You know you are getting old when:

[kaiser]

I'm not at that level, yet, but it's only been a year since I got stronger reading glasses and I'm already stretching my arm out to read things again. Sigh.

I am getting close to that stage I fear. I have gotten into a cycle of needing new glasses about every 12 to 18 months which is a real bummer. My eye doctor says that your eyes change a great deal between 50 and 60 years of age, so at 57 I still have a little way to go before things stabilize.

What was a real shock to me though was him telling me that I have the beginning of cataracs. He says that this condition is showing up earlier now as our exposure to sun light is more common. There might be something to that in my case as I was, and still am an active cyclist spending many hours per week in in the sun.

 

[vitanola]

You know you're getting old when you've got a box full of different eyeglass lenses that you swap back and forth in your frames to try and match up with whatever vision fluctuation is going on with your eyes this week.

I found my first pair of glasses, purchased a half century ago, and discovered that the prescription was essentially identical to that of my current pair (I am terribly myopic). Unfortunately, thee days it is " Glasses on--glasses off" for close work, and so now am forever mislaying my spectacles.

 

[Harp]

I was in the Army from 1967-1970. When Operation Desert Storm rolled around I was shocked at how young the lieutenants and buck sergeants looked. Now I see pictures from Iraq and Afghanistan and I'm shocked at how young the colonels and master sergeants look.

The US Army Special Forces Association journal, The Drop includes KIA obits/photos of recently fallen SF troops. Their youth is striking, even the E-7/8 deceased.

 

[2jakes]

I use my old prescription eyeglasses to look for my current eyeglasses when I
forget where I placed them. It’s very difficult & frustrating to search for things
without eyeglasses.

And I have a very sensitive gas stove with a special sensor.

The moment I step out of the kitchen, she senses this
and burns my toast.

The fridge is just the opposite.
When I want to drink a chill soda water, I place it in
the top freezer compartment. Sometimes I forget
and it ices up.
The fridge doesn’t mind,
he’s cool.

 

[GHT]

I'm not at that level, yet, but it's only been a year since I got stronger reading glasses and I'm already stretching my arm out to read things again. Sigh.

"How's the eyesight?" Asked my doctor, at a recent medical check. "The eyesight's fine doctor," I replied, adding, "the arms are a bit short though."

 

[scottyrocks]

I am getting close to that stage I fear. I have gotten into a cycle of needing new glasses about every 12 to 18 months which is a real bummer. My eye doctor says that your eyes change a great deal between 50 and 60 years of age, so at 57 I still have a little way to go before things stabilize.

What was a real shock to me though was him telling me that I have the beginning of cataracs. He says that this condition is showing up earlier now as our exposure to sun light is more common. There might be something to that in my case as I was, and still am an active cyclist spending many hours per week in in the sun.

I had a catarac years ago until it threw a rod.

 

[AmateisGal]

You know you're getting old when your 16-year-old daughter is on a mini-vacation with one of her friends, thus leaving you and the hubby with the whole house to themselves for three days, and what do you do on your Friday night? Go out to supper, grab a drink, get groceries, and are home by 8:30 p.m.

 

[Trenchfriend]

You know, that you are getting old, when you loved "King fo Queens", but, on getting older, you realize, that seemingly only the first three seasons were that great, with their special funny atmosphere and from the fourth season, it goes down.

 

[Fading Fast]

You know you're getting old when your 16-year-old daughter is on a mini-vacation with one of her friends, thus leaving you and the hubby with the whole house to themselves for three days, and what do you do on your Friday night? Go out to supper, grab a drink, get groceries, and are home by 8:30 p.m.

Sadly, on some nights, we actually get excited because we can get into bed early to...sleep. Yup, I'm not 17 anymore.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The kids at work are always complaining about being tired, and when I ask them when they went to bed they shrug and say "not that late -- 2, 230 AM."

If I don't get to bed before 11, I'm useless the next day. I warn them that this is their ultimate fate, so enjoy burning the candle at both ends while they can...

 

[Trenchfriend]

"not that late -- 2, 230 AM."

Our young generation...

10:00 PM > curfew, ZAPFENSTREICH!!

 

[Fading Fast]

The kids at work are always complaining about being tired, and when I ask them when they went to bed they shrug and say "not that late -- 2, 230 AM."

If I don't get to bed before 11, I'm useless the next day. I warn them that this is their ultimate fate, so enjoy burning the candle at both ends while they can...

And they should, as you said, when then can while they are young - why not, you can't bank an ability to not need more sleep while young to help you when you get older. You can't bank being able to eat anything when you are young and not being able to do so later. Youth should be enjoyed by the young as they are the only ones who can benefit from it.

 

[Touchofevil]

The kids at work are always complaining about being tired, and when I ask them when they went to bed they shrug and say "not that late -- 2, 230 AM."

If I don't get to bed before 11, I'm useless the next day. I warn them that this is their ultimate fate, so enjoy burning the candle at both ends while they can...

The kids at work ask "how do I have so much energy early in the morning." I tell them it's because I go to bed before 10:00 PM and I have already been up for a few hours. When asked why they are so tired, they respond that they just got up after going to bed between 2:00 and 4:00 AM. Many take long naps right after school. They keep vampire hours.

 

[green papaya]

both your parents have passed away and now your the senior person in the family, the head Honcho

 

[Zombie_61]

And they should, as you said, when then can while they are young - why not, you can't bank an ability to not need more sleep while young to help you when you get older. You can't bank being able to eat anything when you are young and not being able to do so later. Youth should be enjoyed by the young as they are the only ones who can benefit from it.

"Youth is the most beautiful thing in the world--and what a pity that it has to be wasted on children!"
Attributed to George Bernard Shaw

 

[GHT]

You know you're getting old when your 16-year-old daughter is on a mini-vacation with one of her friends, thus leaving you and the hubby with the whole house to themselves for three days, and what do you do on your Friday night? Go out to supper, grab a drink, get groceries, and are home by 8:30 p.m.

On the other hand, if you had dined out, gone on to see a show afterwards and then from there, went clubbing until the early hours of the morning, you would have probably been called a show off, or a more stinging remark like, "just how old are you?"
You can't win.

 

[LizzieMaine]

"Youth is the most beautiful thing in the world--and what a pity that it has to be wasted on children!"
Attributed to George Bernard Shaw

"I was young once, and I wasn't any good at it." -- Philip K. Fish.

 

[Fading Fast]

"I was young once, and I wasn't any good at it." -- Philip K. Fish.

I actively disliked being a child, loved the freedom of early adulthood, but still felt like I was just being bounced around by the world without much I could do about it. It wasn't until middle age that I gained a modicum of control over my life and understanding of what I couldn't control and how to manage through that.

So while youth offered some great times and, as we all know, our bodies had abilities and lack of challenges that we pine for now, I wouldn't go back to being a young adult or (even worse, I'd rather kill myself) a kid again for anything.

 

[scottyrocks]

The happiest young adults are those who have little to no clue. Ignorance is truly bliss.

 

[LizzieMaine]

You know you're getting old when you realize just how much you took for granted as a kid. There's days when I'd give anything to scootch down to pick something up off the floor without having to ask somebody to help me get back up.