Are you looking forward to growing old?
Are you looking forward to be classified as a senior citizen?
Are you looking forward to the day where you will be termed as ‘old man’, ‘old lady’, ‘grandpa’, ‘grandma’?
Are you really looking forward to the day where you will have dentures, a wheelchair, a walking stick, or not being able to drive?
Old people may be looked down upon but being old is a whole other life. Experienced, knowledgeable, informed, weak, strong are all characteristics that can be used to describe senior citizens. I am borderline gerascophobic – fear of growing old. I am thrilled when someone looks at me and says I look 19 or 18. Some make comments that I do not look my age – mu glad bag bursts with joy flowing over. I remember when I was in high school I would tell people I am 16 when I was really 18. They believed me because I actually look younger than my age.
With times changing and new developments every day I cannot begin to fathom living old. I am scared because if we are this advanced in 2010 I cannot think how sophisticated we will be in the next 50 years. For many young people fast food is the order of the day. We love the pizza, KFC, Subway etc the list goes on. For this year 2010 I promised myself that I would be eating out fast food style once per month. I have equaled my limit so far but trust me it will be hard. I hope I can maintain the once per month eat out quota I set for myself.
Have I made a realistic goal?
With busy schedules and work, people are forced to eat out but can we finance a constant fast food diet? My two favorite fast food outlets locally are KFC and Island Grill. With the recession and increase in prices the average meals these days are $6 US. I was speaking with a friend recently and he suggested that these fast food outlets should be added to the list of participating restaurants in our local restaurants week. Eating out is becoming a luxury especially in this recession.
If you are concerned with looking younger than your age and are health conscious a withdrawal from fast food could be your best alternative. Eating healthy home cooked meals should form part of your daily regime if you want to look and feel good in those latter years. The decisions we make today could affect our lifestyle later on in life and could reflect how fast you age.
Today we watch MTV, VH1 and listen to Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Jay Z, Rihanna, Taylor Swift etc. Entertainment changes drastically when you are old. No old person wants to hear ‘boom boom boom’ in their 70’s but we may find ourselves listening to more classical pieces and more news on television. Going to the movies could be a thing of the past as our eyes will be old. With all the computer time and employees fixated before screens at work, I am convined our generation will have more eye problems than our forefathers. You may want to limit surfing the internet and television viewing to save those eyes. Sometimes I wonder what the elderly do at home. Most times older folks are indoors talking to their spouse or relatives. In the next 50 years I hope more establishments geared towards entertaining the elderly will be developed. I think we will be living large – constantly going out. These places of entertainment will be extremely beneficial to our generation because we are constantly on the move, even now I am multitasking.
As we age, we should embrace the advances in technology and communications. Without a doubt my generation in the next 50 years will be more accepting to new developments understanding that we can afford it. Communication will not die but a greater emphasis will be placed on it. Can you believe Facebook and YouTube will be history – who knows Google may be gone? I hope I will be here to witness the changes, even to tweet about it. Come on Twitter is forever – that will never grow old.
Years ago, I started college and the course was slated to end in 2009. Back in 2004 I thought to myself “the world will end before I finish this course”. I thought 2009 was so far away but time flies. We are now in 2010. At the end of this month I will be seven years closer to thirty. I can’t believe I said that.
I am no longer scared of growing old I am scared I will not enjoy my old days. I want to enjoy it.
Growing old is good, getting all the grey hairs are a blessing. I’m seeing Obama grey and I know its stress!
I am beginning to think growing up isn’t all that bad, once I grow gracefully.
Well, Corve… I may not be looking forward to it, but it sure beats the alternative!
That’s so true.
Aw I love old people.
I love their skin – well I have felt my grandma’s.
I’m already there, sunny….totally grey, still good looking, mind sharp as a tack, not fat and can still get an erection.
You would be surprised what you can get away with when you are old…because they say “that cantankerous, crazy old man” and you can act crazy and get away with it.
They dismiss it as part of you being old, but in the meantime you can get away with saying outrageous things, that you otherwise would not have said 10 years ago without getting slapped.
lol Interesting take on being old Raulito. I hope I will enjoy my old age as it seems you are.
And don’t worry about your appearance…if you are as good looking as you are now, aging is not going to do anything but enhance your looks…and let me tell you Corve…you are one hot dude.
See what I mean by getting away with saying anything you want or feel?
Thanks Bro
interesting post…
Thanks Yoli
I am looking to grow old gracefully.
That’s the best way.
I’m not afraid of growing old, I’m afraid of not being healthy enough to enjoy it. Also I really do think that it is mostly in our minds. Our entire body replaces itself every 11 months…so how can degeneration of illness stay in our body….other than by our thoughts and attention given to the illness? Sorry to get all quantum physical(?) on you.
Now living in Spain I don’t eat any fast food whatsoever. After having a year off of it, while visiting London we ate Burger King and it made me feel lethargic and almost ill for 3 days. What I’ve always done while working and leading a busy life is to through healthy food in a crock pot and let it simmer all day. Chicken and sweet potatoes, or beef and rice, really anything you can think of. Then when you get home, you have a healthy meal all ready to go. Plus, leftovers for days! Good Luck!!
lololol so funny! My oldest sister is 32, and I’m 22. I love how she is always looking forward to the next age. always happy to age with grace. I wanna be that way, so far I have been :] I’m excited about 23… I feel like i will be a “grown lady” at that age.. its a sexy age to me lol. But I love being told “you look like youre about 18!” since I’m a dancer, I plan to always dance.. and I love swimming.. so both of those will keep me active. I dont ever plan to be a stiff old lady… if anything I’m gonna be a HOTMAMAAAAA heeeeyyy hahahaha
lol Vanisha
I guess people like being told we look younger instead of looking older. I know a few people who look older but I would never dare to tell em straight in the face.
Great article Corve…I sincerely admire your courage in sharing and facing your fears head on. I must admit that I, unlike you, still greatly fear both a.) swimming (!) and b.) growing old. This is such an ironic blog you wrote because my great-grandmother Captora actually turns 93 today (January 13th!) and, though she’s frail, she still goes out a lot and socializes and has a relatively active life. But I’m still afraid of growing old because my mother Lin died of cancer in middle age and my maternal grandmother Beryl died of Alzheimer’s Disease in older age which greatly traumatized me. She gradually lost the ability to remember basic things and in the end after my mom died, my grandmother got worse and I had to place her in a very expensive round-the-clock nursing care and then she needed to get a feeding tube and lost the ability to walk and talk coherently…it was horrible. And in the final 3 years of her life, she did not recognize me at all. So I definitely fear sickness and memory loss and independence. What’s also scary is that I’m single with no kids, no partner, no siblings, and the people who raised me (my mom & her parents) all have died of either cancer or Alzheimer’s so there’s no one to take care of me financially or physically if I fall ill today or in the future. I have my faith that God will take care of me as He has done in the past but I do admit I still fear what will happen to me and if there will come a day when my mind won’t be mine anymore…
To get over that hearing your doctor say you are healthy will be more comforting so maybe more visits for you.
Swimming is fun and easy – my head is tough so it will be easy for you.
I feel that growing old will be something awesome. I will be 24 in a couple months and I reflect and think about friends who’ve died before the age of 20 and I am thankful. I am already greying a little bit. I too think were technology will be and if I will even have an interest in blogging any more. I guess we’ll have to see what happens
I love your Haiti video on Youtube.
I know you will age well because you do look younger than 24 to me.
I will probably pluck out my grey hairs if any come before 50. lol
I will be blogging for life.
Thanks man. Hey It’s all the glory of God. Don’t pluck the greys 5 more will grow where you plucked one LOL. Blogging is my life
I was diagnosed, at age 8, with type 1 diabetes and the majority of my early years were spent hearing doctors and nurses telling me that I’d eventually lose my feet, lose the ability to control my bladder, go blind, have heard and kidney failure etc… Unfortunately, I was brainwashed into believing that the damage done to my body, via poor care, was cumulative and therefore, it was pointless because eventually those nightmarish things WOULD happen to me. So, I didn’t really ever consider myself reaching old age. Now that I’m a bit more mature and have some common sense, mixed with wisdom, I’m trying to take better care of myself and let me tell you, getting old never looked like more of a blessing, because some people just don’t even get that much.
I agree with you some people don’t get that much, but just the fact that you’ve grown and take care of yourself just touches my spirit
Tactical starvation.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/search/?keyword=calorie+restriction
Lots of evidence here. Not fun to do, of course, and you need to be careful. There’s a fine line between a disorder and an obsession.
Thanks,
I try to enjoy my life no matter what age. Each phase has brought me different types of fun life experiences to look back upon. My future, I wing it and parts are planned. I listen to every type of music and I always have. I prefer Rap, Hip Hop, R&B and Reggae. The love for my favorite music has never changed. My son and his friends think it’s cool that my husband and I know all the lyrics to tunes by Lil Wayne and Jay Z. That will not change. If you are a rapper with clever lyrics, I’m all over it.
Often, the hubby and I know the latest cuts before our teenage son and his friends. People are confused about my age because I act the way I feel. I do dress age appropriate in certain instances but at home and in summer, always my staple shorts, t shirts and slippers.
Live your life. Love your life. Tomorrow is NOT guaranteed. Dying is a part of life.
From the photos on your blog May your family will keep you young and fresh. I will pass you lol
If you pass me my friend, it’s because that brain of yours holds too much info and you might be too much of a deep thinker = )
Enjoy your youth! It only comes around once and screw what they say: enjoy your family, friends, music, dancing, partying, the beaches … how can it be possible to enjoy yourself too much??
it is possible to eat better and save money but you’ll have to give effort. eat fresh locally grown vegetables and cook. if you’re not that into cooking try using a steamer or crockpot. the trouble is people “think” they dont have time to cook. i have thought about starting a blog about cooking. giving easy recipes that are wholesome. i love to cook and since my son died i have been doing two things, blogging and cooking. probably time to do some working out as well. (smile)
this is strange, i dont get the set up on your blog. i havent seen comments like this before.
It is a weird theme. But It’s cool
All of a sudden I imagined myself in my eighties watching Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance video and oh man that was a funny thought. I’m afraid of the health problems that usually come with age, but being old means you’re still not dead.
I think growing old gracefully is a blessing. I am less than three years from 50, and can only hope that we develop medical advances that make another 50 possible.
Well….if you are able to talk and move when you are older, I think you will have a big smile on your face! Staying healthy and staying with a positive attitude in life helps…in my opinion. I am not afraid of the futre. For all I know, I may only have today. So, I am going to make it my best day….and just keep singing that same old sone…everyday! Thanks for stopping in and saying hi. Do not be a stranger!
Nice blog you have here! 
Sorry about the typing errors…I am tired and old! ROFLMAO
Sitting here only 4 months from 30, I hear you. I have no problems with it. In fact, I love calming down, taking it slower and generally just growing up!
I’m 3 years to 40. I’m getting older but better. Life if just beginning! woo to the haa!
Geez Corve, you nearly got me all depressed. If you are healthy and not in any pain, age should be of no consequence. Party in your pants for as long as you can. It doesn’t seem to have hurt Hefner any
Actually, the day I went from being a pervert to being a dirty old man. I celebrated by flashing two nuns on south Broadway. They chased me for six blocks. Best exercise I had in over three years.
I’ve tried to eat less fast food as well but couldnt avoid the temptations…good luck to you!! growing old is mandatory for the physical but not for the heart..always stay young…
You can avoid the fast food, take an alternative or don’t look in their direction. lol
I found aging easier to digest after finishing undergraduate school. In school, I was surrounded by my peers, but after entering the working world, many of my friends were older than me. Glad you feel more comfortable getting older–I feel already old.
I must agree with you. In school while studying I always wanted to get younger….since leaving I know I must grow up and have become more accepting to these thoughts.
Corve, Im absolutely terrified of growing old. I joke with friends about looking forward to becoming a cynic, sarcastic, old man that grabs asses and gets away with because he’s elderly but noestly it terrifies me. I’m happy you’re past it but its going to take a village of prayers for me!
Why do you want to get away with grabbing asses? lol Hopefully you will become shy.
Age is just a number. I know a great many old people who live like teenagers and a great many teenagers that live like old people.
Hey Corve;
I turned 60 last October (gasp!!!). But don’t feel a day over … well … 59! (KIDDING) Much like you, I’ve always appeared to be much younger. Keep in mind that appearing youthful is not always staving off graying hair, and wrinkles. Much of a youthful appearance is in one’s manerisms, the way a person carries themself. When a person is happy and pleased with his/her life and looks, it really helps to present a youthful appearance. Thanks for your friendship!
I always told myself that I would not complain about growing old. It beats the alternative.
BTW, thanks for the follow. I couldn’t find a google friend connect gadget to return the follow, so I followed your twitter account. I am @Opus_6 on Twitter.
I really do look forward to the benefits of aging, but I dont look forward to the ultimate ending. The ending scares me.
Great post Corve
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Sometimes I wonder how it will be our world in 20 years for example.
Now I have 24 years old and I enjoy living every moment. I thanked at my old age too cause it will make part of my life. I will be glad to look like a grandma someday with white hair and eye glasses on my nose, etc
Also I think that when I will have 80 years old maybe I will try to listen Lady Gaga’s songs with my old ears cause is from my generation this
Have a wonderful time and see ya!
I’m not afraid of getting old. I’m just praying that I will be healthy enough to enjoy life to the fullest extent.
I fear turning old age but somehow I think I can’t escape it. Do you still like the same things you did 5 ot 10 years ago. Just keep your mind sharp, workout when you can and try to eat health, laugh too.
Absolutely donate, but stick to established charities. Within two days of the quake, I received my first scam email. Despicable.
love this post! well done…in an age where it’s become a badge of honor to age gracefully and not show the lines, it’s nice to see someone appreciate the aging process. it reminds me of a quote i try to live by…”we suffer when we resist our fate” we are all fated to age…it’s how we do it that sets us apart. Thanks again Corve!
Lately I’ve been starting to realize how old I feel… (33) . Now that my daughter is four and I’m talking to her about my own childhood experiences I can’t believe how much society has changed in such a short space of time. Children are rarely playing in the neighborhood, technology dominates everything, etc Is it really that I’m old? Or that society has changed so much recently that people think lots of time has elapsed?! I’m hoping it’s the latter!
Hey…do you know what is 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, ….etc? It’s Bo Derek growing old…lol.
LOL my advice is don’t think of it as getting old, but rather as getting better. Like cognac or wine (ok or cheese) the taste of each of those improve over time.
That’s the quick and easy way to look at getting better, but there’s another way too. Really living takes skills. There are some who are better at it than others. For example, if you have to kids who grew up on the same street, 1 becomes a doctor, the other is in prison for drug trafficking. I’d say the one that became a doctor had better skills at living.
The more time that passes the better a person gets at developing those skills. The way you make decisions about your life aren’t very likely to be the same as you did when you were 6, right? Over time you developed better living skills
All that to say there’s nothing to fear about getting older, all in all every additional day you live is a blessing, and no body should fear a blessing.