JUST IN TIME!!!
When I turned 40, a large contingent of friends from church threw me the obligatory “you’re over the hill” birthday party. Who knew they were twenty years too early (emphasis mine, reformatted)?
Middle age begins at 60, say researchers
It was not so very long ago that hitting the milestone birthday of 40 was the time to accept that middle age had arrived. No more. Researchers have suggested that mid-life begins at 60, just as most people are contemplating the joys of retirement and a free bus pass. Scientists say that with increased life expectancy we need to rethink our ideas of what constitutes middle and old age otherwise the proportion of elderly people will continue to grow.
They argue that rather than fix a point at which we consider ourselves elderly – such as 65 – we should factor in the length of time we are expected to live. With better health and increased longevity that, for many people, is far later in…
Well, who knew I’m still rather youngish! As I have written before, I knew I was no longer a “youngster” as a first year grad school as the wave of “the disco kids” freshman showed up all doll’d up with that look – as I stood there in “late 60s” garb – T-shirt, regular dungarees, long hair, and an unbuttoned shirt over it. And at 21, I already had grey hairs but it wasn’t until the Eldest left for boot camp at Parris Island that I turned and felt middle-aged:
“…In that split second, we aged a lifetime; a tiny baby had grown into a man – we had just been thrust harshly into middle-age by reality. Our false delusions of still being “young” fell aside in an instant – we aged perceptibly in a flash. I felt old…”.
Gosh, it’s so nice to know now that I really was being delusional about that ‘false delusion of still being “young”‘.
Dang, though; I was THIS CLOSE to start getting that senior discount at the local eatery….
(H/T: The Times)
