Where did all those years go?

phoenixikki

phoenixikki

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I didn’t think it would happen like this. I mean, I always imagined there would be some big moment, some obvious sign that I’d feel old. But it wasn’t like that. It just crept up on me, you know?

It happened last week, at the grocery store of all places. I was standing in line, just minding my own business, when the cashier, this kid who couldn’t have been more than 18, called me “sir.” Sir. And it hit me, like... is that me now? Am I sir? When did that happen?

I know, it’s not a big deal, right? People get called that all the time. But for some reason, it messed with me. It’s like I could feel this gap between me and him, this unspoken thing. He looked at me like I was on the other side of something — like I was one of those adults I used to think had everything figured out. But the truth is, I don’t feel like I’m on the other side of anything. I still feel like me. I still feel like I’m figuring it out, like I’m just waiting for that moment where I finally know what I’m doing. But I’m starting to realize that moment’s not coming. I don’t know if it ever does.

And then I started noticing other things. Like, my back hurts more often than it used to. I can’t drink coffee at night anymore without staying up for hours. I don’t bounce back the way I did when I was younger. And my friends — when we hang out now, we’re not talking about fun stuff or stupid ideas. We’re talking about mortgages, or our kids, or work, and suddenly we have “responsibilities.” We’re planning our weekends around our schedules, not our whims.

I guess what freaks me out the most is the way time speeds up. When you’re a kid, a year feels like forever. Now, I blink and another year’s gone. I still think of myself as twenty-something in my head, but I’m not. And that... that feels weird.

I don’t feel old, but I also don’t feel young anymore. I look at the people coming up behind me — kids fresh out of college, people starting their careers — and I realize I’m not one of them anymore. I’m part of this other group now, the group where driving to the sunset is the victory lap. I didn’t even see the switch happen. It just did.

I guess I always thought I had more time before this feeling showed up. But it’s here now. And I don’t know if I’m ready for it.
 
I'm 51. 2000 Y2K seems like a few years ago. IT IS CRAZY how time just flies . When young a year was forever now a year goes by like I blink my eyes.

Getting old blesses you with wisdom but it really sucks in alot of other ways
 
tell me about it, I went to a wedding a bit back, and the groom and bride looked like children, but they were in their early twenties. The mother in law was a long time friend of mine, and if she's old enough to be a grandmother, I'm old enough to be a grandfather <lmao>

there's an aspect of cluelessness that still lingers, but it shrinks, and the phrase that gets truer as you get older............. youth is wasted on the young.
 
Streeter said:
I'm 51. 2000 Y2K seems like a few years ago. IT IS CRAZY how time just flies . When young a year was forever now a year goes by like I blink my eyes.

Getting old blesses you with wisdom but it really sucks in alot of other ways
Click to expand...
does your dick still work

do you get the urge to bang 20 year olds

tell me I'm not alone
 
I wonder how old you are. This happens to everyone
 
phoenixikki said:
I didn’t think it would happen like this. I mean, I always imagined there would be some big moment, some obvious sign that I’d feel old. But it wasn’t like that. It just crept up on me, you know?

It happened last week, at the grocery store of all places. I was standing in line, just minding my own business, when the cashier, this kid who couldn’t have been more than 18, called me “sir.” Sir. And it hit me, like... is that me now? Am I sir? When did that happen?

I know, it’s not a big deal, right? People get called that all the time. But for some reason, it messed with me. It’s like I could feel this gap between me and him, this unspoken thing. He looked at me like I was on the other side of something — like I was one of those adults I used to think had everything figured out. But the truth is, I don’t feel like I’m on the other side of anything. I still feel like me. I still feel like I’m figuring it out, like I’m just waiting for that moment where I finally know what I’m doing. But I’m starting to realize that moment’s not coming. I don’t know if it ever does.

And then I started noticing other things. Like, my back hurts more often than it used to. I can’t drink coffee at night anymore without staying up for hours. I don’t bounce back the way I did when I was younger. And my friends — when we hang out now, we’re not talking about fun stuff or stupid ideas. We’re talking about mortgages, or our kids, or work, and suddenly we have “responsibilities.” We’re planning our weekends around our schedules, not our whims.

I guess what freaks me out the most is the way time speeds up. When you’re a kid, a year feels like forever. Now, I blink and another year’s gone. I still think of myself as twenty-something in my head, but I’m not. And that... that feels weird.

I don’t feel old, but I also don’t feel young anymore. I look at the people coming up behind me — kids fresh out of college, people starting their careers — and I realize I’m not one of them anymore. I’m part of this other group now, the group where driving to the sunset is the victory lap. I didn’t even see the switch happen. It just did.

I guess I always thought I had more time before this feeling showed up. But it’s here now. And I don’t know if I’m ready for it.
Click to expand...
I was listening to radio on the drive to work and the pop station played an "old school" song, and it was Low by Flo Rida. That was my college banger song! But then I realized 2008 is 16 years ago, and it's the equivalent of listening to "Jump" in 2000

Another thing that just reminded me of how fast time flies is that I remember in college in one of the business classes the professor was talking about how the workplace is preparing for the arrival of millennials, and next thing you know in 2024 Gen Z are turning 30

savingprivateryan-ww2.gif
 
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I know I've just turned 38 years old, doesn't feel like much time at all since I was 19 signing up for my Sherdog account.

Crazily enough Arianny has been a UFC ring girl pretty much the entire time.

Edit - turns out she retired this year!?
 
Yeah once I hit 30 the years seemed to absolutely fly by. 10 years gone in a blink of an eye. I still go out, socialise and party like I'm in my 20's (maybe not as frequent but I party just as hard, if not harder). I do often feel like I should be calming it down but if your not making the most and enjoying life then what's the point.
 
Streeter said:
I'm 51. 2000 Y2K seems like a few years ago. IT IS CRAZY how time just flies . When young a year was forever now a year goes by like I blink my eyes.

Getting old blesses you with wisdom but it really sucks in alot of other ways
Click to expand...

The ouch of age - days seem to take forever but the years just fly by. :(
 
It’s not so bad. At least you know that a year isn’t so long, and long-term goals are more attainable than you can imagine when you were younger. Sure, you get some creaks and croaks in your body, but you see things so much more clearly as you age IMO. Patterns become apparent, and you are less likely to fall into traps. Though that will stop at a certain age too when the mental decline begins...

Life is funny.
 
Age 36 was the turning point for me for starting to feel old. It was at that time that I started thinking about the fact that I had been a “grown up” and living on my own and away from my parents as long as I had lived with them. Every year past that is just tipping the scales further into how much of my life has been an adult versus a child. I’ll be turning 40 in a few months and two weeks after my 40th my son will turn 10. The fact that he’s already half way to adulthood is causing me a major existential crisis, lol.
 
During Covid, in 2021, i went to a pharmacy to pick up some items. At checkout, the person behind the counter asked me, which is the first and only time i have been asked this to date, 'sir, will you be applying a seniors discount'?

I am in good shape, and at age 52 at the time, immediately played it up with her, acting like i was offended, making her laugh but also apologize. In fairness that store starts applying a seniors discount at age 55, and i had a covid mask on (so i blame that).

Regardless even though it ended with a laugh and well, for some reason the store spontaneously combusted after i left. They are still investigating to try and find the reason why.

disaster-girl-burning-house.gif
 
Law Talkin’ Guy said:
Age 36 was the turning point for me for starting to feel old. It was at that time that I started thinking about the fact that I had been a “grown up” and living on my own and away from my parents as long as I had lived with them. Every year past that is just tipping the scales further into how much of my life has been an adult versus a child. I’ll be turning 40 in a few months and two weeks after my 40th my son will turn 10. The fact that he’s already half way to adulthood is causing me a major existential crisis, lol.
Click to expand...
Mid-30s was my physical peak. You're way too young to panic. Early 40s here with 2 kids in engineering college. I was just listening to them vent/rant about their subjects and professors at the dinner table.
 
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