Is there anything actually good about getting older?

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."

Bobtheman

For the love of jaysus get your head out of your arse.
You are still young.
What's the alternative?
Death??

silliussoddius

Did I ever tell you kids about the 90's

Mr_Muffin

Find a nearby field, dig a hole, and put your left foot in it.

You've already got one foot in the grave, may as well put the other one in.

boardlady

OP, I am 47. So i'm considerably older and I have the partner and kids thing done. However, I also feel at a bit of a loss now. I think we can all struggle during transitional times, no matter what age. I feel a bit redundant as the kids don't really need me as much anymore and I only work a couple of days a week and am a bit bored if i'm honest. Boredom can set into us at any age and it really is a killer. I'm currently looking for a way to give myself a kick up the ass - be it a night class, fitness group or some sort of thing that will widen my circle just a bit. I'm not looking for much - you may need a lot more - but, like me, we have to get out there and make it happen!

bullpost

begbysback wrote: »

I was feeling grand until some numbskull started a thread about feeling old at 32

yes 32

32 is the new 23 - at least if you're dyslexic

Jaysis, how depressing!

I'm mid 40s and life gets better and better the older I get.
Every decade is better then the one before.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Wait till you get to your 40’s and 50’s!!!

Tzardine

I am 37 and do not feel old. That is until I see my 16 year old sister.

She calls me a seed. Because I am going in the ground soon.

completedit

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

I honestly don't understand why you can't see the connection between how you feel right now and the fact that there's been a pandemic for over a year now.

Astounding.

Purple Mountain

bubblypop wrote: »

Jaysis, how depressing!

I'm mid 40s and life gets better and better the older I get.
Every decade is better then the one before.

I agree. I'm much more comfortable in my skin now, no more giving a crap that I need to conform to what society deems I should be/wear/look like.
You make your own fun/luck in life so if you're not putting yourself out there in new situations then- "If you always do what you always did, then you'll always get what you always got."

bitofabind

I'm 36 and bloody glad of it. Spent a lot of time in my 20s living in a world of comparison, nothing I did was ever good enough and yet I had no idea what the end goal was. Did the career thing, did the travel thing, lived abroad, made money, had great craic and none of it was ever good enough.

The benefit of age to me has been the clarity on what's important. The easing of those manic emotions of my 20s into finding a bit of peace and self-acceptance. Like grand, this is who I am and this is how I do things. Time to live by my rules now. Realising jesus, the YEARS I spent comparing to others, paranoid about what others thought, fulfilling societal expectations without ever asking myself what I wanted out of life when ultimately that was all that mattered all along.

I remember being 15 and deathly afraid of my 16th birthday because it was "so old". Thinking 30 year olds were ancient. Thinking 40 was game over. Getting older is a privilege and yet too many people are deathly afraid of it.

Purple is a Fruit

bitofabind wrote: »

I'm 36 and bloody glad of it. Spent a lot of time in my 20s living in a world of comparison, nothing I did was ever good enough and yet I had no idea what the end goal was. Did the career thing, did the travel thing, lived abroad, made money, had great craic and none of it was ever good enough.

The benefit of age to me has been the clarity on what's important. The easing of those manic emotions of my 20s into finding a bit of peace and self-acceptance. Like grand, this is who I am and this is how I do things. Time to live by my rules now. Realising jesus, the YEARS I spent comparing to others, paranoid about what others thought, fulfilling societal expectations without ever asking myself what I wanted out of life when ultimately that was all that mattered all along.

I remember being 15 and deathly afraid of my 16th birthday because it was "so old". Thinking 30 year olds were ancient. Thinking 40 was game over. Getting older is a privilege and yet too many people are deathly afraid of it.

All so spot-on. The ageing process should be reversed - for us to look our best when we are at our most content and self accepting, but instead...

bitofabind

Purple is a Fruit wrote: »

All so spot-on. The ageing process should be reversed - for us to look our best when we are at our most content and self accepting, but instead...

Well yeah but also, looking "our best" is no big game-changer either. I've found an acceptance in that too. I don't need to be the hot totty anymore. There's a relief in not noticing or caring about who's looking or not looking at me. The wars with myself I used to battle even when I had that baby smooth skin and fast metabolism. It's a general redefinition of not just what matters, but what matters to me now. And that's that my partner thinks I'm a big ride but everyone else, well meh. Who cares.

3DataModem

completedit wrote: »

I feel you have sort of cemented who you are as a person and the journey of discovery sort of grinds to a halt.
I

Icemancometh

I'm pretty sure OP is 31. 'Second year of my thirties' you'd be 31. First year is when your 30. So he's even younger than you think.

whomitconcerns

I'm 41 and wouldn't think twice about going drinking cans in a park of I was off work. Not a bother. Getting locked on a school day... Anytime! You really are only as old as you want to be

monkeysnapper

begbysback wrote: »

I was feeling grand until some numbskull started a thread about feeling old at 32

yes 32

I remember my mum passing her driving test at 30 and getting a car to run us around .... and you feel as a kid she was soooo old

I'm 45 now !!!! Yikes !!!!

Bless her she's still driving us around .... not same car mind... that datsun was brushed up into a pan a long time ago !!!

jackboy

A good thing about getting old is caring less what people think of you.

A colleague at work had a go at me today. In my 20’s I would have struggled to deal with that. Today though I found it funny and just laughed at them.

Rezident

Everything is better now that I'm older, I am literally better at everything that I like doing, and playing the best football of my life in my 40s! I would not want to be a young person nowadays, the world is banjaxed, good luck with it, you're going to need it.

dd973

Rezident wrote: »

Everything is better now that I'm older, I am literally better at everything that I like doing, and playing the best football of my life in my 40s! I would not want to be a young person nowadays, the world is banjaxed, good luck with it, you're going to need it.

Also in the same decade, if we're both here until 90 we're still kids.

RobertKK

I am in my mid 40s, but my brain still has me in my 20s/30s, luckily I am aging well...

I find as the years go by, you are not the same person one was in the past. Nothing is static, views can change, new friends, maybe losing old friends, but the opportunity for change is there if one goes for it. It is easier to stay and do what feels comfortable, but sometimes one needs to do stuff that is a risk whether it changing career, finding a partner if single, make new friends, none of it is easy.

I feel very content overall, but planning some new challenges. Whatever age anyone is, one needs to make the most of the opportunity that life gives.

sporina

The older I get, the less I care about what people think about me/my life etc.. that's nice..

Sunny Disposition

Lads, my best friend gave me the best advice. He said each day’s a gift and not a given right. Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind. And try to take the path less travelled by.