Not necessarily. Death brings peace to troubled souls. I’m looking forward to it, in an odd sort of way.
- Retired. Sedentary. Overweight. High blood pressure but medicating to control it. Gray hair and beard. Glasses for myopia/astigmatism since third grade. Lots of crowns and fillings in my original teeth. CPAP for apnea.
At heart I’m in my teens or early 20’s. Body knows I’m past 50.
The bod started slowing down with the more or less forced retirement in 2000. Lack of regular exercise has added to the physical decline.
My dad died at 82, mother at 91, first wife at 42. Daddy was practically blind and diabetic from his mid-60’s. Mama had high blood pressure most of her life and went senile and demented in her last decade. First wife died from cancer-related complications.
I don’t think much about my own death, but when I do I’m not worried about it. It’ll happen. I figure that’ll be the end. No afterlife or any of that sort of thing.
It’s kind of cool to be a human being, but I always think about something my daughter said one time when she was maybe 4 or 5. I asked her if she would rather be a fly or a rock. She said, “A rock because they live longer.”
But damned if I’d want to live much longer than 200 years. Too much to have to keep up with in the way of changes. 
I’m 63, and I definitely plan on remaining young until I drop.
I never minded a birthday until 50. Before then, the phrase “the rest of my life” seemed to be an unending road, leading to a horizon so distant as to be meaningless. At 50, all of a sudden, I could see that horizon, and for the first time “the rest of my life” became a finite number of years.
The only drawback is my health. I inherited a lot of problems from both sides of the family, and have to be very health-conscious. Since I’m self-employed with pre-existing conditions, I have no health insurance. I’ll be eligible for Medicare in 19 months, and that’s when I’ll have both knees replaced. Meanwhile, I take a handful of pills every day. And naps.
When I was still in my 40s I got laid off, and decided not to look for another job, but become a full-time artist instead. It was the best decision I ever made; I wish I’d made that decision much earlier. Now I work harder and longer than ever, and I love it. The important thing is: don’t let go of your dreams; do what you love to do, that’s the only thing that matters . . . in work and in life.
I’m 67.
My health is good, I have a full head of hair with hardly any grey, my teeth could be in better shape but what the hell.
I’m not overweight, I’m financially secure and I owe not a penny to anyone.
I can do what I want when I want (within reason) and I’m answerable to no-one except Eccles the cat
Obviously I’d like to be maybe 40 years younger but that said I have no complaints at all, life has been pretty good to me.
And I can still get a hard-on 
and use it
I turned 50 this year and finally had to come to terms with the fact that I am never going to be a rockstar or date a supermodel 
. Other than that, it’s not so bad. My health is relatively good, I’m making enough money not to have to worry about it all the time, my children have grown into (more or less) mature adults and I still have all my hair.
OTOH, injuries I sustained and recovered from in my youth now bother me more than ever, I work with a lot of bright young individuals who learned about the Moon landings and the Challenger explosion in history class and the last time a sweet young thing winked at me it was because she had something in her eye.
When I was younger, I was sure that I wanted to live forever, or die trying. But the older I get, the more I am able to understand that there will eventually come a time when I will no longer fear death, but look forward to it, like a really long after lunch nap.
And remember, old age is just Nature’s way of rewarding you for not dying young 
.
I am nearly 79, I like being older, we all grow older from the time we are born. Age is a matter of mind over matter. I still can do a lot of things I did when I was much younger,I think the main thing is to feel young,keep active, and live each day the best you can. At twenty how did you feel at 5?
One learns a lot from life experiences if you pay attention. One learns to be more compassionate, that it isn’t what others think of you, but what you are that counts. If people think you are the worst person in the world, so what! If they think you are the best person in the world,so what? You are what you are and if you do not like it you can change what you do not like about yourself. You are the only person you will spend your whole life with, so enjoy being you, and before you realize it you are 80 or 90 years older. We all can only live in the now,if that is lived well then tomorrow will take care of itself.
Life is like the weather,we have our storms and sunny days. it constantly changes the bad times help us to be stronger. Look for the good and you will find it. Know that you can enjoy being older if you let your self.
Mid-fifties here. I agree with Markxxx that it sucks to be old, unless certain areas of your life worked out (primary relationship, job and money).
It is harder to make good friends – particularly without a primary relationship (husband / wife / live-in).
I also agree about stamina and sleep: I simply CAN’T stay up too late without physically hurting the next day. I actually NEED the full eight hours now.
I was never afraid of getting older until I got here – and wow, I sure got here fast. From thirty five onward, the years simply whirled by. I always assumed that by the time I got here, I would have friends, money and time. Now, through life’s circumstances, I find I have none of the above.
On the upside, it’s amusing watching the youngsters get so wound up in their little dramas.
It’s my theory that as soon as you reach an age you did not imagine yourself at with some degree of enthusiasm and optimism when you were far younger, you get all bummed out & despondent at being old, and you wither away and die.
I met some damn cool 80 and 90 etc year old seniors when I was a social worker and I am looking forward to being a true geezer myself.
In real life I am 50. Let’s see, what can I tell you about 50?
• I’m ready for my second half-century, ready for new beginnings, would like to see more of the world, start a new career
• Body ain’t what it used to be, endurance-wise, especially getting my breath back after running hard. Flexibility is on the decline as well. That part has definitely peaked. But it’s not bad. I’m still in better shape than a great many 20 and 30 year old folks in this lazy society, and I was never an athlete to begin with.
• I have better understanding, poise, confidence, knowledge, peace of mind, than in previous times of my life. I feel sorry for you doing the 20s. Hang in there, the 30s will be better.
Monavis, you must be pushing Klondike Geoff as the oldest member.
Being old isn’t bad- just don’t plan ahead.
In dog years, I’m already dead.
But if they made years 20 months I’d be young.
I’m 48. So is my Wife. Not really ‘old’ but I do see some different sails on the horizon health wise.
My Wife finished a 140.6 mile Iron Man last May. She is holding together quite well.
It’s odd. Yesterday, I had lunch with an ‘old’ friend. I hadn’t seen her in 18 years.
Eighteen years.
A whole life worth of memories for some. We did talk about getting older. But neither of us felt any different. That’s what’s odd. I thought I would feel different. Sure, 18 more years of experience. Older? Yep. Wiser? That too. It takes a long long time before you realize that you never will know everything.
But for the most part, we hadn’t changed one bit.
Early sixties here. Surprisingly, it’s much better than I’d expected.
As others have noted, a lot of the superficial stuff that was so important to you earlier in life sort of fades away and is replaced by interests and lifestyle decisions that are truly your own.
I don’t know why, but I gained a lot of confidence and am much more content with my life.
Physically, I’ve slowed down a bit and have had to learn to pace myself, but I’m fortunate to be quite healthy and financially secure. Working part time as a college instructor helps keep me out there “in the world” and mentally active.
I’m 52 and for the most part I don’t feel much different. I’ve gained a little weight, but not nearly as much as most of my friends. My health is pretty good, too. I’ve started working out again because I know it will help me maintain my health. The cigarettes are another issue. I can’t seem to put them down.
The hardest part of aging, for me anyway, is seeing my dad aging. He’ll be 80 this year and has just started having health problems. His mortality bothers me more than my own.
I’m hoping that when I reach retirement I’ll be able to do the things I don’t have much time for today. That part really keeps me going. My friend and I are both artists, and I’d really like to create a more defined bonding environment that involves creating art, listening to music, drinking wine, and learning about each other…I’d love to bring others into it and maybe even find a way to market our stuff as a group. Kind of a little artist’s colony-type thing. I know we’ll never get rich off it, but in my mind, the journey will be the destination.
Another great thing about retirement is that you have time to do a lot of the things that you never got around to when you were so busy. I spend a lot of my time reading classic literature, wandering the internet and researching every little thing that I’m curious about, watching Shakespeare plays, learning new hobbies and getting better at old ones, spending loads of time with my pets and sometimes just sitting on the porch with all of them, soaking up the sun and looking out at the views and just doing nothing. After a lifetime of working, having the luxury to spend your time on what you really want to do is the best.
Hafta chime in here. Turned 79 a few weeks ago, and am having probably the best time ever. My family, on both sides, tends to live forever so I’ve got that going for me. Best health insurance you can get.
If you can keep your health (and the only time I see a doctor is once annually when my wife makes me go in for the yearly physical), and if you haven’t done anything really stupid financially, getting old is great.
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You can be somewhat cantankerous & stubborn and get away with it.
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If you don’t want to do a particular chore that is physically demanding - lifting sacks of cement - cleaning gutters on a ladder, etc., you can get away with not doing it.
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If you don’t want to learn something new - use a trackball instead of a mouse - switch to Vista, and so forth. you don’t have to. See item 1 above.
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Sex can still be fun, just somewhat more work.
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Even though I work two days a week (at my son-in-laws auto repair shop as a bookkeeper), there is still tons of time to do the things that you do want.
I could keep going on, but I don’t feel like it.
As I often say: Growing old ain’t for sissies.
I’m only in my late 40s, but everything hurts, I have less energy now than I did in my youth, losing weight is harder, gaining muscle is harder, recovering from an injury takes longer and usually still hurts months later.
But worse, I can now see that I am not immortal - in my youth it seemed like I would live forever. Now, not so much
Instead of age, here is a life calculator:
Write down how long you think you will live.
Subtract your current age.
Look at that number.
That is how many Christmas’ you still have; that is how many first days of spring you have to experience; that is how many times you can celebrate your birthday.
Use that calculator on someone else; that is how many years you might still be able to visit them on holidays and anniversaries.
Age doesn’t bring wisdom, but it does put a value on time. Try not to waste it.
Thank you all for the responses so far. Very interesting and even reassuring. So far I’m taking away at least two ideas…
- Start going to the gym now?
- Live in the now.
Keep em coming!
- Put away money NOW for your future. I would bet that everyone here who is retired wished they had invested more in their retirement, started earlier, etc. It didn’t click for me until my late 30’s and so I have had to do lots of catching up. Even a small amount you put away now will grow to a huge number when you retire–but if you have to play catchup it will take lots more cash.