View Full Version : 55 very soon
SO if you have been there or are there offer some advice or observations or even a Just get over it.
55 years old in in the headlights and coming very fast. I am active, I run, bike walk. I am very lucky for the ability to do things. I am grateful for my health. having said that: In the the last two year I have noticed all those aging things that happen to a body, that I can not combat anymore. All the creams and potions in the world are not going to make my knees or any other part look 30 again. I do not even try or waste my money on any of them, though did at 40. But my body has changed greatly. I actually have aches, but I don't really tell anyone as that may seem like weakness to me. My shoulders ache, my fingers hurt sometimes, my knee....Oh goodness. Weight I have what is not a lot to many, but for me it seems horrid 4-5 pounds that seems to stick. I tell myself that spring will melt it off, but I really don't believe that. I have maintained the weight I was at 20 through two kids and life. I read where that is the normal weight gain for this time of life for women. My attitude on how I dress has changed 80 %, I have been struggling with clothing for a few years as I never wanted to be that old lady who still looked like she was living her glory days. Yet I say to myself oh Heck these new stretch top jeans are pretty comfy. Oh the list goes on. Bottom line is I actually can't believe this is me, this is old age. Besides forums, I have never told anyone my feeling or thoughts on this phase of life.
When did you accept that your body changed, did you have any issues accepting it?
I hope and plan on riding my bike as long as I can, running or walking distances that would make me one of those 80 year olds that people say WOW about. As I do when I see them on the trail, Y or event!
Williamsmith
1-16-16, 6:32am
My response may not be the perspective you are looking for because I am male. But I am 56. There is a natural progression toward taking longer to heal, adding and keeping a few extra pounds coming out of winter into spring and taking longer to get back to summer weight. Looking in the mirror seeing the effects of gravity. You can make fewer mistakes with your diet and keep balanced.
I used to run. I really enjoyed the rush and the exchange of air and expansion of lungs. My knees do not allow it anymore. So I walk. I see things I did not see when I ran. I walk three to four miles and am satisfied. Of course, injury is always a mistake away. I hurt my back. A couple herniated discs. Now I walk slower and shorter distances. I see things and think of things I didn't when I walked faster.
So with my injury came adjustments. I read much more, I practice the guitar, and I sharpen my cooking skills. I take my time doing just everyday things and I see things and learn things I hadn't seen or learned in 56 years. I know myself better now. I plan more accurately. I look at nature and see examples of aging and understand how truly natural and beautiful it can be to accept and make adjustments.
And I look at the past with a smile and the future with excitement. Of course, there are disappointments along the way. But in all, I am very happy to interact with life and it's changes and accept how boring it would be to remain the same forever.
Crazy response. Just the way I'm feeling about it.
Great post, ctg492! I am looking at 55 this year too, and it has been a bit of a struggle to accept some of the changes that are occurring for me. Compounded a little bit by the wintertime blues, I suspect, because as I have written before, I am dealing with, at this point, chronic aches and pains in most parts of my body, but mostly my knees and feet. I haven't bounced back from my foot injury last summer to the level I had been before, and that is bothering me. But still, I soldier on and try to get in my exercise. I may need to modify what I do to accommodate this new reality, and that is a little hard mentally. In my mind I think I am much younger!
I feel like I "should" still be physically capable of things I have always done, but the wear and tear of being a competitive figure skater in my youth and continuing to jump and spin well into my thirties is showing up and not going away. Couple that with a job that requires me to be on my feet 8 hours a day on a concrete floor with constant movement, and yeah, I am certainly feeling it. It does effect my outlook on life right now, as I really need to think about what sort of job I can work at that doesn't cost me so dearly in pain and fatigue. And I really, really hate job hunting...especially at this age.
Other than that, I like getting older in a lot of ways! I honor my beliefs more and am more outspoken, and won't put up with stuff that wastes my time and energy. I've finally come to accept my introverted nature. I am also much less rigid in my thinking and doing. I am really trying to practice acceptance on many levels, and to revel in peacefulness. I am trying to practice the notion of slowing down and savoring just being "present" in everything I do and to stop my racing mind from spinning out of control.
On an appearance level, I am pretty happy with things - when I started at Wholefoods four years ago within three months I had dropped 18 lbs, and was at the weight I was when I had my daughter 23 years ago. I realize now that some people in my life thought I was going anorexic (it was due to the increased physical activity). I have gained about 10 lbs since then and I think I look healthy instead of scrawny; I do have to tone down some of the snacking I do, but my body feels comfortable and my clothes fit nicely. I am pleased with my dreadlocks still (almost two years into this project) and I get complements all the time about my hair, even as it is greying quickly. I just want to be that fierce-looking, hip old lady who dresses interestingly but not trying to look like I am in my twenties. I pretty much stick to jeans, T's and boots anyway!
My only wish is to find some "magic" elixer to take away the pain and stiffness I battle every single day now...right now I am trying glucosamine. So far it is too soon to tell if it is helping. So here's to 55, I say EMBRACE IT! BRING IT ON!
When I worry about my current physical shape (took a few backsteps this last year with more ankle problems), I watch an Iron Nun video, there are several available on youtube. She is so inspiring though she didn't start running until she was 47. It's just such a good example of "anyone can do anything, no matter how old or how out of shape". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCMDOFlBC18
I turn 49 next month. I'm planning to be a runner again by 50. Really wish our Y had a pool, the swimming and water workouts really help take the pressure of joints, broken/healed bones, etc. Now that gas prices are lower maybe I should consider joining the Y that is 30 miles away just to do the pool a couple times a week.
catherine
1-16-16, 11:09am
I'm 63, and I've always been pretty healthy and I'm still healthy. I still am pretty energetic (at least between the hours of 6am and 10pm--don't ask me to go to any midnight shows!). I'm also a walker and I do sporadic yoga and I try to do some resistance training for strength in the way of yoga poses like planks.
I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be able to ride your bike for the next 30 years if you want to. Sounds like you're headed in that direction.
My biggest disappointment about getting older is looking older. I know what people mean when they say "I feel younger than I look," and that's so true for me. I had a woman at the bank speak to me like a child when they converted to a digital deposit system, and I had to say to her, "Hey, I'm a lot more tech-savvy than I look." I hate the patronizing attitudes of the young, like when they call me "young lady." There was a woman behind me on the plane as I was lifting my suitcase up to the overhead compartment, and she said, "Whoa! Muscles!" as if she were surprised I could stand up straight.
Next week I'm doing virtual interviews, and I always use my computer while interviewing, but in this case, it's a Skype-type method, where the respondent and I will be able to see each other and I'm dreading having to look at my image for the whole 45-minute interview. I told my client that I was charging her more for having to get up an hour early and do my hair and make-up. I was just kidding of course, but I am going to pay special attention to the lighting in my office. That sucks.
So the physical stuff I'm great with. I'm very happy I've dodged the pharmaceutical bullet for as long as I have. It's the vanity stuff I don't like, but I'm also not the type to invest money in trying to swim upstream. Maybe by the time I'm 70 I'll have accepted it.
What great responses all, thank you. I know I am not alone thank goodness and that makes me feel better. It so so strange how everyone ages so differently. I feel so young, knowing full well I am not. Then I see a peer of the same age and they remind me of my grandmother 40 years ago. I have a neighbor who is 71 and I would never guess or think that age from her dress, hair, attitude and activity. Perhaps this is from good genes. Another neighbor is mid 60's and everything is the opposite other then they are both wonderful people.
I lost two years of my life I say and when I regained my life and looked in the mirror, Oh My look what happened! I know health and happiness are really the important things in life.
If it's any consolation, I did not like being 55 either. However...now that I am past all the hormonal, menopausal stuff, this is probably the best I have ever felt in my life. At 61, I have crazy energy that scares me sometimes - (perhaps my thyroid needs to checked) and any stiffness goes away once I get up and move around. I don't take vitamins or any medications. I am retiring in two weeks and can't wait to see what the next decade is like. I hope they will be the best years yet. The hard part for me is the vanity thing. It's all gradual though so my acceptance of it will have to be the same. I was looking for new hairstyle ideas recently. The web is full of "mature" celebrity hairstyle photos. It occurred to me that those who have had a lot of work done look unnatural and creepy rather than "young".
Teacher Terry
1-16-16, 2:31pm
I hated being 55 because before then I looked way younger then I was and all of a sudden I did not. Now at 61 I have accepted it. I had a ton of aches and pains at 55 and felt like I was 80. Then someone told me I probably had a vitamin D deficiency and I started the supplement and they all went away. I have a friend that at 40 was having all the aches and she texted me recently that after 2 weeks of vitamin D they all went away so I would try it. I did get a new haircut about 3 years ago that really helped and I love it. I still dye my hair because I want to. I walk every day but I am more careful now because I have taken 2 bad falls in past 1 1/2 years. I had a concussion in one -tripped on a very uneven sidewalk and I was walking very fast and feel on uneven ground in rain and cracked some ribs. So now I walk slower and much more careful but I still exercise. I have just decided that I have to accept the inevitable. My Mom used to say that she felt 40 inside and then she would see herself in a mirror and for an instant think "Who is that old lady?" I can finally relate.
I kinda think of it as the opposite of the excitement of those wonderful growing up years;)
I hated being 55 because before then I looked way younger then I was and all of a sudden I did not. Now at 61 I have accepted it. I had a ton of aches and pains at 55 and felt like I was 80. Then someone told me I probably had a vitamin D deficiency and I started the supplement and they all went away. I have a friend that at 40 was having all the aches and she texted me recently that after 2 weeks of vitamin D they all went away so I would try it. I did get a new haircut about 3 years ago that really helped and I love it. I still dye my hair because I want to. I walk every day but I am more careful now because I have taken 2 bad falls in past 1 1/2 years. I had a concussion in one -tripped on a very uneven sidewalk and I was walking very fast and feel on uneven ground in rain and cracked some ribs. So now I walk slower and much more careful but I still exercise. I have just decided that I have to accept the inevitable. My Mom used to say that she felt 40 inside and then she would see herself in a mirror and for an instant think "Who is that old lady?" I can finally relate.
Interesting about the Vitamin D. I started taking supplements a few months ago. I didn't have too many aches then, but I took it more for the supposed cognitive benefits: I was having fuzzy thinking and read that it could be related to VitD deficiency. I definitely have NO aches and pains now, so maybe it did help that, too.
Like you, TeacherTerry, I also felt that I looked older relatively quickly. I was looking at photos of myself from just a few years ago, and I feel I looked a lot younger, and my opinion--take it or leave it--is that when estrogen levels drop, it's like walking through a door--younger one day, older the next. A lot of the women I know who just have a younger aura about them are on HRT. But I'm not interested in messing with my hormones.
I'm turning 53 this year. Male. Involved in physically-demanding work (the sort where they check my vitals every 30-60 minutes...).
I'm still big, strong, relatively fast, and capable of doing the work. But, I have to pace myself, and ration my heroic efforts, because I pay for it the next few days if I overdo it. I have to work with more cleverness and forethought, and not just charge in. I also deliberately hand off some tasks to younger guys who can heal faster or are less prone to injury in the first place.
A joint or tendon injury/strain can take me out of commission for many days/weeks longer than it did when I was younger, so I do my best to reduce my exposure to such things.
I am instructed by the experience of my dear mother, who was an insane distance runner in her 30s. When she was in her 60s, she had to have both knees replaced, there was nothing left. I'm trying to avoid that outcome by being stingy about damage.
Interestingly, I find I can produce more work output over time than the younger folks, because they over-heroic it, get tired early, and burn themselves out. My captain is a woman who is about 5 years older than I am, who can work most of us into the ground slowly-but-surely - then again her other job is "logger", and she has 6 kids as well that she's raised, and a zillion grandkids. Inspirational.
Teacher Terry
1-16-16, 2:57pm
Catherine, I never thought about the lack of estrogen being the culprit. I suffered thru horrible hot flashes, etc in menopause but didn't take the drugs because they left my Mom on them for over 20 years and she ended up with 3 different types of cancer starting with the breast.
Gardenarian
1-16-16, 5:16pm
Ignore the numbers, on the scale and on the calendar.
I tried I put the scale god away for one month, then returned her to her spot on the floor. I could not part ways with the beast that has been such a part in my life since I was 14>:(
I am 49, really feeling it. I have had to realize there are things I can affect and some thing that I really can't.Exercise is what it is, a couple times a year I get a cold or setback and the asthma rears and i struggle to get back. I am not sure I will be a runner again in this lifetime. However I still meditate on the floor. I love being able to do that and I think it is from 30 years of doing that. I am not pushing it, it just works while my lungs often don't. My belly is another thing I had to let got of, between some hormonal weight gain and losing some muscle tone I realize I am not going back. I went back to sewing more of my own clothes so that I am not buying super baggy just for the waist.
Meanwhile I don't look my age even with the gray/silver hair. I have that in my genes plus I think that sitting down and totally relaxing my muscles including facial ones has got to have an effect.
I don't mind being 60 most of the time because my life is so easy and relaxed. But I don't like it when people near my own age start to die. I looked at David Bowie and Alan Rickman and thought, what - I might only have 9 more years left??? (or less). That part of getting older I don't like.
In my 40's and 50's I used to look back at my old photos when I was gloriously lovely and try to re-capture that look. Of course I failed and it seemed dismal. But when I got to my late 50's I realized that time is past. I could no longer look like that woman than I could fly to the moon.
I remember reading in Tuesdays with Morrie something like this. (badly paraphrased) - If I look back longingly at my 30's and wish to be there, I will miss where I am. There is something important and special about each age and we need to experience it just as we are. Also, it is someone else's turn to be 30.
That affected me.
But when I got to my late 50's I realized that time is past. I could no longer look like that woman than I could fly to the moon.
In 2007, I was 55. I bought my Prius that May, and my son took me to pick it up. The salesman thought my son was my husband. Around that time, DH and I met a guy at a restaurant who thought my husband was my father. One of my colleagues thought I had remarried a guy with 4 teenage kids because I looked too young for them to be mine. I think that's why I'm still a bit shell shocked about how I look now. I have no doubt that those days are past.
Williamsmith
1-17-16, 4:20am
I just attended a retirement party for four of my friends. It a little scary looking around and first of all seeing how young new recruits are. One was born seven years after my enlistment date. Second of all how many peers have died. Illness and debilitation seems to be like a time release capsule which takes its toll on people differently. Some are handling retirement well, others are struggling. While exercise and right eating seem to be helpful it is not the only factor to longevity. Genetics seem to play a role as well as stressors. There are very few of us that make it past 70. Just the way it is after all those years of sleep deprivation, poor diet, drinking and stressful situations. Heart disease, blood pressure issues, alcoholism, cancer and all manner of disease are on the horizon in the 60 s. So I approach life one day at a time and I don't look in the mirror while I brush my teeth anymore.
lessisbest
1-17-16, 6:46am
As Alfred E. Newman would say, "What, me worry?" I'm pragmatic, which means I know I'll never be any younger, so deal with it the best I can..... I'm healthy (no meds) for a 63-year old, so stay that way. I'm active, so stay that way. I'm strong (physically), so stay that way. I'm always learning something new and teaching continually - because as a good friend once told me, knowledge isn't knowledge until you share it with someone, so stay that way. I'm happy with who I am and where I'm at - so job well done.
Like Catherine, I turned 55 in 2007 (Nov.), and I don't see a whole lot of difference from then until now, except a little more gray hair. Three years later in 2010, hubby and I repainted the house outside and inside, removed carpet from 3 rooms (I did most of that because I hate carpet and the removal was pure pleasure - and I'm good at it) and replaced it with new flooring ourselves. Hubby designed, the company he works for built, and we installed a huge kitchen for our daughter/son-in-law - all that spring and summer, and he's a year older than me. Hubby did all that PLUS work a high-energy, high-stress job as a company executive working no less than 11 hours a day, 5-days a week, and 1/2 a day on Sunday, plus 1-2 hours at home each evening.
We're on the cusp of hubby retiring (he's been with the same company 41-years in Feb.), and that retirement includes a move 2-hours away and a new career with our son who is an artist. We're looking forward to the big new adventure.
By-the-way, we don't own big over-stuffed recliners and a big screen TV. We're going to wear out, not rust out.....
By-the-way, we don't own big over-stuffed recliners and a big screen TV. We're going to wear out, not rust out.....
Love it, lessisbest--and I love the rest of your inspiring post as well!
rosarugosa
1-17-16, 7:42am
I'm almost 58 and although I feel young and healthy, it is starting to really click with me that I'm on the verge of becoming a senior. I agree that it's a startling perception. I probably feel oldest in work, because we have a department of over 40 people, and there are only 3 of us over 50, 2 over 40, maybe 3 over thirty, and everyone else is in their twenties. I'm looking forward to retirement, but I don't want to wish my life away. In my personal life people are still telling me that I look much younger than my age, but I think that's just because I'm still relatively small & slim. I agree with lessisbest and I try not to dwell on it. It's just not a productive line of thought. My age is a function of the date and my DOB. Right now, I could be either 57 or I could be dead; there is no third choice. :)
I could be either 57 or I could be dead; there is no third choice. :) Love it! I will add that to my daily Positive readings and Sayings.
I could be either 57 or I could be dead; there is no third choice. :) Love it! I will add that to my daily Positive readings and Sayings.
I try to look at it that way, though I find that every year I lose some ability--just wake up and it's gone. Genetics definitely play a role. My father had both hips replaced and my mother should have had both knees replaced. Some days, being Little Mary Sunshine is daunting.
I wish the USA valued aging.
It's not a bad thing.
As a nurse, the young ones ask me lots of questions. In my role as supervisor it's my job to model and mentor. So it's a perfect match. I like passing on knowledge and skills, but most of all I like passing on how to cope with a high stress job. The younger ones respect me for that, and I respect them for the strength and stamina that comes with their age. And their superior tech skills which they share with me as needed. It's a win-win.
I wish all sectors of life in the west would see that.
I actually am enjoying my role - I've noticed the change in work interactions since turning 50 a few years ago. And I like it. Yes - younger ones treat me increasingly like an older person, but only in good ways. I'll let them carry the heavy chair for me. No problem. :)
Though it is a little embarrassing, I don't mind letting the young men at work to pull me to my feet when I have been squatting in front of the refrigerators! I have literally gotten stuck (and almost tipped over one day) and unable to rise from a deep squat! No one at work can believe that I am 54, except when they see me struggle. I have finally gotten over the "I can do it all myself" attitude and have stopped lifting and moving things that would cause a problem for me, like an 85 lb plastic tub of chicken salad. I'm just not going to risk injury anymore, and have finally learned to ask for help.
JaneV2.0 "Some days, being Little Mary Sunshine is daunting."
OMG that is my thoughts every single day when I make my old people calls, as I call the dailies to MIL and my Dad. I take a breath and become Miss Sunshine with sugar on top! I preplan to speak about how wonderful every single thing is, as goodness knows I never want the subject to turn to issues because at their ripe age there can be plenty!
I sometimes wonder if Dad thinks( in a sarcastic way) Oh boy little Miss Sunshine is calling!
JaneV2.0 "Some days, being Little Mary Sunshine is daunting."
OMG that is my thoughts every single day when I make my old people calls, as I call the dailies to MIL and my Dad. I take a breath and become Miss Sunshine with sugar on top! I preplan to speak about how wonderful every single thing is, as goodness knows I never want the subject to turn to issues because at their ripe age there can be plenty!
I sometimes wonder if Dad thinks( in a sarcastic way) Oh boy little Miss Sunshine is calling!
I have so far avoided the "organ recital" stage of oldth; I'd rather not think of myself as a collection of failed body parts. If that were all I had to talk about, I'd choose silence. But old, ailing people probably can do without a load of clueless cheerfulness (which I admit I was once guilty of) either.There's a middle ground there somewhere. And they probably need a safe place to vent (hopefully briefly) about their fears and frailty.
Talking about concerns of one kind that is shared is one approach that gets over the Miss Sunshine type of call. It avoids the 'organ recital'.
EG - With peers who have medical issues, I do make a small opportunity for discussion but if it gets too detailed or drawn out, I do redirect the conversation to something else that interests them - striking a balance between being a supportive friend who simply listens and setting boundaries. I might say something "Well, I am glad that you are getting the care that is needed but I need your advice on..." Never fails.
With one daughter it might be education issues or organizational dysfunction that is impacting me somehow; with the other it might be psychological discoveries or gardening concerns that have arisen. With my parents for years, it was the latest discovery or event going on in the family's life to keep them feeling informed and involved without enabling intrusion Tricky sometimes though.
Glad to read your thoughts. I am now 55 as well. My weight gain has been too much in the last ten years. My job is at a desk and have a commute of 45 minutes. So, that's not helping with weight gain. I do take a walk or practice yoga on my lunch hour religiously. I take the stairs and make an effort to move around. But, it's not enough physical activity. Sometimes I think of taking a job that is more demanding physically. I actually like laboring abit at the workplace.
I don't have aches or pains. Long term practice of yoga and qi gong is probably the reason. I tend to be gentle on myself and everything is working pretty well. I love to garden so I am convinced all these things keep me moving fairly well. For the weight gain, I decided to back off on all bread products and notice a difference in my digestion already. I also cut out peanuts. I love to snack on peanuts but wonder about kids and peanut allergies. I keep thinking something is changed in how peanuts are cultivated and the kids are trying to tell us that with so many allergies now.
The thing I am most concerned about is attitude to life. I feel a lot cynical after having been in the workforce since 17 years old. I've had crappy managers and not alot of support in career. It's what it is and many SLN folks talk about dealing with it on this forum. I did decide to finally become a member of the local Unitarian Universalist Congregation. The folks live the style of life I do on my own. They support each other and seem genuine in their caring. I do come in contact with women in their 70s and find an attitude of crankiness from time to time. I hear them say they are 70 something and can now say what ever they want. It comes out pretty rude and sharp. I don't want to sound like that or think that's okay. They also tend to go on about themselves and ramble about complaining about almost everything in their daily life. I hope not to become like that so think I have to work on this myself starting now.
I have enough income now that I can start to travel. I went to Sicily last year and had a blast. This year, I am going to Toronto for a few days in April to enjoy an opera. I hope to go to the Salzburg Music Festival in 2017 or back to Italy.
I guess I see that I have years ahead of me and how can I make them pleasant, surrounded by people I hope to care for and care for me. My family is dysfunctional and if that situation can change, that's great but think I have to make myself someone others want to know first.
Don't mean to blab about myself so much. But I know what you mean, 55 is an age to take a look back and forward. Where do you want to be? How to get there
I'm about to turn 53. I do feel the slowdown, and I've decided to let my hair go natural and I'm really surprised by the amount of silver in it. Not too achy yet. The last decade has definitely brought on aging that seemed to have been arrested til I hit about 40, I don't spend a lot of time looking in the mirror any more!
I went to visit my parents last week, they live in a retirement community made up of people primarily in their 70s and older. A mixed bag of input for me - that is what aging really looks like. Everyone there appears to be wearing a wig and Depends, shuffling a bit and for some reason deathly afraid of spices. I'm not sure if the level of superficial conversation was age-related or just typical of a large group of people not engaged in conflict, I made more small talk in a week than I normally do in a year. OTOH, they are still vibrant, still funny, still engaged in living. I came away grateful for the level of youth/fitness I still have, and also encouraged that the future will be different but nevertheless an interesting adventure.
"deathly afraid of spices", my smile for the evening!
I love wigs; I've always loved wigs, and wore lots of them when I was young--including one that was bright red. :0!
I have long hair that I wear up--now mousy grey-brown; I have no plans to cut it. I would love to get a wig, but I dread looking like the stereotypical oldster with a crooked fake-looking mat on my head. I guess I haven't yet reached the "don't give a damn" stage of life. Every once in awhile I browse wigs on line, though. Stay tuned.
I would be more likely to go the Buddhist monastic style and shave my head, yeah. If I keep my hair I would braid it in my old age, maybe those 2 braids you cross over the top of your head like a German lady. When my hair gets long I braid it at night before I go to bed to keep it protected.
"deathly afraid of spices", my smile for the evening!
In Iowa? half the state is allergic to spice (okay not nice to Iowa but my Iowa family agrees with me)
I've long said that if there's such a place as hell, it serves nothing but bland food. :devil:
Wigs have always fascinated me. I stop by the wig sites on the net every once in a while and think how fun it would be, then the vision of my mom in the 70's with a terrible one that dad called a dead skunk, comes to my mind.
I have not 100% reached the age where I say I don't care I can wear it, but about 30% there. The biggest leap for me came with the pull on jeans. I kept thinking they were for big ladies, the 80's maternity pants kept flashing in my mind. Then I got a pair of Levis. I love them! Not every day as I figure that would be lazy. I don't think anyone can tell since I wear a sweater with them. From there I got a pair of Lands End and just as amazing. Hats, I started wearing Hats and not baseball hats, two years ago. What a since of freedom to not do the hair! HollandHats.com is my habit now.
Dad is late 80s. Never could he have onions, peppers or garlic along with every other yummy flavor. Mom would say You can't eat that! Her cooking was home cooking with salt and pepper only not even an onion. Mom pasted on and the most favorite food for him is Chili with the Works at Coney Island, he forgot he Can't eat that . I laugh thinking a life time of foods missed and he never knew, because Mom told him no.
rodeosweetheart
1-20-16, 9:30am
My dad is also late 80's with emphysema and very sensitive to things like vinegar--I remember about 12 years ago him eating one of my husband's vinegar potato chips and coughing and turning blue. It was horrible.
Then last month I went there and cooked some squash I had grown, his favorite, and I forgot and peppered the thing the way we like it--I realized it was peppery and started telling him not to eat it, and he insisted on eating it and was apparently fine, but I was so mad--I'm yelling please don't eat that dad, don't eat that squash and he's saying, it's perfectly fine, perfectly fine, and insisting on eating the whole thing to be polite, and I'm thinking, I am going to kill him with hubbard squash.
Not a good evening, all around.
I've long said that if there's such a place as hell, it serves nothing but bland food. :devil:
How funny, I am worried about the food sensitivity thing with aging. I already can't have fruit/fructose and have never been able to have coffee. I started switching up milk and soy and almond milk just so I don't develop any issues. So taking my (moderately) spicy food is just too much!
My funny wig story, I work in an urban school district so many of my colleagues and our front line staff are black. I kept on wondering how some people had such perfectly done hair that looked the same every day. I don't think I said anything wrong to anyone but eventually I heard something and realized that wigs are common among my black colleagues. Whew,
Dad is late 80s. Never could he have onions, peppers or garlic along with every other yummy flavor. Mom would say You can't eat that! Her cooking was home cooking with salt and pepper only not even an onion. Mom pasted on and the most favorite food for him is Chili with the Works at Coney Island, he forgot he Can't eat that . I laugh thinking a life time of foods missed and he never knew, because Mom told him no.When I was a kid and learning to cook, my mom told me the seeds inside bell peppers (the only thing remotely spicy about bells) were poisonous! Imagine my surprise in discovering pepper flakes.
I went through a phase of major hair loss and decided to get a wig. It's a lot harder to get a normal looking head of hair than you might think! I finally settled on a headband with hair attached to it, because everything i tried on looked completely ridiculous. The secret, I think, is a really well made wig without too much hair on it - it's hiding the base of the wig that's tricky and cheap wigs rely on lots and lots and lots of hair to do that. But the well made ones can be incredibly expensive, I wasn't willing to invest $3,000 in vanity.
AH we could start an entire new post about the stories we were told as children about foods;)
Lammie Drops =black olives. Yes I asked to please pass the Lammie Drops at a dinner at a friend's house. Poison Cabbage=Brussel Sprouts, They were never allowed in parents home. Yum when I at those. Yogurt was Spoiled Sour Cream.
rosarugosa
1-20-16, 7:22pm
Rodeosweetheart: That's interesting about vinegar. I eat a salad with oil and vinegar for lunch every day, and sometimes it kind of chokes me. Must be the vinegar, because I'm sure I've got some degree of respiratory something after so many years of cigarettes.
I survived 55 year! Wow a year goes by fast these days! Now I am facing 56 and it seems like 60 is right there in sight, no more out there a ways! I used to say I had X good years left. Saying that at 70 everyone I know slowed down due to health issues or just choose to. Not that life is over by any means at 70. Sunday I told hubby I have 14 years 3 months of good years left! I had to stop running last month, probably for good:( So the 1/2 marathon at 70 is not in my plans now. I guess life evolves with each day and make the most of it.
frugal-one
12-6-16, 11:26am
I survived 55 year! Wow a year goes by fast these days! Now I am facing 56 and it seems like 60 is right there in sight, no more out there a ways! I used to say I had X good years left. Saying that at 70 everyone I know slowed down due to health issues or just choose to. Not that life is over by any means at 70. Sunday I told hubby I have 14 years 3 months of good years left! I had to stop running last month, probably for good:( So the 1/2 marathon at 70 is not in my plans now. I guess life evolves with each day and make the most of it.
You have more than 14 years/3months left if you look at the actuary tables. Whether they are good or not is up to you.
This conversation makes me think of all the current financial "news" out there telling everyone they need to be prepared to live to 100. So many saying don't take your SS until you're 70 and make sure you have bazillions saved or else you might end up as a bag lady.
This conversation makes me think of all the current financial "news" out there telling everyone they need to be prepared to live to 100. So many saying don't take your SS until you're 70 and make sure you have bazillions saved or else you might end up as a bag lady.
Seriously. It gets old really fast, doesn't it. Makes you feel hopeless if you have not saved up a million dollars by 60.
You have more than 14 years/3months left if you look at the actuary tables. Whether they are good or not is up to you.
I think 56 is too young to be thinking this way, honestly. But then I will be 61 at my next birthday, so I am older than you, OP, and I do get where you are coming from. It's just that 56 is pretty young, in my opinion, and not helpful to be obsessing (that that you are obsessing) over just when you will get less able/feeble.
iris lilies
12-6-16, 12:16pm
I think 56 is too young to be thinking this way, honestly. But then I will be 61 at my next birthday, so I am older than you, OP, and I do get where you are coming from. It's just that 56 is pretty young, in my opinion, and not helpful to be obsessing (that that you are obsessing) over just when you will get less able/feeble.agreed. And yay for OP to survive the year.
Teacher Terry
12-6-16, 1:07pm
Part of it is luck and part of it is hereditary and then how well you take care of yourself. It's the luck of the draw and you just don't know how it will turn out.
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