I’m 24 right now and I don’t feel really young anymore but I also know I’m far from old. So I kind of want to know what I have to look forward too.
It really seems to me that your younger years are the best. You are better looking, have more energy, and generally are more carefree and have more to look forward to. Life is just better.
And it seems the older you get the worse things become. People get fatter naturally as they get older and become less attractive. For guys, our dicks just don’t work like they used too. It seems that this, among other things, builds up to older folks being less confident and happy.
I mean I see it in myself already. I feel like I’ve wasted the best years of my life because I didn’t do the things I wanted too. And now there’s no going back.
But don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for older folks. Actually, I have more respect for their opinions than I do of someone else my age because they have been there and done that.
But as time goes on, it seems you have less to look forward to, and instead rely on your memories more. If those aren’t happy memories, then what?
So basically, I’d like to hear from anyone over the age of 30. What’s it like? And what’s your advice to lead a happy and fulfilling life?
Pffft. 24 years old and you think it’s downhill from there?
I’m 47 and I feel like I’m 18 still. I still wear chucks and a Kangol. My hair is salt and pepper and I’ve never been more buff. My daughter is 16 and is not emarrassed to have me hang with her and her friends.
All my friends are 20 years my junior. I’m a NAVY vet. Every day is another chance to get out and make memories.
I’ve been flushed down the shitter but will allways swim back up that fuckin pipe.
Get out there and kick the world in the ass and take/make what you need.
You haven’t wasted anything yet!
Find what you need and go for it. Get some schooling etc.
First, life, adulthood, death.
There are (this is my own theory - use or ignore) 3 phases of adulthood. At 24, you are still in the first (which starts about 16).
They are about your recognition of your mortality:
About 16, you figure out “everything dies” + “I am a thing” = “I am going to die”
This is where you most likely are now. The “hell, we all gotta go sometime” phase.
Somewhere 33-35 (it really does seem to be that precise) - you notice a little spot on your horizon, and realize it is your own, personal, stop sign. That line about we all gotta… pretty much disappears.
The third is the 3rd for most. It can obviously vary. Usually triggered by the death of a parent - especially the parent of your sex. Up until then, at least YOU weren’t the next one at the edge of the cliff. Now you are.
Now, think about what goes through the minds of those of us at the edge.
Plumbing issues are not nearly as important as they were when we were 24.
General thought is prime hits in your 40’s - you are at the top of your game, the body hasn’t yet picked up chronic annoyances, the kids are pretty much grown. And at least you aren’t yet at the cliff…
I don’t want to be 24 again. I’m better at thinking now. I’m still learning. I have missed out on some things, but there’s more ahead. I failed my first opera audition recently, but I’m going to try again next year. I’m casually shopping for a unicycle. I still plan to go back to school. I’m 37, and far from done.
Getting old has a whole shitload of bad points, but funnily enough, a plethora of good 'uns too.
Physically of course, some things get a bit wonky. Your eyesight tends to get a bit hazy and your hearing (WOT??) verges down the decline as well. Wrinkles and grey hairs appear seemingly overnight, and what were previously tight and perky tits (and dicks) now are affected by gravity as they never have before. Libidos wax and wane, middle-aged bulges just wax, and your word recollection memory has a funny habit of totally disappearing when you need to finish the crossword puzzle.
But, there’s **good stuff **too. You just don’t give a shit anymore. Things that Pissed You Off Majorly when you were younger doesn’t even cut it for a 1 on the Personal Pissed Off Richter Scale anymore. You go shopping in your daggiest clothes and don’t feel embarrassed. You haggle with the ladies in the Op Shop and feel justified in knocking off 50c from the price of a pair of Levi 501’s. You can spend the afternoon lounging and doing absolutely NAFF ALL, and not feel guilty about your sloth (well, maybe a teensie bit).
Oh fer’ fuck’s sake…I just noticed that you were 24!! Scotty Mo, go away, have a good night out and come back with this same question when yer’ >45.
Fuck me dead, sometimes I just wanna slap these kids into reality. TWENTY FUCKING FOUR and you’re worried about getting OLD?
I remember having similar feelings around your age. I’m 47 now … that’s nearly 50 - how did that happen? Although at that age my friends used to think I was pretty mature, I still give automatic doors the ninja sign and try to catch myself on security cameras. I can tell you one thing, any physical exercise you do now will hugely benefit you in later years, even if you lapse. I was swinging in the doorway the other day and managed a couple of pull ups. Wow said my 32 year old friend - hardly anyone can do that whereas I was thinking, shit, I’m crap, now I’ve got a couple of reps going, but if I’d never been fit before it wouldn’t be happening at all.
I’m 56 years old. The only downside to being this age is a modest and expected physical decline. I can do as much physical work, whether exercise or labor, as I could 30 years ago, but it hurts more afterward.
On the plus side, I am calm under almost any circumstances. While I hesitate to suggest that I have anything like wisdom, I find that my experiences help me make good decisions in whatever comes my way. I have acquired vast experience and a fair amount of expertise in a technical field that pays me well. So I have more than enough money to cover my needs, plenty to put into savings for retirement and other things, and a paid-for house. I also have respect and autonomy at work, along with more than thirty days of vacation annually.
My children are adults and taking care of themselves. I have the time and money to pursue my hobbies, and time and energy enough to explore new hobbies. I have the time and money to travel.
Almost everything in my life is amazingly better than it was 30 years ago. Cheer up, Scotty, it gets better. And ditto what campp said.
I’m 46, and life just keeps getting better. I’m blessed with a good marriage, two wonderful children, and the best job I’ve ever had. At 24 I had just lost my grandpa and was truly alone in the world for the first time. It was one of the most frightening times of my life. I would not go back.
It’s like this: when our children were born, I imagined that this was the truly best age they could be. I’ve revised that every single year as they’ve grown: now that our son is 12 and our daughter is almost 11, this is the best age they’ve ever been. I imagine it will just get better.
Being Zen like becomes easier with age. I used to get pissed off when I heard something stupid, now I just ignore it because its stupid. I’m 58 and still waiting to feel old.
The ONLY thing I miss about being 24 is my body & metabolism, I miss being able to eat anything and rarely crack 120 lbs. Well, and the lack of wonky-hormones induced brain farts (but if you’re male that won’t be an issue for you :p)
Now I’m fitter than I’ve ever been even if I’m 20 lbs heavier, I have a husband who adores me and lets me pretty much live my life as I choose, I have good friends that I may not see every day or even every month, but I know they are there for me if I need them.
Is life as exciting as it was when I was 24? Yes and no. There’s a lot less angst overall, which is heaven. Occasionally I do miss going out and doing the bar thing, coming in at 2am and wondering who the hell tucked their phone number in my pocket. But then I remember what it was like to be stalked by someone icky, to make horrible mistakes in who I went out with and the “fun” of getting out of those relationships.
I’ve traded interpersonal excitement and risk for an extreme sport. It’s very physical, challenging, and a high like no other when it all comes right. It keeps me young despite my age - which really isn’t old at all.
You know that feeling when you wake up the day after a really good workout? Where your mind is clearer than usual, but your body has a distant sort of all-over ache? and you sort of gingerly move about under the covers, to see if anything seriously ouchy shows up?
