What is your definition of "Old"

hollydolly said:
..now in my mid 60's..I don't feel old until the pain in my hands or my back decide to play up.. otherwise I kinda feel like I;m cheating old age sometimes... especially when I look at pictures of my grandparents at the same age.. they looked like the equivalent of 80's today when they were in their 50's and 60's..., but then they had hard lives.. and of course not the free public healthcare we enjoy today in the UK.
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This is so true - even of the ones who didn't have hard lives. Most wore frumpy clothes, frumpy shoes and frumpy hair styles.

I had one very hip great aunt. Always dressed beautifully, fully made up, game for almost anything, lots of laughs, fun to be around, gorgeous modern home. Her siblings? Frumpy, frumpy, frumpy. Old before their time.
 
StarSong said:
This is so true - even of the ones who didn't have hard lives. Most wore frumpy clothes, frumpy shoes and frumpy hair styles.

I had one very hip great aunt. Always dressed beautifully, fully made up, game for almost anything, lots of laughs, fun to be around, gorgeous modern home. Her siblings? Frumpy, frumpy, frumpy. Old before their time.
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I had exactly the same.. all aunts and uncles frumpy and old before their time.. except one aunt Jenny..who was my grandmothers younger sister, and she wore mini skirts in her early 50's, not married, long waist length black hair.... and according to the family, she was 'no better than she outta be '' :ROFLMAO:
 

fatboy said:
when your a SF member. just kidding!!;)
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No you're not. 🤣

No one. I think of time and age as linear instead of an endless cycle of years making one older and older.

In college I met a man who got his PHD at 97 years old and he was working at the University too. Chronological years don't matter. It's what's in you that matters. Maybe I'm crazy thinking this way. :unsure:
 
For most folks over 50, it is usually 10 or more years older than they are.

Quite frankly, i felt older in my late 40s and early 50s when i was having trouble getting various health issues properly diagnosed and treated than i do now tho i live with chronic (daily) aches/pains

My 39 yr old daughter has a bad back, she often jokes that "Mom is old, but I'm decrepit!"
 
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I wouldn’t of fault I would be saying I felt old at 57 , but that’s when I started feeling old
very-old, with back ache , tiredness etc etc…..with caring for my husband……..
and feel even older now aged 66……….😔
we have longevity in our family , as dad lived until 95 and mum is still kicking aged 96 , 😳
 
I will be 74 in May, in 1980 , I was told I would die within six months, my doctor sent a note over to the personel office , they got all kinds of excited, a medical board reviwed all my doctors work up after they examined me, I was retired, at age 32 , had 30 minutes to review my retirement, went home to await death, got tried of waiting , packed the kids up, we moved to the Country , heard some years later my doctor died. if you want to hear the beginning of the story you can read my book.
https://www.amazon.com/John-R.-Mizell/e/B00H9ZSWNQ?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000
 
Oh and for me, i'll feel really old: If i stop being curious and learning new things; If i stop enjoying problem solving; If i stop figuring out ways to work around some new limit my aging body is trying to enforce; If i stop feeliing the wonder, awe, joy i've always found in nature.
 
hollydolly said:
I had exactly the same.. all aunts and uncles frumpy and old before their time.. except one aunt Jenny..who was my grandmothers younger sister, and she wore mini skirts in her early 50's, not married, long waist length black hair.... and according to the family, she was 'no better than she outta be '' :ROFLMAO:
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I will be wearing mini skirts 60's, 70's, 80's even 90's if I have not transitioned (passed away). :ROFLMAO:🙃
 
Love all the replies.

I have really been thinking about what is considered "Old" and have not found what is considered old. My conclusion is everyone's perception is different as to what they feel is old. When I was younger, I thought grey head women and men were old...however, I find that is not the case. My oldest sister hair started turning gray at a young age..in her 30's.
 
StarSong said:
This is so true - even of the ones who didn't have hard lives. Most wore frumpy clothes, frumpy shoes and frumpy hair styles.

I had one very hip great aunt. Always dressed beautifully, fully made up, game for almost anything, lots of laughs, fun to be around, gorgeous modern home. Her siblings? Frumpy, frumpy, frumpy. Old before their time.
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Not just frumpy either, "old" people just didn't go out partying. At best they might stop of at some cafe for afternoon tea, or, as was it's popularity back in the day, a trip to the cinema, most often though it would be the Sunday afternoon matinee performance. It seemed like that once the first grandchild appeared, the grandparents disappeared.

How I would have loved to have met your great aunt, StarSong, she sounds like a real, fun loving party girl.
In this photo, the ladies, despite them all wearing the fashions of an era that was in vogue before they were born, belie their true ages, the picture was taken in the summer of 2019. Their age range goes from 61, through to 68. The festival is known as: Summertime Swing, it's very popular.Summertime Swing 2018 006.JPGold photos 507.JPG
 
I think old is remembering back when the only way to communicate to someone far away was to wright them a letter. For telephones were too expensive and if you had a party line your neighbors could listen in on what you are saying.
 
I was flattered when this girl (Gretchen Wilson) wanted a picture with this old man several years ago, I set next to her gransmother, who was 92 at the time
 

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Murrmurr said:
My brain always pauses for a few moments whenever someone asks "Would you like our Senior Discount, Sir?"

But of course I do.
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My Daughter often waits till she's looking at their ID, required to check into motel she manages to offer senior discount.no matter how grey, wrinkled they are. That way she's going by the DOB not saying they look old .
 
I think there comes to the elderly a "crux"; a point where you "give up" trying to enhance life, where you give up hope, give up trying to
reinvent yourself and give up the pursuit for happiness. You "let go" and resign to a disappointing realization that wonders and the magical spark of aliveness, the joy from the senses, are gone from your life. It's an absence of happiness.
Only then, can you call yourself "old". Chronological age is meaningless.
 
Gaer said:
I think there comes to the elderly a "crux"; a point where you "give up" trying to enhance life, where you give up hope, give up trying to
reinvent yourself and give up the pursuit for happiness. You "let go" and resign to a disappointing realization that wonders and the magical spark of aliveness, the joy from the senses, are gone from your life. It's an absence of happiness.
Only then, can you call yourself "old". Chronological age is meaningless.
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Perfect definition, imo.
 


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