Forums Forums General Forums A - Z Lifestyle Your latter years on planet earth

Hopefully not too morbid. Although we never know the moment (suicide or assisted death excepted) a look at obituaries will give an inkling of how many years we may have remaining. I think today was the first time i heard a young child refer to me as an old man ---ouch!. I didnt feel particularly old especially as having just climbed up 100 steps at loggerheads and leaving my wife and son trailing behind. Ok my calf muscles complained a bit as did the lungs but recovery time was just a minute or two.maybe it was the greying hair. Her comment was enough to have me musing the rest of the walk and realising that the trees and the rocks ,already older,will outlive me. I find it interesting how we feel and evalute life when we keep revisiting places. Places we went when we were children then courting and married, then with our own children,then with our children no longer children. Watching other mums and dads with young children enjoying what we once did with our own. Then it sort of hits you-- where have those last 30 odd years gone ---- and realising its borderline if you will make another 30 or 20 or maybe 10. Just thinking of those poor humans fleeing syria we have so many blessings despite the difficult trials life may have thrown at us. Time to take stock and evaluate rest of life. Saw a man of the road with a cracking beard in Neston and thought he has 3 things to worry about whats he going to eat where is he going to sleep and where is he going to crap. The answer to the last two --anywhere. So in life he has only one concern...food. Does have its attraction. Enough ramblings. Stay calm and value what life you have left.

Not morbid fish, but deep. I try to value what times left and not rubbish my energy on all the negatives in my life that i have had. (Ex husbands etc)
Some days are better than others, except when I have to give details for paperwork like my date if birth, as now the sixties seem ancient, so I find myself whispering it.

Very philosophical point of view Fish. We are on this earth for a miniscule amount of time. Everything we do will affect someone or something, and once passing a certain milestone we know our days are definitely numbered. You are right when you say we should value every moment. You are right we should be so much more aware of ourselves and our surrounding before we miss out altogether.

So many have such huge weights to bare and yet they nearly always seem to be the happier ones. Pain and suffering makes people stronger and strength gives those people an ability to support others. We all have to suffer in this life to appreciate the good things and the best things in life are free.

Always back to nature and every moment is as precious as the fleeting bloom of a rose or a tear drop on a cheek.

When walking in certain areas such as lanes and overgrown paths, it is always inspiring to think of the footsteps we walk in.

Lovely words and sentiments.

X
Fish

Spot on fish. Bit of a jolt sometimes isn't it , remembering you're mortal.

Phew just read all these lovely words, I have been thinking along the same lines recently, I am not religious but the Hymn all things bright and beautiful sticks in my mind from the school days, its a pity it takes the latter years to make us take stock, how wise we would be should this new found wisdom have came earlier in life, love the poem granny.

I often have mixed thoughts on this kind of subject. Recently, I had a 'milestone' birthday and when you get to a certain age you cannot help wondering about how much longer you have left. This year has been a particularly grim one for me, losing a couple of old childhood mates and and a few members of a club I belong to. It becomes hard to ignore the obituary column in The Globe and hardly a week goes by without me recognising someone's name.
But, what is the alternative? Old age is not all it's cracked up to be and the older you get the less desirable it appears to be. Aches, pains, memory loss, inability to perform the most simple of tasks, eye sight and hearing deterioration and lack of energy.
Some of us are more fortunate that others and I am happy to admit that, at the present time, I fall into that category. But, if or when things start to go downhill, I'll be faced with a conundrum that I doubt if I'll know the answer to until the time comes. So, I will bury my head in the sand regarding the inevitable and keep with the old adage of taking each day at a time and enjoying life while I can.

I wonder if in the future they will find a way of transferring experiences/knowledge/ and therefore widsom, from one brain to another , much the same as in the Sci-fi 's .You never know! I won't be alive to benefit, but if they ever learn how to transfer skills , I would have wanted a brain stream from a great orator. Always longed to be able to speak powerfully and fluently. The best local speaker that impressed me most was Vikki Moore (sadly deceased )-the girl from Southport who campaigned against cruel animal festivals in Spain.

Loved reading this Fish,
And thanks to Granny for the poem x

Life goes through different phases, I find each one more fulfilling than the previous mainly because I do more out of choice and less out of necessity.

Physically its pretty much up to the individual, if you keep moving your muscles will be able to keep moving for far more years, the only annoying aspect is the bones getting brittler so that 8 foot jump you may have risked at one time is now a no-go.

Regrets? Thousands of them but that is the past. Strangely I'm not a futurist, I don't look forward much, I don't like disappointment so I don't build my hopes up and don't set targets, try to take things as they come ..... but that doesn't stop me trying to put the world to rights

Well, I'm probably nearer the end than most of you; not simply because of my age but because of the condition of my lungs: in fact I'm not sure I'll survive the winter. In any case, as I've previously indicated, I have at my disposal a certain drug which will ensure that, should I choose to use it, will give me a peaceful exit and this fact enables me to live without worry. I don't understand our politicians who have recently thrown out an assisted dying bill by a majority of 200, despite the fact that polls show that 82% of the population wanted it.
When it comes to what you can or should do as you age, my main suggestion is that you should talk to those close to you: how many times have you heard people say "Oh, I wish I'd asked dad about that", or similar. For me, it's also important that they should know what you'd like to be done when you die; if they know, it's one thing they don't have to decide or argue over.
In my case, I've found it helpful to become familiar with the place where my ashes will go. It's a place I remember from childhood where I was always happy: well, I probably wasn't, but it's the memory which matters.
Nothing can remove the pain of those who love you when you die, but try to ease the process for them and don't leave them saying "Oh, I wish..."

Fingers crossed for a mild Winter for you then Chris.

Far from being morbid fish you have put a spring in my step, its nice to know there are others that feel as I do, I was feeling a bit sorry for myself over the weekend arthritis felt like hibernating, I think its hard to realise we are getting older and it comes as a shock when you find you cant do some of the things you once did and it brings that dread on of maybe having to rely on others as we get on and weary, take care.

@fish
enjoyed your post and following replies. Seems we all have a lot in
common.

@chris
your post prompted me to have a "lets sort this out" with the Mrs.
So now we're both on the same page. Fortunately, we both want the
same thing. No fus, keep it simple. Eat out with family after
cremation. Remains scattered at each others places we loved.

Cheers
peter