The turning older crisis

Many freak out when they're seeing their first gray hair or when they turn 30. I never related to that feeling. I wonder why. I'm fine getting older. I think for me it's freedom and opportunity feelings associated with aging.

I like to learn more, to get more experienced and wiser, I like the mentor role and I don't really miss being young. For me being young was chaotic and sad and I had no protection. As adult I got my own back. I'm able to keep me safe and happy.

I also know myself inside out today, which makes life easier. I can still suprise myself , that will never stop no matter how old I get. But I'm grounded in a way I never could as a teen , not even in my twenties.

I like the grounded solid foundation me. And I like the possibilities it leads to.

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DunningKruger · 61-69, M

I've only really had problems with growing older in the past few years. Physical changes are accumulating that hint at what's to come. Arthritis in my hands has made it so that I can't even clinch my fists anymore, occasionally aching so bad I have trouble typing. The gel inside my eyes has detached from the inner surface of the eyeball. Apparently, this is perfectly normal as people age, but I'm used to having better than 20/20 vision. Everything is often blurry now, making even reading a chore at times. I used to have a thick head of hair. It started going gray when I was a teenager, so it turning gray and white never bothered me. What has happened is that it has thinned so much right in the front that my head looks like a fuzzy egg now. Strangely, more than anything, that has been a blow to my vanity, which is saying a lot considering how low my standards have always been.

My fear is that this accumulation of deficits is just going to continue to cascade until it all collapses and I can't do even the basics that I rely on — reading, writing, general self care and maintenance. Without all these things, will life continue to be worth living?

As is sometimes said, aging is not for the weak.