Why Do People Pace Themselves And Give In To Old Age?

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I'd rather go 100 miles an hour today like I did when I was 25 and spend tomorrow in bed than go 20 miles an hour every day at a steady pace. I refuse to believe that's what getting old is all about. I know that one day I'll bow to the inevitable, but the inevitable will have to chase me down.

I say this because I can't find a friend to go out with me Thursday to see Jon Anderson in concert. "It's a weeknight and I'm not as young as I used to be" is always the response. If we're not as young as we used to be isn't that all the more reason to cram in as much as possible while we still can?

I can't hang out with people half my age all the time because they (understandably) don't want to hang out with "the old guy", hip or not, and people my age have found their comfortable chairs. Frustrating.

Just venting. Evil or Very Mad

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Type: Question • Score: 9 • Views: 3,031 • Replies: 21

@blueveinedthrobber,

What is very upsetting is watching people voluntarily shrinking the size of their world. Or assuming an incapacity when, if they pushed themselve, they would be more than capable of doing whatever. I'm not saying that these activities are pain or consequence free, but the fear of the pain and the consequences often (to my mind) seems to diminish what truly happens to people.

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I let myself go for almost a year after my still undiagnosed neck problems and undiagnosed diabetes because I didn't understand why I just couldn't get up and get going. Now that my blood sugar is under control and I've had my teeth fixed and am infection free, I'm back at the gym six days a eek. The pain in my neck and back continue unabated (sometimes spectacularly) but I came to my senses and realized that if I'm going to be in pain anyway I'd rather ignore it keep on the move than sit on the couch and worry with it. Having said that I'm guilty of shrinking my world as far as personal relationships and interactions go, but that's just because I've been burned too many times.

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@blueveinedthrobber,

Damn :\ You are entitled to vent...I would so go with you, but we are in different countries...just go on you're own if you have too...stuff everyone else. Go have some fun Smile

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I was finding it increasingly difficult to catch my breath . . . s'OK, me and the little dogs get along fine . . .

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I have however, found an old friend in Charlotte to go to Van Halen with me on a Wednesday in April. My son will be in school there then so I'll have a place to sleep if I'm too old and feeble to drive home. Laughing

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At age 65, I was worn out, physically. But I went back to work and stuck it out. By doing half work days, I now stay active and strong and get plenty of time to recover for the next day. I walk non stop for four hours, plus climb stairs and lift heavy objects. I get under cabinets and twist and writhe around, doing plumbing jobs. Climb ladders to replace siding, install light fixtures, etc. I have no time to be old.

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@edgarblythe,

Good on ya and God bless. Very Happy

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@edgarblythe,

Very good - my respect.

Saw some place following:
Don´t talk about the things you can´t do anymore. Count the things you have learned in the last few decades.

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One thing I have noticed, both in myself and many other old people - The more you give up doing things, the more things you lose the ability to do. As bvt says, keep moving.

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@edgarblythe,

edgarblythe wrote:

One thing I have noticed, both in myself and many other old people - The more you give up doing things, the more things you lose the ability to do. As bvt says, keep moving.

Some things you find you polish up to the point where you can do them more smoothly and with more control than when you were young which one must recognize and respect, but unfortunately in that process you lose some of the abandonment and giving in to the pure moment than you had when younger. It's a balance. When performing for instance I find myself purposefully giving up some control here and there in order to leave it all on the stage, which triggers a more youthful (and accordingly joyous) response from the old people who still limp out to see me, and I think as an entertainer, that's still my primary job. In turn, I get that emotion returned and it's good for me and good for the spirit.

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@blueveinedthrobber,

I get a charge out of our siding replacement activities. The other day, a young man spent about an hour and a half stripping a section. I came along and stripped an identical section in ten minutes.

edit
Yep, I'm bragging. Got to have some enjoyment in my old age.

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@edgarblythe,

No, you are not bragging - just giving yourself a well deserved compliment.

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@blueveinedthrobber,

blueveinedthrobber wrote:

I say this because I can't find a friend to go out with me Thursday to see Jon Anderson in concert.

I'd go with you Bear, if I didn't live on the opposite side of the country.

And if the Suns weren't playing the Timberwolves on channel 34 that night. Plus there's the CMT showing of Terminator and Kindergarten Cop back-to-back that I've been looking forward to.

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@Ticomaya,

uh huh.....

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@Ticomaya,

Plus Tico has to wash his hair. It reeks of cigar smoke.

Can you imagine an adult watching, [and looking forward to], Terminator and Kindergarten Cop?

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@JTT,

Quote:

Can you imagine an adult watching, [and looking forward to], Terminator

Actually, I can. I had a roommate for a time and he not only watched it each time it was on, he got the tape (this was back in VHS/VCR days). The same happened with Predator. Everybody has their own likes and dislikes.

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@Sturgis,

What part makes that person an adult, being your roommate or liking a sexual predator?

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@JTT,

but just a little bit ago, you were defending hawkeye...

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@JTT,

Quote:

What part makes that person an adult, being your roommate or liking a sexual predator?

All you asked was "can you imagine an adult watching [and looking forward to] Terminator?"
My roommate was an adult, he was in his 50s at the time (he's dead now), and I have no idea why you'd associate liking an action movie with sexual predators unless you yourself are one.

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Why Do People Pace Themselves And Give In To Old Age?

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