social networking and
~playing games on my phone/tablet.
Click to expand...
Sounds like fun, particularly the ocean and playing games! :)
 
I'm at a stage in my life that I have accomplished a lot and am grateful for all the blessings. But I have suffered a lot, too.
I have learned to go with the flow when needed, but later in life, I have built a lifeboat to go my own course.

I have learned what is important to me in life (God, my faith, family). The funny thing is that I'm still developing as a human being and not set in my ways. I'm still making new goals, like learning new languages, taking courses, etc. I don't want my age to
define me or limit me. Of course, my body has its own mind, lol! I don't do the sports I used to do when younger, for example.

Finally, I was discussing this with my younger sister the other day, that I'm feeling a "crunch" of time, as if time has been compressed into a finite set of years. Where before, I felt as if I had a whole lifetime before me, but now that I just turned 65, I feel as if time is marching on....like the ticking of the clock. So each day is precious to me, and I consider it a blessing that I am still alive.
 
palides2021 said:
I'm at a stage in my life that I have accomplished a lot and am grateful for all the blessings. But I have suffered a lot, too.
I have learned to go with the flow when needed, but later in life, I have built a lifeboat to go my own course.

I have learned what is important to me in life (God, my faith, family). The funny thing is that I'm still developing as a human being and not set in my ways. I'm still making new goals, like learning new languages, taking courses, etc. I don't want my age to
define me or limit me. Of course, my body has its own mind, lol! I don't do the sports I used to do when younger, for example.

Finally, I was discussing this with my younger sister the other day, that I'm feeling a "crunch" of time, as if time has been compressed into a finite set of years. Where before, I felt as if I had a whole lifetime before me, but now that I just turned 65, I feel as if time is marching on....like the ticking of the clock. So each day is precious to me, and I consider it a blessing that I am still alive.
Click to expand...
I love that you are setting new goals for yourself, and especially taking new courses. Since retirement, I have also been setting goals to become a better version of myself. I'm 64 now, so we are close in age.

And I completely understand the "time is marching on" sentiment. My mother passed away at 89 y/o in early November, and that made me really feel my mortality and what is ahead.
 
dseag2 said:
That life is precious and we need to live it to the fullest
Click to expand...
Before lockdown, my wife and I went dancing on Monday nights, Tuesdays saw us at a great weekly Rock & Roll venue, Wednesdays we taught Latin dancing to beginners, Thursday saw us at the Thunderbird Club, Friday was always a switch, one week at The Old Beams, where a local band played, the following week at The Tavern where they had live music. Saturday was the big ballroom dance night and Sunday afternoon with our great friends were spent at a tea dance, followed by a meal out together and a social chit-chat for the rest of the evening. Lockdown has curtailed all our social life, but our friends have all kept in touch, so hopefully, aching old joints and bones permitting, we will be back.
 
images

"Make your own kind of music
Even if nobody else sings along..." - Barry Mann / Cynthia Weil
 
OneEyedDiva said:
For me:
~I need to be at the ocean as often as possible (it's necessary sometimes)
~I like dried basil in my Italian dishes
~ I like watching regatta races
~ I enjoy traveling by train and
~looking at luxury apartment listings (even though I'm not planning to move).
~I enjoy social networking and
~playing games on my phone/tablet.
Click to expand...
And, here I thought I was alone in this endeavor. ;)
 
I’ve learned to slow down. Even tho I still work and have an active personal life, I don’t have the demands on my time that I did when I had kids at home. It’s taken time, but I’ve come to realize that I don’t have to go at 100 miles an hour every minute that I’m awake.

I value my close family more than ever. I’ve always been a “family first” type, they are and always will be my first priority, but I enjoy them and the depth of the relationship we all share more than I ever have.

My give-a-damn broke somewhere along the way to senior citizenship. I have no interest in what others think of me. I don’t care if I look ridiculous, I’m no longer self conscious about much of anything. I act the way I want to, look the way I want to, BE the way I want to, and if anyone has an issue with that, they can sort that out for themselves because it’s not my problem.

I’ve learned the value of boundaries. Finally!

Ive learned to make my own fun and that all the happiness I will ever find is WITHIN me, and that no one else can provide that happiness for me. That happiness truly is in the journey and not the destination.
 
I'm basically a non-confrontational person and have found that voicing my opinion on everything isn't necessary. I can sit back and listen to everyone's opinion on a subject and don't feel it necessary to add my own. In the past, I had opinions on everything, which sometimes made me sound arrogant or rude. Guess I've mellowed!
 

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