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They say that having kids around you makes you feel young.
And that's fun, every once in awhile. Barbecues and holidays and trips to the beach--these are all times that it's nice to feel young again.
But what young people don't understand is that I don't always want to feel "young." I like being the age that I am.
When I was a teen, everyone said that life was over after 30. But then I reached the big 3-0 and found out that was a bunch of bull. Life after 30 is a lot of fun. It's just a different kind of fun.
When I was in midlife, everyone said that life was over after 50. But then I reached the big 5-0 and found out that was a bunch of bull. Life after 50 is a lot of fun. It's just a different kind of fun.
And so on and so forth. So yes, it's fun to feel young again--every once in awhile--but most of the time I enjoy being the age that I am.
Every stage of life has it's own pleasures. Don't be afraid to experience it all.
They say that having kids around you makes you feel young.
And that's fun, every once in awhile. Barbecues and holidays and trips to the beach--these are all times that it's nice to feel young again.
But what young people don't understand is that I don't always want to feel "young." I like being the age that I am.
When I was a teen, everyone said that life was over after 30. But then I reached the big 3-0 and found out that was a bunch of bull. Life after 30 is a lot of fun. It's just a different kind of fun.
When I was in midlife, everyone said that life was over after 50. But then I reached the big 5-0 and found out that was a bunch of bull. Life after 50 is a lot of fun. It's just a different kind of fun.
And so on and so forth. So yes, it's fun to feel young again--every once in awhile--but most of the time I enjoy being the age that I am.
Every stage of life has it's own pleasures. Don't be afraid to experience it all.
Good advice.
You know, the TV media has a lot to do with age consciousness by the American public. The reason that so many television shows cater to younger audiences is advertising pressure. Surveys say that the older you are, the more likely you will be brand loyal and not succumb to their advertising so the pressure is on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox to attract a younger audience for their dramas and sitcoms because younger audiences are more likely to want to try the latest product advertised. If the shows do attract a younger audience, they can charge more for advertising so they don't write network shows to appeal to us retirees.
You may have noticed that most TV ratings only report on the 18 - 49 demographic and that the shows feel like it's the kiss of death if their shows skew older even when they have a high number of individual viewers. That's because the younger ages of that 18 - 49 year old range will try their products and the older ages of that range are more likely to be buying products for younger people still living in their household. So you are likely to see people over 55 in TV shows portrayed from the perspective of a 20 - 30 year old, who writes for those shows aiming to please advertisers, rather than the reality of what an active life is really like for many of us. There's no interest in us by the TV broadcast media. As a result, the image of retirees and other seniors suffers in the eyes of the public. We're portrayed as either senile, ridiculous, loud, bedridden, meddling, etc.
I ask you, try to name a broadcast TV show where the retiree does not live with the protagonist and his/her family or does not live in some wacky retirement community...if there is an older person even in the show. You may notice older people are usually in sitcoms (where they can be laughed at).
I ask you, try to name a broadcast TV show where the retiree does not live with the protagonist and his/her family or does not live in some wacky retirement community...if there is an older person even in the show. You may notice older people are usually in sitcoms (where they can be laughed at).
LOL, this is so true. In fact, your entire post is one truthful statement after another.
I don't mind being laughed at me (on t.v.) but I do resent the media portraying Grandma as having no interests except catering to children 24-7. Any moment that isn't completely focused on children must be a time that Grandma is bored and "wishes she had something to do." The media acts as if all your interests in life and accomplishments and abilities evaporate once your hair turns gray. And heaven forbid that Grandma have any romantic encounters!!!
Grandma and her friends go to Vegas. Because they are intelligent adults they manage to have a great time without gambling away their life savings or otherwise getting into trouble.
Grandpa writes a book. He has a lot of adventures trying to research all the facts and figures. In the end he doesn’t make a lot of money from the book, but because of it he is invited to speak at a few important city events and is now considered an expert on the subject.
The kids want Grandma to buy them some ice cream. But she’s nowhere to be found. Turns out she’s over at Starbucks, meeting with some members of the city council who want her to run for the school board. When the kids find out, they’re so proud that they buy Grandma ice cream for a change.
Grandpa inherits some money. A salesman tries to convince him to invest in Alaskan real estate. Fortunately, Grandpa does plenty of research on the internet and quickly realizes this is a scam. Grandpa uses the occasion to teach the kids how to use the internet to do research and build a diversified portfolio.
Grandma and Grandpa go for a hike, and then they go kayaking. They see deer, raccoons, and eagles. Later that day they show their friends the photos they took. Ooops, looks like Grandpa took a candid shot of Grandma that she didn’t want the neighbors to see… Wacky hijinks occur as she tries to get the camera back before he e-mails the photo to their friends.
Grandpa and his friends decide to do a crazy stunt to celebrate turning 80. They consider skydiving, skate boarding, bungee jumping, and singing hip hop at a wedding. Then they realize these are all dumb plot devices written by 20-year-old tv sitcom writers. They laugh, because none of these ideas would be fun at all. Instead, they do something they would actually enjoy, like go to a Rolling Stones concert.
Grandma gets tired of mowing the lawn and decides to plant a garden if native plants. She enrolls in the Master Gardening program and meets some lifelong friends. Now they get together and wacky hijinks ensue as they race to see who can plant their bulbs first.
The most contented people are those who are not trying to look and act decades younger than they are.
So I have wrinkles...so what?
So I don't have a youthful body anymore...so what?
So I don't have the energy I did when I was young...so what?
I agree with the OPs...I am content with where I am, who I am, and don't waste precious time regretting that I'm in my 60s instead of my 20s or 30s, etc.
In the majority of cases, life truly is what we make it. And I am making it the best I can!
Hey those are some good ideas normie, and much more realistic. I also agree with LauraC on the way older people are often protrayed on t.v. It's just not real. Most of us have enough things to do to keep busy.
We don't spend all our time messing around with our kids lives once they are grown up. I don't live near my kids,and I'm sure there are others in the same situation. Some seniors are still working. They don't show that much on t.v.
They say that having kids around you makes you feel young.
And that's fun, every once in awhile. Barbecues and holidays and trips to the beach--these are all times that it's nice to feel young again.
But what young people don't understand is that I don't always want to feel "young." I like being the age that I am.
When I was a teen, everyone said that life was over after 30. But then I reached the big 3-0 and found out that was a bunch of bull. Life after 30 is a lot of fun. It's just a different kind of fun.
When I was in midlife, everyone said that life was over after 50. But then I reached the big 5-0 and found out that was a bunch of bull. Life after 50 is a lot of fun. It's just a different kind of fun.
And so on and so forth. So yes, it's fun to feel young again--every once in awhile--but most of the time I enjoy being the age that I am.
Every stage of life has it's own pleasures. Don't be afraid to experience it all.
I love being 55. I can go on Elderhostel and enjoy their great trips. I can look forward to complete retirement in one year. Wow, I can do whatever I want.
I can volunteer during the day and join groups that meet during the work day, hooray.
I enjoyed the 35 years of work but will enjoy the rest of my life even more.
I love knowing what I've learned in over a half century. People sometimes say they would love to go back to being 20 if they could. Not me. The 20 year old body maybe, but only if I could keep my mind and memories. I would never want to have relearn all the hard lessons again. The confidence this amount of living gives me is a wonderful feeling.
I pity people who say their best years were in high school or when they were very young. To me, that would be a wake up call to change your life and start finding and following your bliss.
I retired 6 years ago at age 50 from the Federal Government....and I didn't make it a year. I thought I would lose my mind from boredom!
One day I was driving along and ended up behind a school bus with a "Caution, Driver Training" sign on the back of it. Next thing I knew, I was behind the wheel of one...and looking forward to going to work every morning!
I work for a very large and affluent public school district in Virginia. They buy the best buses....rear-engine, air conditioned units that are a dream to drive. But the best part are my 125 or so kids. I believe the saying about having young people around keeps you young!
I especially love the first day of school, with the new kindergartners apprehensively climbing aboard the bus and going out on their own for the first time.
I work 40+ hours a week (I had no idea that buses rolled all day, every day with this program or that) and make about 40 grand a year...which supplements my pension very nicely.
My favorite part of the job is athletic trips...especially Friday night Varsity football! We form a caravan of 6 buses...3 for the team, 2 for the band, and 1 for the cheerleaders...and off we go. It's so much fun, I can't believe they actually PAY us! LOL
Yep, I'm going to drive my school bus for as long as I can pass the annual physical! (We have a 78 year old gentleman that still drives).
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