The joy of growing old (or why life begins at 46)

chucken1

When people start out on adult life, they are, on average, pretty cheerful. Things go downhill from youth to middle age until they reach a nadir commonly known as the mid-life crisis. So far, so familiar. The surprising part happens after that. Although as people move towards old age they lose things they treasure—vitality, mental sharpness and looks—they also gain what people spend their lives pursuing: happiness.



http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showthread.php?t=3030791

I know Im a lot happier now than I was 20 years ago...content you might say. Im also a lot more confident..as in, Im not afraid to give my opinions without being upset if Im disagreed with. The little things in life bring joy and Im very aware of them. So what about the rest of you oulwans 'n' oulfellas? Are you happy?

OldGoat

chucken1 wrote: »

When people start out on adult life, they are, on average, pretty cheerful. Things go downhill from youth to middle age until they reach a nadir commonly known as the mid-life crisis. So far, so familiar. The surprising part happens after that. Although as people move towards old age they lose things they treasure—vitality, mental sharpness and looks—they also gain what people spend their lives pursuing: happiness.



http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showthread.php?t=3030791

I know Im a lot happier now than I was 20 years ago...content you might say. Im also a lot more confident..as in, Im not afraid to give my opinions without being upset if Im disagreed with. The little things in life bring joy and Im very aware of them. So what about the rest of you oulwans 'n' oulfellas? Are you happy?

Not so sure about losing my vitality or mental sharpness and my gorgeousness is eternal (:cool:) but I have to say that my 40's have been a stunningly happy decade and with that in mind I'm looking forward to my 50's in the hopes that they are equally entertaining.

faw1tytowers

I am 30 and i have always looked forward to hitting 50 in hope that i would be in a more stable life then and i might have more time to enjoy life. Now its waiting for my kids to be grown up too lol!

looksee

With respect, you lot don't know what you are talking about.

With a positive attitude now you will find that as 60 passes, life continues to improve in terms of a lack of concern about what people think, confidence and serenity. Which is just as well, otherwise you would worry about the lost words in mid sentence, the lost ideas in mid thought, the way people talk much more quietly and the fact that if you have a meal after 8pm you will be awake all night being aware of it.

Its a fair trade off.

muffler

OldGoat wrote: »

and with that in mind I'm looking forward to my 50's in the hopes that they are equally entertaining.

They will be the best feckin years of your life........at least thats what my father told me

looksee

From what I have seen myself and other people, the 40s are a bummer, there seems to be a lot of stress related stuff and vague random illness, and it does seem to improve by the 50s.

Rubecula

I am no happier than when I was young, but then again I am more relaxed in my outlook. Maybe that is an improvement, I am not sure, but I am relaxed about it.:pac:


Nice to look back on those awful days when you were trying to get your first date too. But that is a subject for another discussion:)

humberklog

I'd a pretty action packed and fun 20's and when I turned 30 I had a bit of a panic attack that it was all behind me. I was returning from a skiing trip and recall not caring if the plane crashed. The panic attack passed but left nagging doubts that a void of fun would become an ever increasing circle so when I reached my late 30's I decided to turn the piggy bank of life upside down and give it a good rattle to see what was left...turns out it was still full and I'd only tapped into half of the joys that life can bring.

I turned 41 in Feb. just gone and feel that my 40th year was my most personally adventurous year so far and this one's shaping up much the same as the last one ended. New chapters and more fun.

I'm on a par of happiness and sense of adventure now as I was when 17...and a lot happier and more optimistic than I was when 33.

Cicero

Think you're more accepting of things as you get older but also more assertive about your needs, and the needs of those closest to you..
...you formulate your world around what you and people close to you want, and care less about what others "think"....while this can bring on labels such as "set in their ways", it's probably also a good coping mechanism to avoid over-stress.

A teenager and possibly those in their early 20's want to "fit in" and don't want to be seen to be "different"...this becomes less of an issue as one gets older and I think we start to make more choices to suit our needs, rather than to please others.

slavetothegrind

this thread belongs in the bar on a high stool with pints and nearby yewths to point at as examples!

to answer the op's question, yes, happy and looking forward to the many things i want to do this decade.

My glass is half full and even if it empties some days i know there's a refill coming for sure.

possibly the corniest sounding tripe i have ever typed but i'm leaving it as i believe it.

Cicero

slavetothegrind wrote: »

this thread belongs in the bar on a high stool with pints and nearby yewths to point at as examples!

Well, if videochatboards.ie is ever produced, we can all sit in our respective locals and do just that...:D

slavetothegrind

ooh video boards!

after hours would be a scary place!