Though I turned 60 in late July, I'm still depressed. I been noting things about myself that are generally problems of old people. First, my nose hairs seem to grow an inch or two overnight. This may not be so bad since I can blend them in with my beard which is heavier than most of my male students. True, I noticed the nose hair problem at age 55, but it seems to be worse. At least I don't have hair in my ears. My brother who is 58 worries about hair in his ears. I had a neighbor who had a whole tuft of hair in each ear. He looked like a Hobbit or something. But he got sent to the pen for raping a 14 year old girl when he was 69 and barely able to walk. I never did believe that story. I don't think Homer was capable of raping a street sign, much less a 14 year old girl. But he did take care of his retirement with good medical care.

But I digress. In addition to nose hairs, I have a bad back, a bad heart, allergies, and a balding pubic area. I suspect there are some more bad physical problems, but I don't want to know. But the worst thing is that I have started reminiscing. I have actually started thinking about how things were better when I was a kid. Naturally, things were better. I didn't have to work and support the dogs, cats and mother. I was thin and attractive. We had a big old Buick which weighed the earth and used gas like crazy. It also overheated when we ran the air conditioner, and we lived in East Texas. But I had some good times in that Buick. I do things like think about the clothes we wore in high school (everything matched -- sweater, skirt and socks). I actually had a dream about people's noses. Is this strange or what?

I think I may be put in the nursing home sooner than I had planned. I plan to die at age 72 which will give me 8 years of boring retirement before I go over the rainbow bridge. But my nightmare is being put in a nursing home where people beat me up, and I don't have any kids to protect me! My students have promised to protect me, but I suspect that means a more brutal nursing home. So things are looking bleak for me. I hope you all are younger and have kids. Be nice to them. They may save you from being beat up in the nursing home. For myself, it's all over because I'm officially old. God!!!

Eddie if we could roust out T.O.M. I'll bet we could get some mischief going! What's the GLBT? I knew something had to be going on somewhere... it's been too quiet and nice around here! :heh:

Eddie if we could roust out T.O.M. I'll bet we could get some mischief going! What's the GLBT? I knew something had to be going on somewhere... it's been too quiet and nice around here! :heh:

Some time back I started a Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered thread in the Support area. Sometimes we deal with issues that other folks don't. We do have some supportive Str8 folks - some are regulars, some pop in from time to time (Green has posted once or twice). Feel free to stop by!

Thanks Eddie. I'll do that.

Btw, you're doing very well, weight-wise!! Good job.

I'm so glad you all are experiencing some of the same things I am. I have lost weight, but I'm wrinkled and droopy. I just hate gravity. Mother wants me to have a facial to get rid of wrinkles, but I claim that I worked for every wrinkle and deserve them. But I'm hanging in there, at least for 12 more years. That is unless something untoward happens and I croak early. The ice floe was a good plan. Maybe we should call Al Gore and complain. My brother and I intended to go up in the Rockies and freeze to death which is a nice way to go except one's limbs get really heavy when they are frozen according to Jack London. In "The Law of Life," he discusses the "being left in the cold plan" which didn't work for his protagonist who was eaten by wolves. That was a drag. Of course, there's always the "driving into a bridge abutment" plan, but you might destroy the whole bridge. That happened here in Oklahoma when a barge captain had a heart attack and drove his barge into a bridge abutment and knocked down the bridge. Killed several people and two horses. However, with the state of bridges in the U.S., maybe I can just drive back and forth across a bridge and eventually it will fall down. But I expect I will end up in a nursing home, drooling on myself and hungry enough to actually eat their miserable food. When I'm 70, I intend to remove the water from my band and eat everything in sight. Hopefully, I will have a year or two of decent food before I end up in the nursing home with "institutional food." It's a sad thing that the only things in life I seem to value are food, drink and naps. But that's age for you. Maybe I can find a nice man. Nah, takes too much energy.

I'm preparing to get my ass kicked for this reply...

BOH, don't give up! I love your sense of humor but honestly -- 60 isn't that old! My boyfriend is 60; I'm 37. He looks and acts in his 40s. I look like I'm younger than 37 but act/live older. Anyway, we have learned with our relationship that state of mind really factors in here. I feel like I'm in my 50s trapped in a 37 year old bod (which isn't too bad I must admit) and I have this incredibly HOT 60 year old bf who bikes over 100 miles at a time. You should see his legs -- yum!

So watch some MTV, read Cosmo, Celebrate nature's brazilian and kick some ass! Take it from a girl who knows -- 60 can be very hot. :mad:

I'm preparing to get my ass kicked for this reply...

BOH, don't give up! I love your sense of humor but honestly -- 60 isn't that old! My boyfriend is 60; I'm 37. He looks and acts in his 40s. I look like I'm younger than 37 but act/live older. Anyway, we have learned with our relationship that state of mind really factors in here. I feel like I'm in my 50s trapped in a 37 year old bod (which isn't too bad I must admit) and I have this incredibly HOT 60 year old bf who bikes over 100 miles at a time. You should see his legs -- yum!

So watch some MTV, read Cosmo, celebrate nature's brazilian and kick some ass! Take it from a girl who knows -- 60 can be very hot.

You're lucky you are 37. A sixty year old man is not interested in a 60 year old woman. In fact, I don't really know any 60 year old single men. But I know some who are younger and one of them seems to like me. He just lost a whole bunch of weight so he probably weighs less than I do, but I'm just thrilled that I weigh less that the starting line at the Super Bowl. One never knows about men.

Younger men are great, sez Green.

BOH,

To answer your question, we've actually been friends for a long time and fate/life brought us together as partners/soul mates. There are great guys out there -- just put it out to the universe. And sorry but I've got the best one. I know, I'm a cornball.

And yes, I'm 37 but my guy would love me the same if I were 67 -- he's just that way. I know a lot of guys seek women 20 years younger but he's definitely not like that. I know that if we broke up (which we won't; we'll probably get married one of these days) he would date someone his age. I was a fluke -- or correctly, fate.

You're going to have to go by a different moniker, BOH. Didn't you hear that 60 is the new 40? We have all kinds of medical science to make us feel and look younger and you getting the band is all part of that puzzle.

I'm hoping that when I hit 60, Botox will be available over the counter!

newgirl: I won't bash you for your refreshing outlook, but I would love to be around when you turn 60 and have you tell me how 60 is the new 40. However, I doubt very seriously that if I'm still around then, I'll be able to remember who the hell you are, much less this discussion.

Sure, there are men who choose women who are close to them in age. However there are many more men who choose women who are much younger than they are. On the other hand, these days there are a lot of relatively young men who prefer the company of older women. Frankly, knowing what medical problems the age of 60 brings, if I were single I would probably choose a younger guy just so I wouldn't have to deal with all that in my mate. It's disgusting enough dealing with my own skin tags.

I bring this up because I just had 27 of them all over my body painfully frozen off. I have jowls where my firm chin line used to be. My hair is thinning around my forehead. My knees are arthritic and the doctor threatens knee replacement. Believe me honey, botox doesn't begin to fix everything that age 60 brings. Botox is great for the 42 year old who is beginning to see laugh lines deepen and the forehead lines looking more permanent.

I am thrilled for you that you've found your soul mate. I hope things work out well for you as a couple. The odds are sure stacked against you having a 20 year union though. You won't believe how different things get after the mid-70s. Then the 60s will look like a cake walk.

Hmmm. Soul mates. I've been married for a long time to a very pleasant man, but as I deal with issues of wrinkles, lack of energy, arthritis, and unwanted hair, I have this wonderful fantasy of just driving off, living in my van, having no ties, and just wandering around the country looking unretouched. No responsibilities, no home...occasionally renting a great hotel room, but mostly just being unfettered in a t-shirt until it's time to lie down for good. MY road trip in my head puts me in a better mood.

Betseyjane: Man, I've had that fantasy! Or at least a similar one. I have thoughts of going to the New Mexico or Arizona desert, living in a cool, clean adobe. Soaking up the dry desert air, wandering up the mountains and finding a cool little stream, wading until my toes ache from the cold. Watching the wildflowers bloom in the high desert, peace and quiet with no one to say how I should look, think or paint. The whole Georgia O'Keefe experience... Screw aging!!

Funny you should mention this. My mother used to have a similar fantasy only she dreamed of living on the streets kinda like a baglady with only a tiny room to call her own. I think she liked the idea of freedom from the demands of family and possessions, and the notion of anonymity. The reason why her fantasy took this particular form was because she had once read a novel where the protaganist, a senior citizen, abandons her oppressive suburban life in order to live the carefree life of a baglady. I never read the novel but I believe I remember my mother mentioning that the heroine's husband was emotionally abusive and that it was this which finally caused her to walk out on her life. Certainly my mother was most likely to trip into this fantasy after she and my father had been going through one of their difficult periods.

The internet is an interesting forum. There's literally no way to know for sure about anyone save for what they choose to type yet there seems to be plenty of experts and judgements. So be it.

I guess my main, and only point, was that we're fortunate to live in a time where medical advancements have been able to make our quality of life much better and for a longer period of time. I think all of us have made the investment in a lap band to take advantage of medical technology, all to our betterment. I think, at least for me, losing extra weight will increase my quality of life and I hope that's the case for everyone on this forum.

The idea/saying of 60 being the new 40 is tied to medical advancement as well as to what I hope to be a renewed emphasis in our culture on leading a healthy lifestyle. So no, I don't believe 60 = 40 in the literal sense. I do think that 60 in 2007 is much different than what it was in 1957. I see some really amazing people of all ages living incredible lives; and I do believe part of it is mental and part of it is physical. My dad is 80 but I swear he looks like he's in his 60s and acts like he's 40! He's the hardest working person I've ever known and a great example that aging doesn't necessarily equate to giving up on a great life. I hope to follow his example.

Best to all of you on your journey.

The internet is an interesting forum. There's literally no way to know for sure about anyone save for what they choose to type yet there seems to be plenty of experts and judgements. So be it.

The idea/saying of 60 being the new 40 is tied to medical advancement as well as to what I hope to be a renewed emphasis in our culture on leading a healthy lifestyle. So no, I don't believe 60 = 40 in the literal sense. I do think that 60 in 2007 is much different than what it was in 1957. I see some really amazing people of all ages living incredible lives; and I do believe part of it is mental and part of it is physical. My dad is 80 but I swear he looks like he's in his 60s and acts like he's 40! He's the hardest working person I've ever known and a great example that aging doesn't necessarily equate to giving up on a great life. I hope to follow his example.

Best to all of you on your journey.

Whenever anyone of us elects to express an opinion on the internet we invite commentary and debate. This is part of the fun of an internet forum.

It strikes me from the first paragraph quoted above that you were perhaps a little disappointed that the ageing chicks who posted after your initial post didn't opt to jump aboard your Pollyanna train. Though your comments were obviously well meant the truth is that what you currently experience as a 37 year old is exceedingly remote from what women who are in their late 50s or early 60s experience. This only makes sense for you are young enough - there is, afterall, 23 years difference between you and a 60 year old woman - to be her child. Culturally and biologically there is a gulf between you and a 60 year old woman and, yes, when it comes to a discussion of age related issues, she is the expert. You are merely a sympathetic friend. This may sound harsh but that's life.

As for your comment that 60 is the new 40, although this is kind of a tired cliche it is also true. We baby boomers are unwilling to grow old and we are able to tap into an array of medical techniques in order to avoid this. Last September I paid to have the lapband installed and now I can wear a size 10 pant. This September I am going to have a face lift. Neither I nor any of my friends have an old fogeyish attitude towards life. We are still rude, crude, curious, and misbehave.

Nevertheless, we are beset with a whole bunch of problems which you don't have. Compared to many women my age I am doing awfully well but my eyesight is a mess, and my hearing isn't all that great. Others who have posted on this site need knee replacements. As a group we have arthritis, chronic pain, joint problems, high blood pressure, cholesterol issues, and we have seen our friends and family members die from cancer, strokes, and heart attacks. Some of us even have bladder control issues. Ugh, eh! Sixty is in oh so many ways still sixty. But being 60 is better than the alternative.

My Mom is 90 and has more energy than I do. She lives with us....part of why I'm tired, I guess.

I want to read that book!

Somebody said on TV recently that the difference between 60 year olds of today and in the 50s is hair color. Ha!

Sometimes my fantasy is to rent a single room, but it's always walking distance from a big college campus...plenty of places to walk and interesting lectures.

I do think people age at different rates. I feel pretty old, and I'd love to live unencumbered for the next part of life.