For those of us who are seniors, what was the one thing that surprised you the most about getting older?

t'm 76 and in decent shape and still active - the active part though, is a little slower than I use to be. eg, running up the steps at home, stooping down to pick something up, without getting stuck, getting out of breath faster. (things like that) i don't like it but what can i do.

I'm in pretty good shape for 61 but mentally I feel old. My outlook is more dismal than I imagined it would be at this age. I need someone to tell me to snap out of it or get an elastic and pull it hard when I start to look inward too deeply.

My mom was so young at heart till she reached her late eighties. I was hoping I'd be the same. Maybe I need to go on a cruise or something. Take up skydiving perhaps. Take up a cause?

Suggestions welcome...................;)

freqflyer: Answer - to be stuck with a chronic condition, e.g. presyncope at 75 years of age. However, I am a positive individual who resides with a DH who is less than positive.

I’m 56 and when my doctors ask me the normal questions, my response to “are you in any pain today?” I just laugh and laugh and laugh

We moved to a new house in 2019. Who’s dumb idea was it to move into a 3 story house (plus a basement!!!)

making dumb decisions without accepting I’m getting older every day is something I’m trying not to do anymore. :)

Not a senior. Only 26. BUT I am amazed at how caregiving has aged me thus far. My knees and back are not as young as the rest of me.

Living alone without local relatives means I am at least registered with my HOA office and parish. My SFsocial club may call in if I'm missed too long. Also important arrangement that comes with increasing age conditions in case of injury or illness.

That I am still here! That I can function, though more slowly and with pain.
that though my hearing and eyesight are marginal, I can function.
most surprising is the fact that I enjoy life much better than I did when younger and without arthritis!!

How much my knees interefere with what I want to do.

AND how much my "poop" schedule effects what I sign up for. On a cruise right now: kind of obsessed with pooping before I get off each day.

The main thing that surprised me about getting older was that it seemed to have happened so fast. All of my injuries in my younger years have caught up with me in the form of arthritis.  My body is attacking itself.  My doctor tells me to get more exercise, but I’m no longer able to walk without a walker.  I had my hand x-rayed this morning because it feels like It's broken. I didn’t know arthritis could hurt so much.  Much more of this and I will call it quits.

Not being able to run, jump, take staairs 2 at a time, squat, sit & lie on the floor (impossible to get up!)

Ditto on the skin. I'm 62 and it is so loose and crepey and dry. Especially on the arms!

I have been taken by surprise that so many of my beliefs/assumptions about old age were false. My mother and all my aunts and most of my uncles lived well into their 90's, one grandparent lived to 102. I spent a fair amount of time with them as they aged. I thought I understood the process.

In particular, I believed that those who stayed active remained capable. Horrors! I had it backward: those who remain capable have the ability to be active! I have learned that even though I have stubbornly kept up my gardening, walking, housework, and exercises, there are some activities that have become more difficult, then impossible. My continued practice does not insure continued ability!

I can no longer get down on the floor--nor up from it. I must stoop and bend at the waist to deal with anything on the floor. I have my workarounds, but I am dismayed that I cannot do some of the things that I could still do at 60.

On the other hand, I have found that the level of contentment that I have in living the life I choose is much greater than at any previous time in my life. I am focusing more on short term and medium term goals. The joy I have in a clean house, flowers in the gardens, and dinner on the table are greater than at any time of my life. Old age has given me the gift of living in the present. I expect and hope that some measure of this continues for the next 15 or 20 years, assuming my longevity matches the family history.

Another way to respond is to ask - for positive reinforcement:

What do you do now to maintain / develop yourself as you age?
What changes need to happen and what changes have you made?
What gets in your way of shifting with the moments of aging?
What new coping mechanisms have you put in place?

I'm only 65 but this year reminds me of when I turned 40. Seems like more changes at a faster rate. What I truly miss is the stamina I used to have. I seem to have to pace myself more now. I could run around Saturday, doing all my errands, and not feel a thing. Now I come home tired and sometimes need a nap. I hate that. Perish the thought I would also go see my dad in MC on the same day. Then I am truly spent. I do work out as I have for over 10 years, but Zumba just isn't what it used to be. I used to look at all those older people in the back row (I am proudly in the front row!) and wondered why they moved so slow and didn't jump as high as me. Now I know why. I've told my personal trainer that I don't care about getting stronger or lifting heavier weight. Just keep me from losing what I've got. But I still work full time - at home since Covid - and I'm keeping my mind plenty active.

For me past injuries seem to reappear. I had strained my back during a long kayak trip in my 30’s and now that I’m 65 it’s resurfaced. I suspect its arthritis creeping in. Makes it difficult to get a good nights sleep.

My skin.

It feels like slack bread dough!

Also, it's soooo crepe-y!

And, I'm only 58! Gaaaah!

I am surprised by the vulnerability that I feel. I once put my 80 something Mom in the car and we embarked on a road trip almost half-way across the country by ourselves to het to her sister and brother-in-law's 75th wedding anniversary celebration. I used to drive long distances by myself as well. Now I feel I don't have the physical strength to change a tire or the ability to be stranded on a hot or cold roadside if the car is disabled. I just feel less able to handle situations now than when I was younger and in good shape physically. I can't run from trouble or fight anyone off.

I always knew round was a shape but I did not know how hard it would be to stay in shape at least not the round one. Fitness is almost like a full time job.

At 63, I'm most surprised at how I've had to let go of most all of my closest family and loved ones. Only my mother, my two children and a few cousins remain.

What surprises me is how curious, interested and engaged most of us still are at older ages. When younger, we may have expected "old age" to mean inability to function, but that is usually not so. We may need to move more carefully, make some physical accommodations, pay attention to the task at hand, but we have gained the wisdom and experience to adapt to life's changrs.

there is a scary old woman in my mirror!
my clothes shrink at an alarming rate
my knees don't work the way they should and they make funny noises.

What I appreciate about getting older though...
I forgive more easily, why carry a burden that is unnecessary
I think I appreciate each day more now than I did years ago.
I realize that my Husband was one of a kind and I am glad he knew I felt that way.

I wasn't prepared for losing so many important people in my life.

How much I would regret the time I didn't spend being grateful when everything worked right.
I hear my deceased grandmother saying to me.. you r so lucky, you r young.... Now I understand her...being older takes more time to do things

Why do my knees look like THAT?

Heavens, aging started in my mid-fifties with thinning bones. At age 58, I suffered a small left ankle fracture from a fall that got healed quickly. My doctor discovered I have osteoporosis so he put me on Fosamax, then Boniva when I was 61. The microscopic colitis and early-stage cataracts hit at age 60. Some mild arthritis of the hips and knees in cold weather or standing in one place too long since about age 63. Now at 67, I am still very active going to a local gym, but I use handrails to assist with climbing or descending stairs I feel is better for my safety. If a stairway has limited or no handrails, the ramp or elevator is my alternate option. I live in a condo, and one of my building's elevators often breaks down, so I call it "the haunted elevator". Needs adjusting or its computerized mechanical parts to fix it. I no longer have running energy, but life is no rush as I am still independent.

I'm 83 and what surprises me are all the aches and pains. And how tired I am at the end of the day. But I can still mow the lawn and I can still get myself up if I'm on the floor. And I'm still working.

A nurse reminded me “These are not the ‘golden years’. They are the rusty years. Things keep rusting away.” And what surprises me every day is looking down at crepey skin on my my hands and realizing there is less time left than I’ve lived.

I'm surprised to still be alive after my dad, sister, brother, and mom all died. At 74 it takes me so much longer to recover from everything that goes wrong with my body. I fell and have had a mild concussion for 6 months now. One son comes to help me. I don't want to need help, but surprised at how much I actually do need it and so grateful for his help. What's next? It takes so much energy to stay positive.

It surprised me that I have lived beyond my parent's ages when they died.

That I could actually learn to play the tuba.