Do you feel old?

[xelasnave]

I dont feel old although clearly I am.
My father will be 96 in a couple of weeks and he does not feel old nor does he look his years.
I feel a little less motivated but I blame that on my legs as they are on fire all the time and it takes the edge off wanting to do things.
Doing astronomy is strangely somewhat hard for me, sortta painful, but its nothing for me to stay up until 4 am playing around.
But I dont feel old?
How do others feel?
I thought old age would be different as somehow I feel more happy and together than ever.
Alex

[bigjoe]

Almost 60 Alex (58 )..I dont feel old either..the most crucial change for me was losing weight a few yrs back and keeping it off...Felt 10 yrs younger in no time; at under 90 kg now at just on 185cm in shoes...makes ALL The difference in the world

No weight on legs or back, no sore back, and abundant energy...can do soooo much more without lugging around 25 kg plus ALL the time..a huge impost when you think about it.
bigjoe.

[glend]

Clearly Alex you have inherited good genes, as your dad is still with you at 96. You have alot of years of astronomy ahead of you.

[astroron]

Not old in mind Alex, but the joints and the legs could do with a bit of livening up.
75 going on 50 ;)
Cheers:thumbsup:

[jenchris]

Old is a mental thing.
It's what kills you.
I feel younger now than I did last year. Or should that be last night?

[ZeroID]

Nearly 69, I retire end of March. Feel old ? Nah !
Just need a change of life and pace and some de-stressing.
OK, a few bits don't work quite as well as they did originally but it just makes me a bit more careful and clever when I do things.
All good here ... mostly ...

[JA]

Then any or all of ..... Tumeric 3000, Fish Oil, Glucosamine (Sulphate), &c..........

Best
JA

[doppler]

Mentally no, but physically a life time of manual work is catching up now. Taking all those joint pills but wear is wear, maybe I'd be worse without them?
Mentally I feel around 40ish, I have the strength to do a 30 y/o's work, pension at 67 is still 7 years away but hopefully I'll be out of the work force way before that. Life is for living not working. When you've been physically active all your life having to slow things down because of wear and tear is not something to look forward to.

[Merlin66]

Any day you wake up has the making of a great day.....

You don't get any days off when you retire.

Live for the day - and do it!!

[astroron]

Most of the so called medicines are really snake oil.
I have tried a couple of the above,no benefit came from them as far as I could see.
My specialist told me there no proven benefit from Glucosamine,and that I was wasting my money,I had too agree with him after two 60 day courses.
No difference from when I didn't take them at all.
Cheers:thumbsup:

[Merlin66]

Ron,
I agree 100%

I keep asking at the Body Shop about new legs....they keep telling me "they're on backorder" ;-)

[astroron]

Ken,the alternative medicine industry is a multi Billion dollar industry selling their mostly useless products to the gullible of this world.
Sometimes doctors are complicit with them.
Cheers:thumbsup:

[JA]

Hello Ron,

Yes, and sometimes they are complicit with Big Pharma, either directly or via research grants for studies, etc....it ain't that clean!

Natural medicines/substances make up many pharmaceuticals, and when BIG Pharma finds one of those that is even moderately effective, they change it and/or patent it, advertise the hell out of it, cajole the doctors in to making it indispensable and make you and your government pay through the eye teeth for it. Just like any well run multinational.

Best
JA

[el_draco]

At 56, I am pretty badly buggered physically, but at least I have earned the battle damage. Bike smashes, lots of broken bones, Heavy labour for a lot of years, walked pretty much around OZ backpacking etc... All adds up. Mentally fine but I have to take it easier physically. Limited to 20kg lift now or I can expect surgery shortly afterwards. As the old song goes, "Some days are diamonds... some days are scheibstrume" :rolleyes:

[xelasnave]

I think the key is to stay positive and most of all not to be critical of others... If someone does something stupid in front of you while you are driving for example I think it is best not to get upset and scream at them.... and avoid judging others... Seems less stressful.
Accept change and be content I think helps general happiness and the happier you feel the younger you feel. My legs get to me but I am happy cause I could have ended up in a wheel chair. And my legs are not an age thing so they dont make me feel old.
But setting up the eq6 and the 8 inch is difficult but setting up a 16 inch would be a struggle for most... So it not that bad unless you keep telling yourself that you are too old for it...
Alex

[JA]

110 % ... :thumbsup:


Best
JA

[w0mbat]

Well I am 66 and feeling very physically well and getting happier as I age. While I agree with being sceptical about alternative (and conventional)medicines and especially extracts of what we think is good from complex natural foods, I do believe in getting my omega 3's directly from the source ie sardines. I eat a few tinned sardines for breakfast nearly every day and my GP remarks on how high my good cholesterol is (HDL). I believe that we evolved with a much higher Omega 3 intake than most of us consume now and that they are essential to many areas of the body.
I also observe that the less physical work/exercise I do the worse I feel and vice versa.
I also must own up to probably having good genes as well with both sides of my family being long lived...my mother died a couple of years ago at just short of 102.
Ian

[LewisM]

If the old axiom is true, I am 36 :P She keeps me young...

Physiologically, 45 (almost), mentally 12 :lol:

Don't take a single medicine whatsoever, apart from panadol when the kids start the screaming ... like right now grrrrr.

[FlashDrive]

[QUOTE mentally 12 :lol:[/QUOTE]

We all know that .....:lol::rofl:

[bigjoe]

Too true with most of them Ron... a good diet...and yes that means including the greens and berries most snub. , proper weight for height etc.

I see soo many of my friends struggle with their weight and do absolutely nothing about it! She be right MATE! With their 30 kg plus impost on their dicky knees and back...Mostly self inflicted.

They still drink bottles of coke and beer, smoke all day and wonder why..not a piece of fruit in sight ! 30kg plus overweight .Try lugging a big scope around all day with that weight.

bigjoe.

[Mamba]

At 3.10pm
Duck
Duck
3
Duck
8
Duck
2
Old? As a Pom I feel bloody suicidal.
Mamba

[LewisM]

That's why when people tell me to act my age I am perplexed and confused... :P

Your quoting my quote screwed up my quotation system Pops.

[FlashDrive]

Nah ... not old at all ...!!

1 ... 'Ticker ' had new batteries installed

2 ... Knees were lubricated at last service

3 ... Eyes ... I can still see what's in front of me

4 ... Hands ... Can still lift a fork and spoon

5 ... Legs ... Still out run the Mrs's

6 ... Arms ... I can still lift my Scope

All's Good

Pop ......:D

[xelasnave]

Also for me becoming a father again when I was fifty two years old sortta re set the clock.
Maybe I should have more kids.
Alex

[LewisM]

Yet you still require a medical prosthetic grade brass rod...:rofl:

[FlashDrive]

At least it will never ' rust ' ;)

[Scorpius]

Seems years since I joined this forum. In fact been a while since I made a post. Back then I could haul my SW10" around and whack it on top of the EQ6, with no problems at all. As the skies in my suburb became brighter and brighter with people running bright LED strings around their back yards it kind of dampened my enthusiasm. Then late last year I decided to drag out the old gear and set it up.

That was a disaster, to an already screwed up back I added woes and worries to screwed up L3 and L4 by knocking out L5 and S1 and spending the last 3 months in and out of the local Radiology Centre having Facet Joint Injections.

I also now have torn Supraspinatus tendons in both shoulders and a matching pair on iguinal hernias I never was one to do things in halves !

Those of the older members who know me that going back to 1989 I went thru an amazing series of brain surgery operations between then and 2005. But I survived. Also had a run-in with Cancer and beat that.

Now at 83, I am still annoying my kids and not so long ago remarried to a charming lady from Russia who is 10 years behind me!

Life is all in the mind. A positive mental attitude and you can beat anything.

My Doctor reckons I am a blinkin' marvel ! He reckons I should make the ton albeit on wheels maybe :)

All I need now is portable hoist to lift the SW10" onto the EQ6Pro

Cheers Dave.

[xelasnave]

Dave you should get an eq5 and a 80mm ...still be doing it.
I love my new little scope.
The other night I carried it out with the camera and finder scope in place...so nice.
The eq6 was set up but I think an eq5 will be the next thing I get.
Nice to have you post see if you can get your numbers up with tales of new observations with a new scope perhaps.
Good luck.
Alex

[LewisM]

:rofl::lol::rofl::lol::rofl:

[Scorpius]

Dave you should get an eq5 and a 80mm ...still be doing it.

I recently bought a SW MAK 90SC on an EQ1 and motorised it. That is great little scope for throwing into the back seat of the car and driving out some where. Yep they still let me loose on the highways.

I was born in 1934 so I am now 83 + I am also quite tall 6ft 4ins in the old money. Hence all the back issues.
Yeah I went to hell and back and got very close to meeting my Maker when I was only 54.

Check out http://dsmithdale.net/ "The Smithdale Pages" almost 12,000 hits. It covers my battles and how I dealt with them includes Model Ship building, Ornithology, my Astro page and "My Story". (I am in the process of moving the site to on a server at home from my ISP. So some of the links still need adjusting.) But getting there. I am still averaging 500 hits a year.

I also made hoops for my home brew 8" last year for the EQ6. I am a keen Photographer and love using film when in the bush my Pride and Joy is a Canon EOS 1N (Last film Cam made by Canon) I need a fork lift to raise that !

[xelasnave]

Dave it is an honor to be in the same room with you.
Alex

[Scorpius]

You're welcome Alex. I think that instead of whinging and moaning about your shortcomings you should always seek out the positives and try to overcome your adversaries. In 1988 I was at the peak of my varied career, Service Manager of a Communications Company. Typical family; Wife, 2 kids, Mortgage etc. My Job, my ability to do it crashed like a deck of cards, I will not say it was easy, but I tailored my situation to my ability and means.

I refused to be beaten. After my marriage ended I looked after the boys and was on my own for many years until 6 years ago when I met up with my current wife. Together we will sail into the sunset together :) Basically in our minds, we are like a couple of youngsters. Age does not come into the equation.

[FlashDrive]

Good on you Dave ....:)

[that_guy]

I feel like a toddler in this hobby :P

[Scorpius]

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. My wife Valentina (from St Petersburg in Russia) and yours truly :)

[MichaelSW]

This might put a smile on the face of some. Got it some years ago….. So it might the a repeat.

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions. "How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five!

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead. "How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then, the greatest day of your life. . . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. . . YOU BECOME 21! YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk. He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed? You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40.

Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50. . . and your dreams are gone. But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60. You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70!

After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80s and then every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime.

And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!! (If you want to).

[FlashDrive]

I'm 62 and 1/2 .... the ' new 40 '

Pop ;)

[xelasnave]

Nice words Michael well done.
Alex

[mynameiscd]

Only 52 but I feel it today
Did a whole day of dressing ironstone into corner stones.
Nornally use grinders etc but its so dense that a sharp hit with a chisel is quicker. Because the building is hand dressed stone from 1864 the chisel marks are a feature.

I cant complain when I think how the original builders hand cut and carried the stone 11 km and I estimate they used about 350 - 400 tonne.
Feel every bit of 52 today.....
Cloudy tonight.....the couch looks good..

[billdan]

Replying to Alex's original question, "Do you feel old", well I will turn 67 tomorrow and No I don't feel old. I can still do most of everything I've done in the past, I do lots of walks to keep fit etc. Even looking in the mirror I don't reckon I look old.
But if someone takes a photo of me, What!! do I really look that old!! :lol:

[multiweb]

The secret to a long life is weight lifting, within reason. And keep breathing. :)

[xelasnave]

Thanks for the advice I will resume breathing.

Alex