What is the SADDEST part of becoming old?

1. 85

   gmwilliamsposted 8 years ago

   What is the SADDEST part of becoming old?
   
   

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2. 44

   coolbreezeposted 8 years ago

   I believe the sad part of getting old would be if you did not grow and take care of your self. It doesnt matter how old I am self worth is like a garden. Feed your soul with what you feel it requires sadness is a choice that many do not choose.

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      GarnetBirdposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent and honest hub.

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   Cissy1946posted 8 years ago

   For me it's not being able to do everything for myself anymore. Example: I want to put up curtains in my new apartment. In the beginning I would stand on a chair and put up the curtains, then it changed to using a stepping stool, then a sturdy ladder, now I have to hire a handyman because I start to sway if I stand on a ladder.
   Just to be clear for coolbreeze, the fact that I no longer have the balance to stand on a ladder is a sad fact but that does not make me a sad person. Before you get too much older you should consider the difference...

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4. 74

   kenneth averyposted 8 years ago

   Just the knowing, not imagining, that you are no longer "in the loop" of your former workplace and the friends you have there. Oh, at first when you retire, there will be those occasional phone calls to "check on you," and such, but then one morning, the calls stop. All at once.
   But you, being the lonely, unfulfilled friend, call them and at first they say that they are glad to hear from you and you chat for a moment. Then the next time you call, their voice is chaotic, nervous, as if you are hindering them from work and even say "I will call you back when this project is finished. I promise."
   Then after a few days, weeks, the friend(s) do not call. And then you know, not imagine, that the promise they made to you is broken.
   And you do your best to not think harsh of them. Maybe it was a serious project. Maybe they were "under the gun."
   But the imaginations of one retired and now old, can be lethal. So let this post be a stern reminder to you who are nearing retirement what it is really like.
   Keep your mind busy with good things and do not give any room to harsh, negative thoughts about your friends or neighbors.
   And you will live happier and longer.

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      Say Yes To Lifeposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      It is also extremely important to develop friendships and interests OUTSIDE of work!

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5. 71

   dashingscorpioposted 8 years ago

   
   
   Aside from experiencing any loss of physical or mental health capabilities I imagine it's knowing you're running out of time.
   Regrets over choices made that kept one from living their "dream" life.
   Lastly never coming to grips with the reality one is going to die can cause extreme fear and depression. They don't view it as a transition.
   On the other side of death is an unknown mystery.
   Every ending is a new beginning!

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6. 82

   MsDoraposted 8 years ago

   One really sad part (maybe the saddest) is the final loss of close friends in your age bracket.

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   1. 71

      dashingscorpioposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      So true! If a friend dies you lose a friend.
      However when (you) die you lose ALL of your friends!

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      gregasposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      No, all of your friends lose YOU.

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7. 92

   Billie Kelpinposted 8 years ago

   "For all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest - these: 'It might have been.' John Greenleaf Whittier.  For me the saddest part is the realization that some things will never happen for me now - no grandchildren; no apology from my former husband; no personal accomplishment that I could be really, really proud of; no time of non-struggle financially; no ability to do something spectacular in the world like help out in Syria or join the Peace Corps. I'm sad I turned into such a grumpy person and simply can't or don't want to change. I'm sad that I'll never be able to see Europe or Asia or Central America. I'm sad I'll never be able to tell my former husband how much he had meant to me and how sorry I am for my part in whatever it is that went wrong. I'm sad that I probably won't be able to live in a house of my own again  in someplace beautiful and decorate it. That won't happen. I'm sad none of my projects took off.  As in "On the Waterfront", I think "I coulda been a contender" and I never had the gumpton to be that.  So all in all, the saddest part for me about getting old is that it all might have been and wasn't.

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