Sheesh, it’s time to yell at memes again. Ha! This one, along with many others, really got on my old people’s nerves. Seriously, memes like this promote the perpetual Peter Pan syndrome and make the horror of being a grown up sound so unpleasant, no one would ever want to do it!
And here we are, now living in a culture with an incredible shortage of grown ups. Coincidence? I think not.
Ironically, I learned the truth about getting older from old people. Growing up is awesome! Getting older is a huge gift, one many are not blessed to experience.
You do NOT gain 30 pounds overnight. I totally would because I’m defiant that way, but actually a good chunk of older folks struggle to keep weight on. Your metabolism tends to slow down a bit, but for the most part, without any metabolic diseases like diabetes or thyroid issues, it’s not even noticeable. I would love to lose another 30 pounds, but I’m actually 30 pounds lighter than I was in my 20s.
I would rather sleep than go out, true, but I’ve been that way since forever. I actually drag myself out more often these days. I’m far more active than I used to be and certainly more inclined to do things without the struggle of lugging around car seats and putting on everybody’s shoes and coats.
Everything hurts? I suppose so, but everything actually hurts less than it used to. Comfort comes before style, well yes, but that is just wisdom. I am laughing, I used to wear heels a lot, but now I have happy feet 24/7. I have heated, massaging insoles in the winter, and cooling ones in the summer with all sorts of fancy reflexology going on. I am a total foot hedonist, I’m telling you. “Happy Feet” was not just a movie about singing Penguins, it can also become a way of life.
Also, I’m not actually the one going to the grocery store in my pajamas to buy tylenol and 3 gallons of chocolate ice cream….
College students look like 12 year olds?? Well, yes, yes they do. I haven’t figured that one out yet. I almost asked a cop for his ID the other day, because I wasn’t sure if he should even be driving yet. Fortunately I bit my tongue. I did tell a grown man the other day to make sure he wears his coat and he told me he was 30, so that was kind of awkward.
I am not “always annoyed,” but the struggle is real, I’m telling you. People don’t get any easier to deal with and your patience starts to hit a wall. I’ve now peaked. I’ve hit a plateau. I have now spent several decades developing patience and the ability to give people tons of grace, so I think it’s now time for you to develop the ability to get out of the way.
I am kidding……except for when people stand in the middle of aisles twirling their hair, completely unaware that no one can pass by because you have draped yourself so elegantly across all means of escape, now consumed by trying to take a selfie with the Cheerios….
We have this pastor who is always saying, you should be getting get softer, gentler as you get older. I like that very much. Far too many people use the excuse of being older as an excuse for being cranky. True, if you’re sick or something, or in a great deal of pain, you can be cranky and we’ll cut you some slack, but for the most part he is right, we need to be growing kinder as we get older, not crankier, no more entitled.
I am really fortunate, I’ve had a lot of good examples of that in my life, and I know what the kindness of older folks looks like. There have been a lot of them, lifesavers at just the right moment, usually just offering some encouragement or inspiration. I’ll never forget when covid first hit, our area lost it’s darn mind, and we were literally all masked up, standing on taped x’s on the floor, waiting for permission to move two feet to the left, when the Lone Ranger just strolled right in and upset the whole apple cart.
Adulting can be a whole lot of fun.
toomajj said:
I love your post! I think memes like that would go better with the title “how to tell you’re resisting adulthood.” It’s mostly in resisting growth that we may gain 30 pounds overnight or prefer bed to outdoors, etc. Something Peter Pan would do lol.
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insanitybytes22 said:
Ha! Good point, stop resisting adulthood, stop resisting growth. Peter Pan is actually stuck in Never-Never Land, it is not a desirable place to live. It is not Forever land.
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jsneese62 said:
I didn’t gain 30 lbs over night but I did gain far to much in a few years only to find out I have thyroid disease and diabetes that I blame on genetics because I am third generation for both. I have heart disease two opposing ones at that A fib and Bradycardia so it cannot figure out if it wants to beat to fast and all willy nilly or slow enough to nearly stop so I became a cyborg. Having your heart randomly shocked is interesting to say the least. Then there is pain that is part genetics and part I was stupid when I was young then add in three car accidents and viola you get chronic pain syndrome. I have the energy of a snail and move about as fast as one I sleep in two to four hour stretches at night so usually only have one eye open at a time.
I would love to go outside more often, but it doesn’t happen often unless it is on our little patio. I get so little sun I have to periodically be put on vitamin D3 because I don’t get enough sun most of the time to make my own. We actually have our groceries delivered and I love it I hate stores and I hate going in them. I have never liked it though with screaming kids ( I love kids, but not screaming) and pushy people.
College students have looked 12 to me for a very long time and I know why it is because I am old. They never use to annoy me, but these days they sure do. Not all of them. but more of them now then in the past say 20 years or so. I used to be able to have nice conversations with young people, but not so much anymore. My sons oldest daughter smarted off to me when they came to visit and my son told her I wouldn’t do that Grandma isn’t one to take that lightly.
As for grouchy I have been grouchy since I became self aware and aware of other humans it has nothing to do with age at all with me. I grew up in a household where it was kill or be killed (not literally though it felt like it at times) there was no room for softness because it would get you eaten alive. My two soft spots throughout my life has been children and animals. I have softened in other areas as I have aged, but I still have a line to which I should not be pushed over because I lose all sense. Believe it or not I do have a rather good sense of humor and can laugh even at myself.
I don’t think most of those things have as much to do with age as they do with circumstance.
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insanitybytes22 said:
Amen! We cannot experience trauma, car wrecks, and metabolic diseases and then try to blame it all on old age. Nah, those are scars, war wounds if you will, that we have acquired along the way. Some older guys around here used to blame everything on war wounds, some of them being veterans for real, but what they really meant was “I got out of bed wrong” or “I hurt myself getting in my truck.” It always used to make me smile, because life is a bit like a war or a fight or a race as it says in the Bible.
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jsneese62 said:
Yes indeed a race with painful obstacles in the way. We used to call old guys like that BS’ers and they were always trying to outdo each other everyday. When I first came to Texas I lived with a friends father off and on for three years until I got on my feet and he is what I call a crotchety old man he is rough around the edges, has a twisted sense of humor. but has a heart of gold. The day I met him he went to his room and came out and handed me a key and said here you will need this to get in the house. He had literally met me 10 minutes before that and his son told him I had nowhere to go because where I was suppose to go fell through.
We developed quite a friendship and I would still go to his aide if he needed it. His daughter in law at the time was constantly arguing with him and she couldn’t understand how I got along with him so well and I told her because I don’t take what he says personally and I laugh with him and sometimes at him. He respects me and I respect him and it really is as simple as that. He would blame his aches and pains on his time in the service and I would tell him no Joe you are just really old. He would grump and grumble under his breath making me laugh.
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insanitybytes22 said:
Ahhhh, what a sweet memory! There you go, even some of those cranky old guys with a heart of gold can change someone’s whole world. 🙂
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jsneese62 said:
That they can IB sometimes you just have to laugh.
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Pastor Randy said:
Perspective is everything! And your’s is awesomely great!
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insanitybytes22 said:
That’s the spirit, Pastor Randy! 🙂
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Citizen Tom said:
There is no magic formula for dealing with life, and the Bible doesn’t provide one. Wisdom is not easily defined.
That said, we have to seriously examine the things we put into our heads and our habits.
Garbage in; garbage out. If we watch and listen to media full of nonsense, we will fill our minds with foolishness we will behave foolishly. If we spend our days reading silly stuff, we will be silly little creatures.
Like it or not, we are creatures of habit. That is, most of what we do is what we unthinkingly did the day before. So it is that if we wish to change our behavior we must think about what we are doing and then make a concerted effort to form better habits. We must get our of the rut we are in and put ourselves onto a path that leads to a better place.
Anyway, I make a habit of reading your blog. We don’t always agree, but I don’t find you silly or foolish.
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insanitybytes22 said:
Thank you, Tom! I am glad you do not find me silly and foolish. 🙂
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