How did you know you were officially old? Me, i hate

[applegrove]

winter and walking outside on the sidewalks. I'm terrified of falling. I'm not yet 60 but not that sturdy. Started a few years ago and there is no snow in Ottawa yet but am dreading it.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

1. I turned 77 Monday

I feel ancient. I went out to do a nice fast paced walk because I turned 77. It went well enough. But today I feel the aches and pains of the experience

My advice - wear good walking shoes when you're out and about. And maybe bring a stylish cane for security.

[niyad]

55. Belated Happy Birthday to you. Sorry about that sucky gift the country

gave you.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

68. I'll always treasure the gift I got 11/4/08

[Brother Buzz]

2. When I walked around all day with my fly open....

and nobody said anything. It’s kinda cool to be invisible.

[Ever-Green]

26. LOL

that's me, luckily only around the house......so far.

[multigraincracker]

53. I'd be lost without my wife.

Now she just looks down there and I get it.

[enid602]

3. Old

When I started to pee and fart at the same time.

[LuckyCharms]

4. LMAO

[WestMichRad]

10. Oh, I mastered that long ago.

One of my few talents, I suppose!

[Faux pas]

61. Lol

how talented

[duncang]

5. When you

Get up in stages. Hand on table or something else. Straighten up legs. Slowly straighten up back. Start walking slowly until you loosen up.

[Ocelot II]

47. Ha, that's me! I have to sort of unroll when I get up in the morning.

[Niagara]

6. When songs like Paradise City and Wild Side are played on the "oldies" station

I also know what the terms film roll, 1 hour photo, negatives and flash cubes are.



Also, I refuse to scan the QR code for any reason.

[applegrove]

7. Oh I hate QR codes. I've never made them work.

Went to a restaurant onetime and they didn't have menus. Just a QR code.

[Niagara]

8. ...

[The Wandering Harper]

20. lol yes!

as in, I agree

[Niagara]

21. 😁

[multigraincracker]

54. The only way I can order food is at the drive through.

[keithbvadu2]

37. You know you're getting old when the rebellious songs of your youth are being played on the elevator... on the pan flute

[Figarosmom]

39. Or Zeppelin

At the grocery store

[Tadpole Raisin]

52. How about the first time you're called ma'am at the grocery store instead of miss?

Damn bag boy got the evil eye.

It’s always bothered me that the formalities for women defined age and marital status:
Miss, Ms, Mrs, ma’am

Whereas men: Mr.

Sigh…

[yellowdogintexas]

69. I live in the South. Ma'am is deeply ingrained, especially if speaking to someone more than

20 years your senior.

[Faux pas]

62. Lol

[Harker]

9. When my wife's son's girlfriend said I reminded of her grandpa before he went crazy.

At least it was before.

[Ysabel]

16. Oh scoff those young'uns can be so rude!

where is my old (no no, it's new brand new and shiney) battle-axe !?!

[Harker]

23. This was a couple of days after we met.

She puts it right out there!

[Faux pas]

63. Lol

sorry that would be a blow

[Harker]

66. I laughed, too.

She has a good delivery.

[Faux pas]

67. That's great

it is all in the delivery

[hvn_nbr_2]

11. When young women started holding doors for me. (I'm a man.) nt

[Ysabel]

17. ah ha ha ha (cackle) I love it...

I do that too and I'm a little old lady (very little 5 ft. one)...

[Iggo]

12. Dropped an actual paper ass dollar on the ground and thought, "Well that's a shame," and continued on my way.

I had been “getting old” for a while.

But when that happened, I knew I’d arrived.

[Ysabel]

18. haha!

I don't pick things up so often anymore either...

[dweller]

30. I'd be on my knees

to scoff it up , crawl to a car if needed to stand again

Luckily I don’t carry cash any longer

✌🏻

[Faux pas]

64. ...

[Hangingon]

13. I turned 82 last January and have come to terms with my status

Mastering new stuff like QR codes and internet security is just something you have to do to live. I think the big crash will come in a few years when I cannot drive.

[Aristus]

14. When I referred to someone as a 'fine young man' once, unironically.

It was such a grandfatherly thing to say.

[Ysabel]

15. I'm not sure that I'm old yet...

A lot of the time I feel like I'm still five years old and the world is still so full of wonder and I'm so curious to learn about it all - just barely starting to...

But other times I worry about dying -- no no -- too soon too soon!

Btw, do you like living in Ottawa?

Does it get very humid there? How cold does it get? Are there any mountains there that block the arctic winds coming from the west? Are the schools good? Is there a good university there and if so how does it affect the city overall? Are there lots of trees there? Is there a large body of water nearby? Is it fairly liberal? What's the cost of living like? Are people there friendly?

Okay, enough questions already!

[applegrove]

22. Ottawa is a beautiful city. The weather is pretty good except the winters,

Last edited Fri Nov 8, 2024, 08:26 PM - Edit history (1)

that are milder because of global climate change but still slippery, and the summers that can now be stinky hot because of global climate change. It is so upsetting and it is not us in central Canada who are going to suffer the worst consequences it is the poor parts of the world that will. Ottawa is in a valley. Ottawa borders on Quebec so 1/3 of the metropolitan area speaks french. Lots of federal money to beautify the city with parklands, tulip festivals, bike paths and all manner of outdoor activities in winter and summer. Great cottage country surrounds the city. Lakes everywhere. Ottawa is on a big river. Rolling hills just outside the city that are spectacular in the fall. Pretty liberal. Pretty educated. Nice mix of cultures. Good schools. Good universities. People are pretty nice except for a cult that targeted me. So I lay low. There are criminals in even the most decent of places, I guess. Mostly good eggs here. The other bad thing is that the Conservatives may win the next election and will try and social engineer us away from liberalism because they are ***holes. Great restaurants. We have 6 weeks of stinky hot weather and 20 days of minus 20 F. Great place to raise a family.

[Ysabel]

24. Ah! Thanks...

That seems pretty good (I hope the conservatives don't flip the politics / policies). I didn't know it was so close to Quebec. I've been wanting to visit Quebec some day (for our honeymoon which we haven't ever gotten around to maybe it'll have to be for our 35th anniversary). Then maybe we can check out Ottawa too...

Oh yeah and I'm 65 going on 66 real soon and we will have our 35th anniversary in 2026 (maybe we won't be able to go travelling until five or six years from now when my husband retires)...

[applegrove]

25. Quebec is lovely too. Great, great food in Montreal and Quebec City.

[MerrilyMerrily]

42. Ottawa is wonderful

Montreal too, except for that little quirk drivers have of forming three lanes out of two during rush hour. Oh, and laying on the horn to let drivers with a green light know they have to slam on the brakes to let the horn-blower through on red!

I lived in Ottawa for two years (for school) and in Montreal for nine years (for work). Montreal is beautiful, but I was a lot more comfortable and peaceful walking along the Rideau canal, marveling at the tulips, and pretty much walking anywhere in four square miles without feeling the need to be on alert for bad actors. I grew up in Minnesota and I enjoyed the milder winters in both places.

[applegrove]

46. I lived in Montreal. Once in 1991 or so. Once in 2004-2006.

Last edited Sat Nov 9, 2024, 03:28 PM - Edit history (1)

The city got much more diverse in that time. I enjoyed riding the subway to see all the diversity and young lovers' physical demonstration of affection. Great city Montreal.

[The Wandering Harper]

19. I have no fackin clue what anyone under 30 is talking about anymore lol

[Diamond_Dog]

31. That's so true for me, as well

I have to ask my sons WTH are they talking about!

[Basso8vb]

27. When my knees started to hurt all the time.

All those years marching and carrying a tuba on my shoulder did my body no favors!

[Bristlecone]

28. F'ing AARP Mailers. It's like a punch in the gut.

They send me more birthday mail than my relatives. And right on time, every time!

🙃

[AloeVera]

29. When other women started smiling at me instead of giving me the side-eye.

Sadly. But it's nice too.

[CanonRay]

32. Yesterday

I ordered hearing aids

[LoisB]

33. When the words "like" (used as a filler) and "bro" (which is not a word) make you want to throw something.

[sky_masterson]

34. I don't know what a Post Malone Or a Chappell Roan is

I remember way back in the early 2000's when Republicans hated Russia and Putin. Its ferTrue!!

[rsdsharp]

35. I was in the hospital, in the ICU, for a week in 2020 (no, not covid).

After about 3 days, one of the nurses asked me how long my wife and I had been married. When I said, “40 years,” her response was “Awwwww.”

I hadn’t seemed that long until right then. It will be 45 years in 9 more days.

[applegrove]

36. Awwwww!

[oldsoldierfadingfast]

38. Old is a state of mind...

My body is an 84.5 yo, always aching in one spot or another, 79# walking pathology book. However, inside my head, I am still only 21, fairly tall and somewhat pudgy. Since I have always been an absent-minded day-dreamer, nobody notices how forgetful I have become. (And, I admit that I learned to walk by mirrors without looking at myself a good while back.)

[Figarosmom]

40. When im walking around the house and my knees hurt and my back hurts so im walking kinda

Bent over and slowly.But when im out in public I walk without hurting and stoop down to get things on lower shelves and my knees don't give out. Makes me wonder about the power of our minds.

[OldBaldy1701E]

41. When cops started looking like ten year olds in uniform. (n/t)

[applegrove]

45. I once worked in a hotel gift shop when I was in

my late thirties. The hockey player would come in from the pre NHL teams and I thought they were babies - too young to be all roughed up and playing in such a tough sport. Then the fighter pilots would come in and I had the same reaction. They were too young. I realized then I was getting on in age.

[Ferrets are Cool]

43. When your mind says "Yeah, I can do that" and your body says "you must be joking".

My reflexes let me down all the time. It was the first thing that let me know that I was getting old.

[mnhtnbb]

50. OMG that happened to me!

I was on a Mediterranean cruise in 2019. Signed up for a kayaking excursion on Ibiza. Went to get in the kayak from the dock and my knees/hips would not let me do it! I was mortified, to say the least. Despite having two joint replacements --one hip and one knee--I hadn't experienced that sort of limitation and I was always very flexible and athletic all my life. I didn't kayak regularly, but I wasn't a novice. Just hadn't been in one for quite some time.
Boy, did I feel like an old lady.
Later that year I would have the second hip replaced.

[justaprogressive]

44. You need Ice Bug studded shoes!

My (elderly) wife has not slipped once since I got them for her.

https://icebug.com/

A bit pricey but you can pick them up used...

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=studded+icebug+shoes&_sacat=3034&LH_PrefLoc=1&rt=nc&_oaa=1&_dcat=3034

[Ocelot II]

48. I have a pair of those, they are literally life-savers in this climate.

[Xavier Breath]

49. It was a few years back when I walked into our Barnes & Noble

which should have been my first clue , and asked if they had any books about shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. Standing there, waiting for the 19-year-old clerk to look it up and repeating my question to myself, I suddenly felt quite old.

And, they did have a few

[Ilikepurple]

51. First case of shingles this week. I got the hint.

[TommieMommy]

56. My a/c set at 78 and arthritis issues. The rusty years have arrived

[multigraincracker]

57. Depends.

Not there get, but won’t be long.
I’m
Lucky, 75 and no real pain. I jog or at least walk for at least an hour 5 or 6 days a week. Average about 5K steps a day. I always get up and move at least every half hour I’m addicted to reading labels on everything I eat. All that seems to be working for me. Don’t feel a day over 65. 😀

[multigraincracker]

58. Oh yah, I forgot.

I don’t ask anyone if they know what time it is. I ask what day it is.

[Mime]

59. Winter icy walking

NEOS overshoes are great for winter. You can use with your regular walking or running shoes.
No problem if you wear orthotics or afo braces etc. poles or canes are helpful too with winter navigation.

[Faux pas]

60. Not being able to

take care of myself. Getting a preview of that right now in a "skilled nursing facility" for hip replacement rehab. We ain't got fun.

[Doodley]

65. I knew I was old when somebody told me I didn't need chisel and hammer to use a tablet.

[LudwigPastorius]

81. When you were a kid, was the Dead Sea just sick?

[yellowdogintexas]

70. when all my medical professionals were younger than I am. nt

[applegrove]

73. I once went to a new dentist. The hygenist came in and started asking me questions. Turned out she was my

dentist and I was an ageist, sexist fool.

[steve2470]

71. officially old ? When I turned 60

From what I can tell from the literature, one is regarded as "young old" in the USA at age 60.

Physically old ? A few years ago when I tried to keep up with my young son

Mentally old ? Oh, it's very slowly creeping on me LOL

[catbyte]

72. The first time a sales clerk called me "Ma'am."

[KitFox]

74. KitFox

Lots of laughs and oh so relatable in these posts!! A first “You are officially old when”for me was when the children in my class used the gray crayon or marker to color my hair when drawing a picture of me. Most recently, when going through airport security, the agent looked at my ID and told me I no longer had to remove my shoes and sent me to a line that didn’t need to go through the full body scanner.

[frogmarch]

75. I knew I was old when

some people, mainly wait staff in restaurants and store clerks started calling me "dear" or "sweetie."

I hate being called that.

[applegrove]

77. Sweetie was a nickname i got a lot in Kingston, Ontario.

I loved being called that. I never thought it was a nickname because I was getting older. I will have to reasses. My hair was partially Grey at the time.

[BootinUp]

76. Sorry to hear you are struggling with outside walks.

I am a few years older, still have a full time job and am trying to do more excercise. I have recently started 35 to 40 minute walks at my lunch hour, have radically changed my eating habits, and after 2 months I have sore feet. I am sure there are benefits but all I can think about is the sore feet. Apparently it is the swelling that is doing the damage. I try to use aspirin to deal with swelling and am also trying some CBD pain relief cream on my feet. When I get out there and start walking I probably get too aggressive. Sigh.

[dchill]

78. Getting in and out of a car. The end.

[Golden Raisin]

79. Recently turned 75. Now have to hold on to the banister and

maneuver very slowly/gingerly up and down the NYC subway steps I used to RUN up and down. At least I can still ride the subway. Ice underfoot in Winter now sort of the same dicey deal as the subway. Have MANY more coot-related physical/mental glitches, large and small, but as they say, "It beats the alternative!"

[LudwigPastorius]

80. For me, it was my first colonoscopy.

...followed by no longer being able to put on underwear while standing up.