How old do you want to live to be?

[Ajac]

I notice that I am increasingly bothered by celebrities aging. I will see someone I haven't seen in a long time make a guest appearance on a show and think "Oh my god they are so old!" hi Def doesn't do anyone any favors either. Than I go by a mirror and think when the hell did that happen. I guess there is no stopping time. Time seems to pass so quickly but why does it seem like this Presidency will go on for ever?

[samhexum]

 

[mike carey]

Ain't that the truth!

[+ Just Sayin]

This weekend I uncovered a book I bought 6 months ago: "A Beginner's Guide to the End;" I heard part of an NPR interview of one of the authors, an emergency room physician; has anyone read it?

[+ sync]

I notice that I am increasingly bothered by celebrities aging. I will see someone I haven't seen in a long time make a guest appearance on a show and think "Oh my god they are so old!" hi Def doesn't do anyone any favors either. Than I go by a mirror and think when the hell did that happen. I guess there is no stopping time. Time seems to pass so quickly but why does it seem like this Presidency will go on for ever?

I have that same reaction when I see aging celebrities. It seems as if it happens overnight, like my balding. One morning while shaving I happened to notice that my forehead is on the back of my neck.

[+ sync]

I have that same reaction when I see aging celebrities. It seems as if it happens overnight, like my balding. One morning while shaving I happened to notice that my forehead is on the back of my neck.

Not understanding your using the "sad" emoji. Don't misunderstand, aside from this wretched virus, my life is just fine.

[samhexum]

Not understanding your using the "sad" emoji. Don't misunderstand, aside from this wretched virus, my life is just fine.

 

 

I wasn't suggesting otherwise. I just think it's sad that others age as I remain eternally youthful and desirable.

[Epigonos]

I have always thought that I wanted to live as long as I was healthy and able to live an active life. This current coronavirus nonsense has made me think twice about the previous sentence. I will be 80 in October and have had a wonderful life with a wonderful family and a wonderful group of friends. I worked for 36 years at a job I loved. I have traveled extensively in the U.S. and all over the world. I have loved my life. Now if the future holds a world where I am unable to travel, visit my friends and entertain my friends in my home then just maybe, in my eyes at least, the future may not worth experiencing. The instance things open up a little here in California I MUST update my will/trust and check out the cemetery where I have a plot next to my parents and my deceased sister and brother-in-law.

 

I’m not ready to check out yet but the idea is certainly in the back of my thoughts. Yea I know depressing but these are most definitely depressing times.

Edited May 11, 2020 by Epigonos

[samhexum]

[robberbaron4u]

I wasn't suggesting otherwise. I just think it's sad that others age as I remain eternally youthful and desirable.

Pray tell, where did you purchase your looking glass???

[samhexum]

Pray tell, where did you purchase your looking glass???

From Dorian Gray Antiques.

[wsc]

I am struggling with the question and planning retirement. If I knew my life would end at 65, I would walk into the office tomorrow and retire. Financially, I have saved enough to make it there.

 

However both of my grandmothers live to be 99. If I am going to live that long, I need to work another 15+ years.

Before I actually retired, I told people I already had enough money to last me for the rest of my life. As long as I died by Friday.

 

Thankfully, it's worked out a little better than that.

[wsc]

60

 

Don't wanna come off as ageist or anything, but I simply don't want to be old and unable to do the things I enjoy unless I end up deciding to have kids eventually when I enter my 40s. Even then, I probably still wouldn't want to live over 65 lol. I panic sometimes just thinking about the fact I'll be turning 50 in less than 14 yrs :/ 40 in less than 4!!!

 

Did any of you older gents suddenly start feeling this way when you entered your mid 30's? I used to not think about age much before, and find myself obsessing about it all the time now. I went from always being the baby in relationships, to now being the daddy, something I still haven't gotten used to yet...

I began to come of age in my early 20s, in the era of Vietnam and the San Francisco Summer of Love, Hippies, and Haight-Ashbury. I remember thinking ahead then to being 30 years old and asking myself, "Who the hell would want to live that long?"

 

I now realize that we humans are, apart from viruses, perhaps the most adaptable species on the planet, including our ability to adapt to our personal circumstance. The perspective of age now informs me that another year always looks good, so long as pain, if there, is minimal and well tolerated. There are always old joys to enjoy and newer pursuits awaiting to captivate us. Life lies not in longevity, but in the living of it. Enjoy what you can of it, and remember what the Buddha has given us: "In the end only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you."

[+ Just Sayin]

@wsc thank you; it helps to begin the day with a little spark of wisdom!

[+ Charlie]

I began to come of age in my early 20s, in the era of Vietnam and the San Francisco Summer of Love, Hippies, and Haight-Ashbury. I remember thinking ahead then to being 30 years old and asking myself, "Who the hell would want to live that long?"

 

I now realize that we humans are, apart from viruses, perhaps the most adaptable species on the planet, including our ability to adapt to our personal circumstance. The perspective of age now informs me that another year always looks good, so long as pain, if there, is minimal and well tolerated. There are always old joys to enjoy and newer pursuits awaiting to captivate us. Life lies not in longevity, but in the living of it. Enjoy what you can of it, and remember what the Buddha has given us: "In the end only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you."

As I approached my 30th birthday, I panicked, thinking that if I didn't do something quickly, the glamorous life I had looked forward to leading when I was 20 would never happen. So I took a leave of absence from my tenured teaching job and flew off to Europe to write the Great American Novel. However, I somehow got distracted into having lots of sex and going to the opera three nights per week instead, and as my leave of absence drew to a close, I accepted the likelihood that the past year was the closest I would ever get to my romantic dream. The truncated manuscript of the Great American Novel is still sitting in the bottom of my file cabinet, where someone will probably find it when I pass, and chuck it in the dumpster.

[+ Just Sayin]

As I approached my 30th birthday, I panicked, thinking that if I didn't do something quickly, the glamorous life I had looked forward to leading when I was 20 would never happen. So I took a leave of absence from my tenured teaching job and flew off to Europe to write the Great American Novel. However, I somehow got distracted into having lots of sex and going to the opera three nights per week instead, and as my leave of absence drew to a close, I accepted the likelihood that the past year was the closest I would ever get to my romantic dream. The truncated manuscript of the Great American Novel is still sitting in the bottom of my file cabinet, where someone will probably find it when I pass, and chuck it in the dumpster.

 

@Charlie, life rarely goes as one has planned; we cannot control our lives to that extent; I think you should re-read your manuscript and see how it resonates now with you. I have about completed my Swedish death cleaning (cf Margareta Magnusson's "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleansing") except for photographs, which Magnusson recommends to do last. The process brought to mind so many smiles and texts back and forth with friends who are still in my life; it was a good experience; take a look at that manuscript and re-live that time of your life; I think you will find it rewarding. JS

[+ Charlie]

@Charlie, life rarely goes as one has planned; we cannot control our lives to that extent; I think you should re-read your manuscript and see how it resonates now with you. I have about completed my Swedish death cleaning (cf Margareta Magnusson's "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleansing") except for photographs, which Magnusson recommends to do last. The process brought to mind so many smiles and texts back and forth with friends who are still in my life; it was a good experience; take a look at that manuscript and re-live that time of your life; I think you will find it rewarding. JS

Actually, the novel wasn't very good. But while sheltering in place, I have been cleaning closets, and one of things I found was my old address book from my 20s and early 30s. I have been having fun remembering people and searching the Internet to find out what happened to them. The biggest surprise was discovering that my first boyfriend, when we were 19, died a couple of years ago, survived by his wife, five children and eleven grandchildren.

[orville]

Actually, the novel wasn't very good. But while sheltering in place, I have been cleaning closets, and one of things I found was my old address book from my 20s and early 30s. I have been having fun remembering people and searching the Internet to find out what happened to them. The biggest surprise was discovering that my first boyfriend, when we were 19, died a couple of years ago, survived by his wife, five children and eleven grandchildren.

Look how lucky you are. Having children makes one age faster, like A LOT faster!

[+ Reisr30]

My neighbor is 92, still drives and take a daily walk. So if I can be like her, I want to live as long as I am still active, have my mental abilities and can be independent.

[orville]

60 ... I probably still wouldn't want to live over 65 ... I panic sometimes just thinking about the fact I'll be turning 50 in less than 14 yrs.

 

Photo Gallery of Sexy Men Over 50

[+ sniper]

60

 

Don't wanna come off as ageist or anything, but I simply don't want to be old and unable to do the things I enjoy unless I end up deciding to have kids eventually when I enter my 40s. Even then, I probably still wouldn't want to live over 65 lol. I panic sometimes just thinking about the fact I'll be turning 50 in less than 14 yrs :/ 40 in less than 4!!!

 

Did any of you older gents suddenly start feeling this way when you entered your mid 30's? I used to not think about age much before, and find myself obsessing about it all the time now. I went from always being the baby in relationships, to now being the daddy, something I still haven't gotten used to yet...

mid-late 30s is when you first start to feel that you've lost a step physically. When I was 33 I still felt like if I worked out and ate right I could set PRs in any physical endeavor I tried. Then I joined an adult dodgeball league, played well for a couple of seasons then all of a sudden I was the slow old man on the court. That change seemed to come out of the blue and was alarming because mentally I was projecting that trend and thinking things would be getting pretty grim pretty fast. But it was more like a leveling off than a sharp decline so it became less traumatic. I don't think in 10 years you will feel that way unless you are unhappy about other aspects of your life.

[thickornotatall]

When I was quite young I looked at my relatives who I thought were old. They were in their 50's or so. I couldn't imagine how they could get around...I just turned 71 and have great health...I'm fit...5'10"..180lbs...I have all my hair..teeth...very few lines on my face (thanks Eucerin)...ride..walk...swim...I travel to Europe 4 times a year...I hire whenever I go away...I love life...I'm very fortunate with no financial worries…..So...I want to live until I can't ….whenever that is... My husband is a few years older and he works full time...

Edited December 24, 2020 by thickornotatall

[+ tassojunior]

How old do you want to live to be?

 

II's funny how every year that age grows.

Edited February 20, 2021 by tassojunior

[+ Charlie]

60

 

Don't wanna come off as ageist or anything, but I simply don't want to be old and unable to do the things I enjoy unless I end up deciding to have kids eventually when I enter my 40s. Even then, I probably still wouldn't want to live over 65 lol. I panic sometimes just thinking about the fact I'll be turning 50 in less than 14 yrs :/ 40 in less than 4!!!

 

Did any of you older gents suddenly start feeling this way when you entered your mid 30's? I used to not think about age much before, and find myself obsessing about it all the time now. I went from always being the baby in relationships, to now being the daddy, something I still haven't gotten used to yet...

When I reached 35, I didn't even want to celebrate my birthday, because I figured that the best part of my life was over; however, I was tricked into going to dinner that day at the home of friends, and when I walked in, there were shouts of "Surprise!" There were three dozen people there who had sneaked into town from all over the country (and I hadn't even bothered to shower and shave). So I decided maybe there was a reason to keep on living.

 

Other than my 20s, the best decade of my life actually turned out to be my 60s. It was different from my 20s, but probably happier because I was much more relaxed. Now it's the 90s that I don't like to think about.

[wsc]

At a time in my life -from 35 or so on to early 60s- I dreaded birthdays and saw them as reminders of declining function and an unavoidable mortality. Those aspects of function and mortality haven't changed, but my view of them, and of my future, have changed. Because of a long history of smoking, I remember thinking when I turned 60 that I wouldn't get out of that decade alive; I would be dead before 70. But I wasn't. A heart attack at 62 got me to finally quit smoking and I haven't had a cigarette since the day after my doctor told me of the attack. I feel to be living now on gifted time, each day the opportunity to enjoy being alive, seeing friends, and having a drink or four. The current pandemic has, of course, put a brake on that, but I have hope of better times to come and am taking precautions to preserve myself for them. The object of life, it now seems to me, is to die with a smile on your face, and I'm intent on doing as much as I can to make that happen, however hopefully long it takes.