The end of ambition, involuntary grunts and a mistrust of bathroom fittings. All things to look forward to …
he parameters of middle age have been generously expanded over the years; for a long time I thought I might avoid old age altogether, because the minimum qualifying limit was sliding forward faster than I was., by some definitions, now extends to 60, or even 65, which still gives me a bit of a reprieve.
But I know this to be a mere technicality; a loophole, and slim comfort. I’m 59, and that’s pretty old. So old it doesn’t feel like a privilege, even if it’s preferable to the alternative. What have I learned about what it’s really like to get old? Not a lot, but here it is. I thought I’d better write it down before I forget it.The real difference between youth and age is not physical, or even mental. It’s just the added weight of all the years piled up behind you.
While it’s true there are a remarkable number of things to complain about in old age, there is a also a statistically significant lightening of moodFrom the perspective of a young person, it may seem almost impossible to be happy and old.