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How old do you feel?


Zathras
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So, last week I turned 50.  I can't believe how fast time flew since 2000.  Physically, I could be in better cardio condition, and could stand to loose some weight, and I have a few aches (shoulder and knees), but nothing major.   Mentally, I feel like I am in my  30s, though.   Other people who don't know me often say I look a good 8 or so years younger than I actually am, which, not to sound vain, makes me feel good about, too.   I don't know what 50 was supposed to be like, but my parents and grandparents seemed a lot older and more mature at 50 that I feel like I do.   Part of that might be because I don't have kids I suppose, as my impression is that when you have kids they age you mentally because you have to think for them until they can think for themselves.   I was wondering if anyone here feels more like I do, or if you feel younger or older than your chronological age?

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12? 13? 14? I don’t know. I don’t feel like I’m the age I am, that’s for sure. And I’ve always felt a sort of weird simultaneous melange of two contradictory feelings about whatever chronological year I actually factually am at — “I am young, so much younger than everyone else, everybody else can get things done because they’ve got so many years on me” and “I am too old, it’s too late for me, should’ve made those decisions years and years ago, it’s over!” and so now, for decades and decades, it never really reconciles into just one thing or the other. There’s a bit in one of John Hodgman’s more recent books where he talks about how his audience is this group of self-serious little mini-adults who are all about twelve or so (I don’t know why I identify with that so much; I was, like, eighteen when his first book was published but then again I’ve felt this way for pretty much forever, I felt this way at the time, I felt this way when I was a little little kid) and I remember reading that and going, yeah, that’s me. There I am.

 

There’s another bit, hold on, I’ll go look it up, oh no, Google is no help on this. Can’t find the exact text. Something to the extent of a writer (Forster? Not sure who.) being aghast at the sight of his own face in the mirror, not recognizing it aged, because after all up until then he had been a young man all his life.

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I just turned 43 and I feel like I am holding up well for my age.  

Mentally--I feel like I am in my mid-20s but more responsible. 

My hobbies and interests have been the same my entire life so in some ways I feel I haven't aged at all--but I get pissed when people my age don't take our similar hobbies as seriously as I do.

But at the end of the day, I just got hair transplant surgery and I am in complete denial of time so what the fuck do I know.

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I just turned 40. Strangers are surprised by this. My new boss was floored actually - he just turned 42 and had his first a few months ago. Apparently he thought I was I'm my like 20s. He thought my kids would be much younger. 

I feel 40. If my body would cooperate, I might feel younger, but it doesn't so I don't. 

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I'm not sure how I feel mentally? I guess mentally I feel 40? I was generally mature for my age but an asshole in my 20s. 30s were my jam. Honestly I'm not ready to be 40.

Physically I don't feel 40, I feel much younger. I think I have a lot of energy and always have, and I don't have a lot of aches and pains that linger. I did something to my hip at Ragnar in my first mile. I still don't know what the hell I did but I pushed through it for the next 4 miles. Not sure if that makes me tough or stupid. I had 8 more miles after that but it stopped bothering me after about a mile into my 2nd leg (4 miles). And I tore up my 3rd leg (a little under 3 miles). But then I ran a light jog the following Monday and had to stop because my hip was so painful. I ran once this week with my daughter and took it slow. I realized today was the first day it hasn't hurt. Hoping I can start running again Monday.

I'm disappointed in myself for stopping running during COVID because work had me so stressed. I set myself back so much. I was running 8 or 9 minute miles before that, now I'm not sure I will ever get back to that now that I'm north of 40.

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I'm 38. I look maybe 10 years younger than that.

I guess I'm mentally young, although I don't have any desire to party like someone in their 20s does. I can enjoy conversations about flooring, timber and renovating houses... so that's pretty middle aged. But I love playing video games and listening to rock, metal and punk. I still goof around like a kid. I dress like I'm in my 20s. I have long hair. I feel like a young person with the responsibility of a kid and a house but that's all.  I have quite a few friends in their mid/late 20s still and work with young people a lot and I feel like that helps keep me relevant somehow.

Physically I feel fine, dunno how old I feel cause I felt worse physically in my 20s than I do now. Hangovers are a bitch now, but I'm far healthier now than I ever was. I'm stronger, fitter and in better shape since I started training and going to gym at 30 and I've stuck at it consistently since then. 

The only time I truly feel old is sometimes talking to people in their late teens or early 20s and just realising how young they are and how naiive they are, in a nice way. They got so much learning about themselves ahead.  Now I feel like I have a lot to learn, but its mostly about the world, external things. I feel like I have myself pretty well figured out by now 

I feel like I'm drifting more centrist politically. Like a boring middle aged twat. I'm so far from being a radical leftist now, but I don't feel like any of my values have changed. So I feel like in part, the left has gone even further that way rather than myself becoming more square..or maybe it's both. But there is a lot of political identity shit young kids obsess about these days that makes me feel very old. 

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I am noticing that I am starting to occasionally forget the names of things that I should know.  Not things I think about everyday, but things I know the name of but it takes a minute to recall--for example--Diebels is a primary grades assessment tool, but I straight up could not remember the name of it today. 

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On 8/3/2022 at 1:02 AM, Hobbes said:

I am noticing that I am starting to occasionally forget the names of things that I should know.  Not things I think about everyday, but things I know the name of but it takes a minute to recall--for example--Diebels is a primary grades assessment tool, but I straight up could not remember the name of it today. 

Don't think that's age related. I forget names of things all the time, and have done for as long as I can remember.

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Speaking about names. I still take calls at the call center. I got my write up but it's a final. I am working on going out with a bang. But it looks like I will need to just good ole fashioned quit. I open all my calls as Hello and welcome. My name is Jessica. What can I help you with today? and this guy goes okay Justin. I was like wow. I sound like a high pitched prissy bitch and his take  away is my name is Justin? 

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I did that once and don't recommend. I used to work for a call center, and one day I got so stressed out, I logged out unauthorized, went to my supervisor, and handed in my headset and said I was done.  I wasn't rude, but it was in the middle of a busy day and that was a big no-no.  I couldn't use that job as a reference, and took me a long minute to get another job.

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Fortunately I don't need a second job. WHEW. There is just fewer and fewer people I like at this job so I'm getting to the point where I am extremely sarcastic and borderline rude on some calls. But to be honest some people deserve it. Like one lady entered her address for delivery of her check order as corner of 5th and Main and was like what do mean they couldn't be delivered. And I was all so your checks aren't made where you live - is the mailman supposed to get the city and state? She was all like YOU DIDN'T CHECK IT? nope. The computer accepted the order as it was entered and it was filled and shipped. Like we can barely staff restaurants to stay open past 10 PM now. Who is this we that check to make sure you know what an address is? 

I also had a dude who started screaming FUCKYOUCUNT and I was like we're done and hung up.

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