Is there anything actually good about getting older?

begbysback

I’d say yellow, it’s got to be yellow, think most people would agree

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

The question makes no sense. It is like asking "What is the color of happiness".

Or I guess a better analogy is "Is there anything actually good about breathing"?

"Breathing" and "Getting Older" are just things that happen while you are doing better things. If you sit around asking yourself if there is anything good about them - you might be missing the point about what they are for.

Pretty much.

If you like life, getting older is a blessing, another day to celebrate

If you dont like life, every day you are getting worse, another day to endure.

It's a mindset, it's all who you are.

Just be kind to yourself.

Best of luck.

Strumms

The best thing about getting older is having more experience of life.

More experience as to when life throws you a curve ball, you not only know how to handle it but you also see it coming.

More experience to evaluate which person/people to spend time with and effort on.

More experience to know when to say no to people who are putting you in potentially difficult situations that compromise your enjoyment of life and wellbeing.

More experience to know when to cast people who are too much effort and drama, into a foggy wilderness from which they’ll never return.

More experience to trust your gut, it’s rarely wrong. Always trust your gut, over words spluttered by others.

The experience to be your own best friend. You don’t let yourself down.

That’s all comes with age and is invaluable.

The Oort Cloud

Muppet Man wrote: »

With luck you are one third the way through your life. How you live the remaining two thirds is your call. Don’t fcuking waste it by feeling sorry for yourself my friend.

This^. Simple and straight to the point message. I agree.

Everyone gets down in some part of their life, but at 32 years of age OP should be thinking of a hobby that they might like... Mountain hiking in Ireland with others can be the best thing not only to get you out, but to get your blood flowing good for the brain. There are organisations and groups that do mountain hiking training and radio communications and safety courses for the nice hike in good weather like we have now.

Sheeeeeit, 32 years of age is very young. I'm 52 but feel 32. Try the mountain hiking for the Dublin mountains or Others in Ireland wherever you are from as you will get to meet some good people and you will have a great time. You just have to make that effort.

https://mountaintrails.ie/ireland-guided-hikes/

Best of luck OP.

Vita nova

The best thing about getting older is not dying.

KungPao

I had a bit of an early mid life crisis around that age. Started boning ladies 5-10 younger than me. It put some pep in my step for a while.

But yeah, your life’s pretty much over. Welcome to the club.

Purple is a Fruit

Early 30s was a great age for me - personally I don't think of it as a "getting older" stage (yes I know, we're getting older at any point but you know what I mean) however, as said, it's dull for anyone of any age at the moment.

When you have babies and/or a mortgage (or when lots of your friends have babies), when you don't have the energy you used to have, when you would prefer to stay in of a Saturday night or just go for a meal or go for just a couple of drinks in a quiet pub and go home early (hangovers really do become appalling) when you really get to like stuff like gardening and interiors and cookery and find discussing supermarkets and fabric detergents really engaging, when you haven't a clue about current youth culture, when you no longer listen to radio stations that play music during the day (apart from Lyric)... that's the getting older stage. And when you like all that, then it's not a problem. You also stop being bothered by the small stuff (which is great) but start worrying about the big stuff (like health and your parents getting old) but you have better skills to deal with it because it's just life.

Yes, your routine does become rigid but then you've gotta find interests outside of work.

Stihl waters

Think of all the poor souls who died young without living even the most mundane of lives, who'd have given anything for a other day or hour or minute with their children or partner, my sister died 8 years ago with her children by her bedside and clinging onto life with all she had so she could spend seconds more with her little darlings, life as hard as it is is the greatest gift we possess and questioning it is normal but don't spend too long thinking about it, some day very soon that'll be that and it would be utterly shameful to have spent your time wondering is this it because this is really it, make the most of it

Purple is a Fruit

Stihl waters wrote: »

Think of all the poor souls who died young without living even the most mundane of lives, who'd have given anything for a other day or hour or minute with their children or partner, my sister died 8 years ago with her children by her bedside and clinging onto life with all she had so she could spend seconds more with her little darlings, life as hard as it is is the greatest gift we possess and questioning it is normal but don't spend too long thinking about it, some day very soon that'll be that and it would be utterly shameful to have spent your time wondering is this it because this is really it, make the most of it

Oh my god that's awful - very sorry to read it.

Yeah every so often it's no harm to be reminded that while getting older can feel crap, it's something a significant number of people don't get to experience. Not to guilt trip people for feeling down or anxious about getting older but just a bit of perspective to help look at things differently.

A college friend of mine who was diagnosed with advanced cancer at 34 was so pleased about reaching 35 - but said she would have been disgusted at the idea only a year before. Sadly that was her last birthday however.

mariaalice

The best bit you genuinely dont care what others think of you, sit out your front garden with your buddies watching others go by drinking wine, asking a stranger would they like to join them. That happened too recently and I thought fair play to them they don't give a dam who see them and this is in a nice area, their 30-year-old selves would never have done it.

is_that_so

completedit wrote: »

It is so mindblowingly dull already. I just hit the second year of my 30s and I'm scared of what life has in store. Everything is just so monotonous now with or without Covid. I feel you have sort of cemented who you are as a person and the journey of discovery sort of grinds to a halt. Your 20s open you up to the world and yourself; for many of us it's one amazing experience after the next from traveling to meeting the prospective romantic partner who will in your optimistic eyes save you from yourself but then something happens. Yoi realise its all been done before. The novelty wears off and you're no loet a work in progress, now you're in your 30s with no relationship, no kids, barely any money and a friends group that has become so disparate that you don't really have much of a group at all. It is bleak. I wonder did I truly appreciate the 20s that I was lucky to have? Probably not truth be told.

I want to be going to South William for cans on the street this weekend but I'm starting to feel like an old codger. Everything suddenly becomes so rigid and dull and mostly focused around the consumption of coffee with some milk alternative . Oh just what I needed! Another hike and a flat white.

I

Meh, early mid-life crisis calling. You've two ages, what's in your head and what's on your birth cert. The one in your head allows you to show up for cans on the street if you want and the physical age not to care who sees you. Build memories and experiences is what I say. Always have one to tell yourself about at the end of the day. If you don't you're not living life, just drifting through it!

ArnoldJRimmer

Best thing I have found about getting older is being a lot more comfortable in my own skin. While I'd rather not have the physical aches and pains I now have, I wouldn't swap it and go back to being the deeply unhappy person I was in my 20's. I only see that with the benefit of hindsight of course, so I would say a good thing about getting older can be the wisdom you pick up.

That said, 32 is no age, there is a ton of new stuff you can explore, just be willing to give things a go.

RiderOnTheStorm

Best thing about getting older?

Children. Then grandchildren. I'm a grandfather of a 2 year old and its opened a new phase of my life that i could not have imagined. Its like getting your own kids back / going back in time, but now you're not worried about promotion / house / rat-race . These things still exist, but I think you spend less time on things you can't control.

They say life begins at 40. IMHO this is true. You get to drop the young adult hangups and get more comfortable in your body / life.

Oh, and car insurance gets cheaper.

...... everyone will die, but not everyone has lived....

The DayDream

Bro no one cares what age you are if you're out on a session it's the more the merrier as long as you're a pleasant person to be around. Haven't we all enjoyed the chats at a pub with auld fellas? Well you're not even there yet, you've another 2 or 30 years to go.

You're only in your early 30s that's your prime man. Tom Brady is still winning super bowls at 43. I'm 40 and I was up in Dublin for a specialist appointment a few weeks ago, and as nowhere is doing takeaway pints in the small craphole I live in I found the 'open air party' in Stephen's Green to be a godsend.

I had 3 pints and I was buzzing (the one good thing about getting older for me is I know my limits now which is way less than it used to be- any more than 4 and I'm on the floor).

I'm not married no kids no car work a low paid job. But I still have all my hair and I honestly wouldn't want any women or kids wrecking my head. All my non work time is my own, meaning I can work on my creative projects like my epic novel which I'm sure will become a classic posthumously.

You need to learn how to accept it all - don't let your past mistakes overshadow your good accomplishments which there are probably more than you realize. Accept that time only moves one way. The alternative to getting older is death and you're past the 27 club might as well keep going. Today is tomorrow's past. Don't get to be 42 and say I wish I would have realized at 32 I could still go down to William St and have cans if I wanted. Go there now and be grateful you can do it. 32 year olds with kids and a wife can't! Not without ending up in the doghouse!

Naked Lepper

Airyfairy12 wrote: »

My neighbors son died suddenly of a brain hemorrhage at age 21 last year, My brothers friend killed himself at age 19, A girl up the road from me died in a car crash at age 24, a local lad was murdered a few years ago at age 18, he'd just finished school.

!

eeek, that's awful
sounds like you live in summer bay or somewhere

DellyBelly

While 32 isn't young it really isn't that old. You still have loads of time to enjoy the rest of your life. One of the benefits of being your age is that you probably are more well off then when you were in your 20s. Probably have a house and a nice car and I'm sure you are earning more money in your job so that's a major plus.

massdebater

Am I the only one who realises the OP has just turned 31? Everyone is saying 32!!

pauliebdub

Physically there's nothing great about getting older. Im heavier, less energy, more aches and pains, worse hangovers and often constipated. Nothing in my wardrobe fits properly and I absolutely can't be bothered to get new clothes or lose weight.

Financially, I've considerably more disposable income now than when I was younger which gives me a bit more freedom to do what I want.

McGinniesta

Certain things fade as you get older. Looks etc.

However, there are certain benefits. If you have had any kind of a life then you will accumulate experiences and wisdom along the way that can only serve you good.

You also appreciate things that little bit more.

The DayDream

DellyBelly wrote: »

While 32 isn't young it really isn't that old. You still have loads of time to enjoy the rest of your life. One of the benefits of being your age is that you probably are more well off then when you were in your 20s. Probably have a house and a nice car and I'm sure you are earning more money in your job so that's a major plus.

Uh he said he didnt have much money. And I know more early 30s people renting than I do own homes, and the most of the ones doing well financially it only happened after they emigrated. Recession and housing crisis has royally fecked OP's generation. Unless you have a degree in tech or engineering a single person hasn't a hope of getting a house.

Arghus

You do get a bit more worldly, but in every other respect getting older sucks.

Sunny Disposition

I don't know, I think getting older is better. Just care far less about almost everything, far more comfortable mentally and emotionally. I think most people are mellowing from around 30 onwards and are generally happier.

JimmyVik

All I can say is ...... Kids
You have two lives.
One before kids, and one after.

Before kids, you wonder what the fcuk do people do when they have kids. All the hardship and hassle of the little snot factories. You wonder how on earth could people let that happen to them.

Then after to have kids, yes they are snot factories and all the other stuff too. But you have a brand new life. A better one. And you wonder how that happened. You wonder what did I ever do before I had kids. What a life I have now. So much happiness and joy, and snots.

mistress_gi

I love being older. I wouldn't trade it for the world. The alternative is being dead which doesn't appeal to me much.
I love me much more than before, learned to give zero f**ks about what other people think.
Love being independent and not being told what to do. The world is full of opportunities and no one is there to stop you but yourself!

razorblunt

I'm mid thirties and I can't explain who great it is to stop giving a shít about the things I was giving a shít about for the last 20 years or whatever.
I can only imagine what I'll be like as I get older.

Sunny Disposition

JimmyVik wrote: »

All I can say is ...... Kids
You have two lives.
One before kids, and one after.

Before kids, you wonder what the fcuk do people do when they have kids. All the hardship and hassle of the little snot factories. You wonder how on earth could people let that happen to them.

Then after to have kids, yes they are snot factories and all the other stuff too. But you have a brand new life. A better one. And you wonder how that happened. You wonder what did I ever do before I had kids. What a life I have now. So much happiness and joy, and snots.

Young people these days put off having kids too long IMO, they've been indoctrinated to thinking that education/work is more important than it actually is, and that partying etc also is too. Kids put a different slant on things entirely.

strawdog

Some grand answers and advice above but my read on OP is that your main problem is what I had in early thirties, you're feeling old-young. Still doing young person things but there's a lot of younger people doing them now and doing them better.

As you get to your mid and late thirties and more than likely start getting involved in the more settled ways and pursuits, you start to feel young-old, ie the rest of the people doing these things are older relatively. You start to accept the exuberance and excess days are over and while you miss them, it's not so bad and almost a relief it's over.

Some do seem to decide to stay old-young which is fine if it works for them, doesn't seem to most of the time, but each to their own. Generally myself and my circle are in the latter young-old category now and enjoying life differently, just a bit more of a steady pace. Less peaks but also less troughs I've found.

Strumms

pauliebdub wrote: »

Physically there's nothing great about getting older. Im heavier, less energy, more aches and pains, worse hangovers and often constipated. Nothing in my wardrobe fits properly and I absolutely can't be bothered to get new clothes or lose weight.

Financially, I've considerably more disposable income now than when I was younger which gives me a bit more freedom to do what I want.

Id certainly agree on worse hangovers... jeesus. Whats that all about ?

Youve identified a problem.... you are overweight...

It doest take a mountain of time, energy or effort to loose weight...

A good diet and i dont mean starving yourself... a good diet and exercise daily... invest in a treadmill, or exercise bike...that way you are not reliant on weather when your pizza is in the oven ,pasta on slow boil...20 minutes on the bike.....plus whatever else.... daily

Surreptitious

Strumms wrote: »

Id certainly agree on worse hangovers... jeesus. Whats that all about ?

Youve identified a problem.... you are overweight...

It doest take a mountain of time, energy or effort to loose weight...

A good diet and i dont mean starving yourself... a good diet and exercise daily... invest in a treadmill, or exercise bike...that way you are not reliant on weather when your pizza is in the oven ,pasta on slow boil...20 minutes on the bike.....plus whatever else.... daily

Remind me never to eat pasta in your gaff

badabing106

There is an age related bonus If you reach 100 in Ireland. You receive a letter from and the president of Ireland and 2450 euros from the Government



"People born on the island of Ireland and who have reached their 100th birthday receive a special message from the President of Ireland, wishing them a happy birthday and congratulating them for their longevity. The letter is accompanied by an award made by the President of Ireland.

This scheme, often referred to as "the Centenarian Bounty", is open to people living in Ireland who have reached 100 years, as well as to Irish citizens born on the island of Ireland who have reached 100 years and who are living outside of the State."