Reminds me of a joke: How come old men have no ass?
They scratch it off.
Hope they don’t bite their nails.
I enjoy getting older. I have more confidence and resolve. My children are grown and I have the benefit of grandchildren. When I was younger, I was very insecure and shy. Sometimes people would misconstrue my shyness for ‘snobby’ and I was more alone than ever.
When I was a young divorced mother with three daughters, the internet wasn’t available in my area. I had to go it on my own, with the love and support of a few local friends. And it worked. I had some good friends and we did support each other through the bad times.
But how I love the Internet!! It may be the best thing about ‘growing old’ to those of my generation. There is a ‘Bitch Board’ for every ailment you can possibly imagine, and for those ailments you may not have thought of.
Growing old rocks!
BTW; men have no ass on their backside as they tend to elect them into office.
Having just turned 40, I feel like this is the first time I have anything germane to say about aging!
For me, the worst thing is being “middle-aged” and I don’t mean middle as in halfway through - I mean that I am still raising my child while I’ve become increasingly responsible for the care of my parents. As my daughter becomes more independent, my parents become less so.
Also in the not-so-hot category: achey knees.
Best thing - not feeling as though I have to live up to anyone else’s expectations.
The worst aspects of getting old are physical – becoming more forgetful (names don’t come rolling off the tongue anymore), having mysterious aches and pains that come and go, having annual physical exams that take longer, watching your diet more. Also, with age, comes a greater awareness of one’s mortality (but strangely you become less afraid). You do go to more funerals where the people don’t look that old to you anymore.
The best part of getting old is that you do get rid of hangups that bothered you when you’re younger, such as worrying about everyone’s opinion of you. You come to realize that it’s not THAT important. If you’ve managed your money wisely, when you’re older you should be more financially sound. And I am. All in all, I’ve gained a greater inner calmness as I’ve aged.
Of course, all this is IMHO. Reading the comments above, I think that everyone’s perspective on getting old depends a lot on his/her current age. As a point of reference, I’m well past the midway point of my longevity according to the actuarial tables.