Old Guys

[Back in the fold]

Went to get a haircut today and saw totally different guys in the barber shop. One guy had to have his wife drive him and help him in. He didn't look much older than me but he was in sad shape , shuffling along and doing everything real slow. He got done and I was in the chair when in walks two older guys. The younger of the two was a 75 year old man bringing his 102 year old Dad in for a haircut. Both those guys were standing as straight as a fence post and walking with a purpose. That 75 year old guy ? I'm almost 67 but I wouldn't want to tangle with him. He looked like he could probably handle me pretty good. Just before they came in my barber , who is 73 , tells me that today is the twentieth anniversary of his first heart attack. I had a lot to think about when I left that shop.

 

[Fishmanic]

Some people are just lucky as they age gracefully. I found this video on youtube just yesterday. Frankie Valli of Four Seasons Fame held a concert just a couple of months ago at Mohegan Sun in CT. He is 88 years old and sounds just like he did in the 1960s. He has been divorced 3 times and is now single. Fantastic back up band and singers too. I watched the whole concert on my 50 inch tv hooked up to a Yamaha stereo with floor standing Boston Acoustics speakers from the 90s. It was like being in the first row of the concert.

 

[JuiceBox52]

I may be young but I have the joints of an 80 year old

 

[PheonixKingZ]

My dad is 59, going to be 60 next month, and he looks like he's in his late 40's. My mom is 50, and she looks like she's in her late 30's, early 40's. People just age differently; physically or appearance wise.

 

[GaryE]

You're only as old as your birth certificate says. You hear a lot of stuff otherwise, and a lot of products are sold to make us think we look younger. We don't.
My experience of all this says if you can avoid work injuries or accidents, keep the excess weight off and consistently walk and exercise (and I don't mean being a lifelong gym rat), you can do okay. Genetics are crucial, and knowing a bit about your family helps a lot. You have to start early. I know I inherited my Dad's power of maintaining strength late into life. That's useful. I have to watch my conditioning as I come from a diabetic family. Those are the other genetics.
None of this is looks. I think we would do well to be aware of that. As you age, you look different, unavoidably. Even the sliced and diced stars give it away.

On a forum, we tend to be older and younger, as the humans in between are sometimes buried in responsibilities that take their time, especially in the US. In a gathering, older members deal with partial invisibility, a power we develop unless we're loud extroverts. People talk around us like we aren't there. That's odd. But it happens, and plastic won't fix that. It does work well if you become a people watcher. It's possible that since I was seriously ill as a kid, and constantly called an old soul when I was into my teens, I am well equipped to deal with age. I never did anything gracefully, so I don't worry about age and grace in the least.

Frankie Valli? Good for him. I recently watched a punk band reunion, the survivors of a band I'd really enjoyed 43 years ago. They looked like tortoises. But they still sounded like it was fun. That's the key to me. If you can still create, laugh and think, you're doing okay. Age'll get you, but be a moving target.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

 

[Back in the fold]

@GaryE Age will get you but be a moving target. I like that. I like it a lot. Every so often , but not very often , I hear something really good. This is one.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

 

[emeraldking]

You're as old as you feel you are...
I'm mid 50's and I've always looked younger than most people of my age. Could be my asian descent.

 

[JuiceBox52]

You're as old as you feel you are...
I'm mid 50's and I've always looked younger than most people of my age. Could be my asian descent.

Im that case I’m dead

 

[GaryE]

You're as old as you feel you are...
I'm mid 50's and I've always looked younger than most people of my age. Could be my asian descent.

I used to believe that, til I hit about 60. My brain says I'm 28, but my body is starting to disagree. Age is real, but you can work around it. I'm sure I don't look a day over 21, but I'm beginning to have doubts about 21 whats. You can't control some aspects of getting older, but you can keep learning and changing.

 

[jaylach]

I don't know if, at 68, I'm old or not. It is actually a matter of reference. To a child someone in their 40s is old but to someone in their 80s someone in their 40s is young. I don't feel old and don't even take any prescription meds.

I think some of age is attitude. I sort of live by the fact that I will accept adult responsibilities and will react to situations in an adult manner but I flatly refuse to grow up. You have to keep a bit of the child within yourself. When you let that child within go is when you really start to become old.

 

[Back in the fold]

I am a seven year old ( mentally) in a 67 year old body. I do have my little aches and minor pains , I'm not anywhere near as flexible as I once was and not as strong but I'm walking around above ground today and that's enough.

 

[Alice B]

I'm 63, I am not as good with my chainsaw as I used to be so I paid someone to cut the tree down. But I can still roll a 350 lb boulder if necessary. I really liked:
"Age will get you but be a moving target."
My personal motto seems to be "don't sit down much", and I don't.
People that retire, that I've known, that park in front of the TV, were senile within a year.
"I'm outrunning the devil and the devil's name is Alzheimers." Don't remember where I saw that. It does run in my family. So I keep bees - since 2011, I try to stretch my brain and learn new things. And exercise but mostly I just walk dogs and go to work to get the exercise...

 

[connorlindeman]

So I keep bees - since 2011

My family tried to keep bees last year. Unfortunately, they got mites and died out.