At what age should we decide to grow old gracefully? To no longer attempt to keep up with the youngsters and to settle into a more urbane and civilised way of life? That is until the reaper finally calls, waggling his scythe at us like we were naughty children.
This is a question that rears its head with depressing regularity to your average person who stumbles grudgingly into their forties.
It happened to me the other day. I met an old friend for lunch. He informed me that he was going to be a father. We gave each other man slaps and hugs of congratulatory joy.
And that is why I am going out tonight for drinks! Come, celebrate with me!
What to do? Mid-week drinking? What of work tomorrow? Surely it would be ok. I mean, a couple of beers is no biggy?
We can go to that new bar, The Slurry Monkey. Drink our body weight in beer and tear the roof off the place!
Roared my soon to be a father friend.
Ouch, not quite the civilised celebration I had envisaged.
Well, perhaps I could have one or two. I have to get up early tomorrow?
I replied tentatively.
What? Nonsense. We will drink like Vikings in Valhalla! There will be no tomorrow!
Oh my. No tomorrow you say? Perhaps a little extreme. This is a predicament here. The problem is you see that there is an evolution of the party animal as they go through life and it is a humbling experience to be at the tail end of that evolution.
An example is below:
Your studies are done. You have a job and can now afford the party life. It doesn't matter what night of the week it is. You live for the moment and can romp into work the next day after a night partying with no ill effects whatsoever besides being a little thirsty. Heck, nothing that a good breakfast won't fix!
Your work colleagues shake their head in admiration and cheer for your derring-do and party prowess. Many of them are deeply envious of your vida loca.
You still go out partying, the hangovers are starting to bother you a bit but you are a trooper. People are in awe of your ability to keep on going.
You tell your work colleagues of your hilarious japes the night before and they laugh at the things you got up to.
You actually pushed a cow over?
They bellow with laughter at your antics and practically carry you around the office on their shoulders in celebration of your lust for life.
It is harder to go out now. Many of your friends and colleagues have settled down and are busy parenting or doing other respectable activities.
You still feel the fire in your belly, however. No longer quite the mid-week party animal you live for the weekends. Clubs and good times are barely a hairsbreadth away.
You still go out occasionally during the week, your colleagues shaking their heads at your folly the next day. They are almost gleeful when they refer to your hangover and say such things as.
You only have yourself to blame!
or
That will teach you to stay out late on a "School" night!
You slink into the office after one too many the night before. It wasn't planned. Thingmy McJim was leaving and you had to go, didn't you?
You sit at your desk clutching a coffee/energy drink for dear life. Colleagues nearby sniff in disdain and look at you disapprovingly.
You think you hear the odd snippet.
...At his age too...
or
A disgrace... You think he would know better...
.
.
So, when the offer comes, should you decline gracefully realising that those days are past? Or should you go out and live like the hedonistic feckless youth you once were?
Perhaps it is a time to be sensible and do the right thing.
My friend called me as I was leaving work.
So you only coming for a couple of drinks then?
He sounded a little disappointed.
No my friend. We are celebrating your imminent fatherhood. We will drink like once and future Kings!
Really! But what about tomorrow?
I smiled.
Authored by: @meesterboom
All pictures sourced from pixabay and in most cases subjected to various manipulations.
aw it is like this post are talking to me personally. I am a kind of person who usually spend my days on my room because I am the type of a loner man introvert as they say. after reading your post I think it would try to go out next time with my friends. "life is short so we must live life to the fullest" I realized it just now. thanks @adsactly
I think that's great, get out there and shake it! :0)
I will.. but it is really hard to get out if my comfort zone.
It will be worth it.
Love the punchline 😂
My whole life I've been the sober coworker who never partied or had hangovers or drunken epic nights (also, Nigerian cows will casually murder and eat you if you dare try to push them over 😃) and, having reached my thirties, it would be silly to start now -- but I'm honest enough to admit that I somewhat envy those who had too much fun rather than too little.
So! I am inspired! Given the right incentive, like your friend the new father, I too will party like a Viking already in Valhalla!!! ✊🤘
Hehe, that time will definitely come! I am glad you liked the punchline :0)
Ps: I am now scared of Nigerian cows
we fall apart because we lose the will to live, the weight of life becomes to great, to many past remembrances weigh us down, it eventually crushes us
if we learn to forgive ourselves and those around us, i think we can lift this weight and possibly live much longer. i'm also in my 40s and am in great physical health, i watching people around me fall apart..
i believe it is because they accept their limitations, they accept that at some point they will not recover, i feel this to be false, that while i don't expect to live forever, i do expect to live pain-free and happy existence up until i decide i've had enough.
i came to these conclusions after noticing i had many near death experiences, but i wasn't ready to go, and in that moment of truth, when my life was on the line, i felt something, a power within me take over and the situation righted itself in slow motion, but in the blink of an eye.
i believe i found God inside me, that i found myself to be greater than i ever imagined. i think we are convinced, at a very early age, to accept limitation, and now, especially now... i hear those limitation come out of the mouths of my friends and family. they do nothing about, they don't think there is anything to do, but i know that in exercising my free will to be strong, vital and alive... that i feel this life force flow thru me.
but when i think myself weak, limited... i feel myself drained.
a study took students down a long hallway and video taped it. when they got down the hallway they watched a movie. one group watched old people and talked about getting old. the other group group watched young people full of energy. they then video taped them walking back down the hallway. the first group, that watched old people, walked more slowly, the other group walked faster.
our minds are far greater than most realize.
nevelle goddard said this in the power of awareness:
I quite agree, our minds are way more powerful than we realise. Positive thought can have a big influence on our lives. I am a great believer in positivity.
@adsactly - I think more than age itself, it is our company that dictates whether we cave in eventually - I'm 37 and had a rather late marriage compared to my peers - for the past 3-4 years it's been incredibly hard to get folks my age to hangout with or to go on a regular motorcycle trip, or on a trekking expedition because the gang I kept company with slowly moved to parent responsibilities and no longer had time..
On the other hand, my old school buddy who lives in Melbourne, still has single friends his age and is living it up like he used to a few ye ars ago..
It is all down to the company you keep..
This is very true. The company often dictates the times to be had. I had a late marriage myself and found everyone around me was already settled with children.
Age doesnt matter too much. What matters is your current biology and health.
Like an obese 20 y.o who gets out of breath walking up the stairs, has high blood pressure and may die of a heart attack is not doing better than a 40 y.o who is fit healthy and not on the brink of death. As it stands the 40 y.o will live longer than the 20
So your biology matters more than your age, but, age does correlate with your biology so its helpful to keep track of it :)
Like if a women wants to have multiple children, she should track her age as after around 35 or so it gets harder to have children especially if she wanted many.
Love this! You are a super talented humourist @meesterboom Cannot wait to have a drink with you!
This one is ending with such a jolly good punch as if a breed of nostalgia and up-yours for them having-something-to-comment coworkers (the ones it the forties, I mean hahaha ):D
Thank you old chap! I can't wait till the day we can raise a glass too!
Well written! I love how your friends speaks haha
I found it helps to remove the correlation between fun and alcohol and just be as crazy as you can be without too much to drink. I carry yhat attitude in to work as well. As first I worried it would get me into trouble but its made me the most popular person in the office. I do what I do well and then I make sure every other moment is spent havin fun or relaxing. I am Valhalla!
You are Valhalla!!! :0D
You are right to remove that correlation, I do the same in work. Of course when I go out after I do like to bring it back in a little ;0)
Ah! It's you! I've been replying to you all over the place, I didn't notice you were part of adsactly, in fact, I'm still not sure what adsactly is
It is me!! I like to touch base with the comments but I don't overtly state I am the author.
For some info on adsactly I can recommend the series of posts by Adsactly entitled Adsactly on Adsactly :0) the first one is here the
Everyone dies from something right?
Exactly. Gotta love life while you can!
As a person in their early twenties, I often catch myself thinking about what my life will be like in 10, 20 or 30 years time. Will I be doing what society dictates I should do? or will I be stuck in an endless loop that consists of a routine with no excitement in life? I was wondering if anyone in the community was stuck in such a routine or mold and if anyone has broken out it. Some wise words for a youngster :)
Such wise words indeed! My advice would be to fight conformity and do what makes you happy (within reason of course!)
Never settle!
I think "fighting conformity" is an interesting battle. It seems like something you would fight against society, but for me it seems like a battle with myself. On more than one occasion it just required me to step outside of myself for a second to realise that its not so hard to pick a different route. Would you say the same?
I would say exactly the same, you put it very eloquently.
I remember being issued dire warnings like these when I was in my late twenties. The warnings were absolutely true and I have largely given up drinking and taken up crazy physical activities instead. Drinking is for kids but I am still growing older disgracefully if compared to my peers
As long as it's disgraceful that's what counts!
Parenting is a serious obligation, it minimizes your tendency to stay out doing one or all of those things you used to do before. It creates in an individual a sense of responsibility. Thanks for sharing this @adsactly
It is serious, it changes everything that once was
Amazing way of saying things. That is exactly the way I intend to spend my future. Surrounded by my best friends and just grab the moment. It`s never too late for a drink :D
You are dashed right, it is indeed never too late!
yes you may be right
but from beginning to ending in our lives what ever we do it creates our legacy and our memories which are passed to our next generations in the form of tomorrow
Hi, pleas vote me im new in steemit and i want to be good statman
in future 🙂
Plz check this out.
https://steemit.com/love/@lifeforwriting/battery-is-low-love-is-high
It's true @adsactly. Please visit my blog and see my post and follow me on Steemit. Thanks
hey there, Im 33 and I guess I could say I never tried to keep up with the youngsters, always been myself. well from the fact that I like to stay in my room and keep to myself. I have a daughter so going out can be a little difficult to do but to be honest I rather spend time with my daughter then spend a night out with the guys. time you miss with family you will never get back so spend as much time with them as possible and tell them what they mean to you. upvote if you agree.
Once your kids are grown you have become old to them. Enjoy them while they trust and love you. It is only a short time before they will consider NOT spending any time with you. They also forget everything you do for them.....And 33 is just a kid! Wait until you are 70 and don't recognize the old face that stares back from the mirror...
nice funny post
:0)
nice post.
Enjoy the now, worry about the consequences later. No-one told you you had to grow up. It definitely was not my choice
Plz check this out.
https://steemit.com/love/@lifeforwriting/battery-is-low-love-is-high
That's what's up.
Excellent content !
Plz check this out.
https://steemit.com/love/@lifeforwriting/battery-is-low-love-is-high
don't worry be happy!!!
A nice evaluation of life at different stages...a kind of true story and self evidient with each stages
Plz check this out.
https://steemit.com/love/@lifeforwriting/battery-is-low-love-is-high
good
A lot of people think and talk themselves into old age.
But I believe the soul is forever young and that's what I identify with.
Plz check this out.
https://steemit.com/love/@lifeforwriting/battery-is-low-love-is-high
A friend of mine died after drinking and driving on the road. The fun will be very tedious if no partying. But I hope we will know how to reject gracefully :))
great write up "At what age should we decide to grow old gracefully" the question is a food for thought
In my mid-thirties, working while Steemin, enjoying my bodyweight training more and more. Eating healthier, enjoying life, what can i say? It's a blessing to live this life! :)
Its really fun in reading this blog.
Muy buen post. Me vi refflejada en el, ya casi en los 50 y con ganas de rumbear siempre. Mis hijos ya grandes pero el trabajo agobia a veces. Saludos
As always very interesting post really enjoy reading your post it was well written thank you for sharing upvoted & resteem @mannyfig1956
Ha ha!...Long live the Vikings! :D
:0)
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That's a wonderful and sweet way at looking at aging and growing old. As someone who just turned thirty and is walking ever more steadily towards that foggy land that you think of as 'being old', it's refreshing to read a post like this that approaches recognizing one's age in such a human way.
The thought of growing old is a scary one.
This was a hilarious take on life. Take a bottle for the road. Life's too short to be spent moping around. I've seen people who refused to give up on life simply because they are a particular age where they are deemed "too old for that" or "responsible" or whatever tag they usually placed on the unwilling victim whose only crime was having quite some number of birthdays!
that write are alo good. continue to this write
I loved it
Great post. I’m new to steemit and I am all but clueless, but I’ve made my first post and I would love some feedback!!
I'm 36 and I stopped trying to keep up with the youngsters the day i found out I was gonna be a dad. The thought of doing anything to crazy seems more and more out of my possibilities everyday. I' much rather cuddle up on couch watching bubble guppies with the most beautiful girls in the world.
LOVE the ending! Such a good extremely true read! haha although I feel like this can also be true for people who mature earlier or have an old soul and would rather sit home and Netflix and snuggle with the pups and kids :) lol I am 26 and I value sleep as much as the next senior citizen haha
feel free to see who I am! I just joined steemit yesterday! :)
https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@chelseajo/just-a-small-town-girl-livin-in-steemit-world
There was a book by the same name authored by Irving Stone. I picked that book during my first year in the college. I could never finish that book. But I still remember those yellow pages stinking of fungus. I don't know how I stumbled upon this post of yours but that brought back old memories :)
There was a book by the same name authored by Irving Stone. I picked that book during my first year in the college. I could never finish that book. But I still remember those yellow pages stinking of fungus. I don't know how I stumbled upon this post of yours but that brought back old memories :)