# How have you changed as you’ve aged **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 28, 2021, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929 "2021-03-28T22:33:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2021, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/41 "2021-03-31T21:39:19Z")
> [@DorkVader](#): > > 🤣Hallelujah, I’ve entered that realm at work of being the guy that all the pretty young ladies want to work with. I train and mentor them instead of flirting with and hitting on them. I can even tell dirty jokes and use double entendre’s with out fear and get back as good as I give **because I’m that “harmless sweet older guy** ” In the “olden days” that described a “dirty old man”. 🕶 ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2021, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/42 "2021-03-31T23:46:02Z")
> [@Esprise\_Me](#): > > I’m guessing I may have to hit 40 at least before I can say that I’ve “aged,” but damnit, I wanna play too. I’m 38. It counts! This is the oldest we’ve ever been! ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2021, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/43 "2021-04-01T04:08:28Z")
Yessir, and it still does today, with some of us old farts anyway. Ya know what? I’ve _earned_ it dadgumit! I’m still earning it! Yup, one thing that’s changed about me is that I’ve decided I ain’t running scared from gettin old. I’m going to grab aging by the throat and choke it to death with its own tropes. I’m gonna be that sweet harmless dirty minded doddering senile old fool one day. I’m gonna **own** that stuff well ok, the doddering senile old fool I’m pretty sure of, everything else, eeehhhh, we’ll have to wait and see. As for the ladies at work, I don’t just pop off with off color jokes first thing, get to know them a little first, and the same in reverse, find out what would be bothersome for them, what might be ok. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2021, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/44 "2021-04-01T15:36:33Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I’m 38. It counts! This is the oldest we’ve ever been! For all we know, we’re near the end of our lives, no matter how old we are. (a cheerful thought) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2021, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/45 "2021-04-01T17:43:33Z")
I had a ‘use-by’ date. It’s passed. I’m not as fresh as I used to be😁 ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2021, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/46 "2021-04-01T20:50:13Z")
I’ve gotten better looking (over the time period of ages 0-42) but my personality has gotten worse. Or maybe not “worse” but more direct and blunt and less concerned about confrontation and burning bridges. I used to be more of a nice guy and perhaps a bit of a “nice guy,” too. ---
**Author:** ![HughGoply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hughgoply/32/7834_2.png) [@HughGoply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HughGoply)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2021, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/47 "2021-04-01T21:51:43Z")
How concerned were you with confrontation and burning bridges at 0? I mean, I think you should have been pretty concerned. Burn your bridges with your parents, and they can just leave you in a dumpster. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/48 "2021-04-03T10:10:33Z")
Seems to take longer to get ready for bed. Used to be the process was take off clothes, get in bed, turn off light. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/49 "2021-04-03T14:01:45Z")
> [@HughGoply](#): > > Burn your bridges with your parents, and they can just leave you in a dumpster. that’s burning. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/50 "2021-04-03T14:34:26Z")
My desires have changed, but not my basic personality. 4 year old me was interested in toys and goofing off. 14 year old me was interested in learning about girls / trying to find a girlfriend. 24 y/o me was interested in doing what I had to do to get my career going in the right path. 34 y/o me was concerned about my new marriage, balancing work and family, and so on. 44 y/o me is now concerned about getting rid of debt and saving for retirement, and trying to stay healthy and fit enough to enjoy that eventual retirement. But regardless of which of those ages I was at, my basic approach to all these various issues and stages in life has always been the same. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/51 "2021-04-03T15:00:27Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Seems to take longer to get ready for bed. Used to be the process was take off clothes, get in bed, turn off light. It takes longer to do every damn thing, especially getting dressed/undressed. And I can’t just go downstairs to get a glass of water; I have to figure out what I need to take down there and/or bring back up. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/52 "2021-04-03T15:37:14Z")
My gf pointed out that when she first met me I was very cautious about smoking marijuana. I smoked daily, but I’d use Visine and breath mints before going to the store, and I kept my paraphernalia hidden. Fast forward to now. I stopped caring who knows. I vape openly and display my bongs and vaporizers openly. I’ll hit my pen without care when outside. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/53 "2021-04-03T17:44:05Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Seems to take longer to get ready for bed. Tell me about it. It’s an insidious “hole in the boat” of lost time that creeps upward in length as the years go by. I’m nearly flabbergasted every work night just how long dumping some coffee and water in a coffeemaker and pushing two buttons to program to turn on in the morning, brushing my teeth and rinsing, a quick wash-up, grabbing two bottles of water from the refrigerator and wallet/keys/phone and placing them on the nightstand, taking off my pants can take. In my mind, it’s like 4 minutes, tops. By the time I turn out the light and look at the clock, I’m about 18 minutes past my desired lights-out time. Every time. That’s a big hole in the boat. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/54 "2021-04-04T00:35:54Z")
You’d be surprised, but I started with age 0 because I don’t really know where to pinpoint everything exactly but from birth to maybe late 30s I just had a passive laid back personality. And I think I was always pretty ugly until then, too. ---
**Author:** ![Portlandia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6de8d8/32.png) [@Portlandia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Portlandia)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/55 "2021-04-04T03:08:13Z")
Its funny, but I think more about the long term benefits over the short term fun. You would think that as you get older, you want to live in the moment more, but I have been seeking long term goals these days. Short term = drinking and having fun. Long term = not drinking and working out. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/56 "2021-04-04T15:23:07Z")
Similar in some respects Portlandia, but not for myself so much(I do still think longterm for myself) but more for my kids and grandkids. I’m starting to see the end for my generation, not looming large yet but I can see it, so my focus is starting to shift more and more from “whats good for me now and later” to whats better for them ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/57 "2021-04-04T19:10:25Z")
Yeah, all the deaths. My parents’ generation, once very large, is totally gone now (thanks in part, covid). Several in my own generation have passed, including my brother. I’m the only one left in my immediate family. It’s a weird feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/58 "2021-04-04T22:23:04Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I’m not as fresh as I used to be😁 There is a whole section in the Supermarket to address this problem. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/59 "2021-04-04T22:38:12Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I don’t waste time on people I don’t like…kinda like Siam-Sam and his suffering fools. OTOH, I strike up conversations with strangers more readily than in the past. If I’m rebuffed, I don’t care. So I might be less tolerant but I’m a lot more easy-going. Make sense? What a great description. I’ve grown much more impatient, but I am also much more tolerant of folks than I used to be. If you show yourself to be a fool, I’ll stop wasting my time. But if you just appear a bit lost, I’ll try to find out more and help you. That change happened based on my own experiences of depression and the poverty that can come about because of it. If you are nasty to me, I’ll first assume you are having a bad day and make allowances for it. If you are young and nasty, I might even ask what is really bothering you (if I have time). I’ve discovered that most people just want someone to listen. If I listen and hear garbage, such as the great conspiracy, I will laugh and walk away or tell you to get off my lawn. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929/60 "2021-04-04T22:46:22Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > What a great description. I’ve grown much more impatient, but I am also much more tolerant of folks than I used to be. If you show yourself to be a fool, I’ll stop wasting my time. But if you just appear a bit lost, I’ll try to find out more and help you. Yeah. Totally. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-changed-as-you-ve-aged/938929.md?page=4)