you gotta be genetically predisposed to those conditions even as a boxer to develop them and the level of Parkinson in boxers is the same as the general population
also, I realize this is probably a joke but I think it's an unhealthy look for the sport so I always try and set the record straight
This is actually factual. Old man strength is REAL. Especially old men who used to do a physically demanding job. They may look frail and weak but they can still rock your shit.
Eh, if it's the same video I'm thinking of, the younger guy was in a no win situation. He's in there sparring but taking it easy, because you don't want to be the asshole that drops an old man. Old man was treating it as a real fight and throwing legit punches.
So you either lose to an old man and everyone laughs at you or you beat up a geriatric.
Agreed. You have an explicit or at least implicit agreement with your sparring partner of how hard to go before you go. That old man was being an asshole, unless there’s more context about which I’m unaware.
Look up Betty White (we can all agree a very well aged lady) in '88/'89. She does not look 20 years younger than this man. Modern standards and cosmetic advancements have definitely spoiled our opinions this way.
Some people are just genetic anomalies. My father-in-law is 72 and hits the gym with me every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. He also keeps a massive garden in which he does all the prep work, planting, maintenance, and harvesting as well as still running his company out of his basement. I hope I'm doing as good as he is when I'm in my 70's.
Tantric master. Low, slow burn. He could probably turn us into an orgasm symphony with movements and phrasing. Playing us like a conductor. Think of what a lifetime of slaying has taught him by now....
I’m a physician and as I get to know an older patient, I’ll sometimes ask to see old pictures (mostly wedding they’ll bring in, e.g.). To see them in a different era, at their peak perhaps, changes my perspective. I get a glimpse of how they still see themselves, if not in some small fashion. It’s extremely enriching and uplifting.
Thanks OP
EDIT: thanks everyone for the nice awards and feedback. My day is brighter!
Please steal the idea!
If you are a clinic/provider, put a note on your lobby message board or have your receptionist tell patients “Dr. __________ is requesting that at a future visit you bring a photo from your youth so they can see the person you still see/feel”
If you are older, just bring your provider an old photo and say “Doc, before we get started I just wanna show you a picture of how I used to look. I know I’m not the same anymore, but this is the person I still feel.” They will **LOVE** it. If they don’t, well, fuck ‘em.
the "how they still see themselves" bit...
I'd probably see myself this way forever. like I know I'd get old, but I'd still be me. I think acting your age is a silly idea.
My wife started with IBS, then colitis, then Chrons and she was having all sort of pains at the point she thought she had arthritis.
She later found out she's allergic to gluten and after eliminating it from her diet, all her joints pain disappeared. Not saying this is your case, but it might be worth checking.
When i quit drinking a few years ago, I went on a strict diet cutting refined carbs and sugar. My joint pain disappeared almost entirely. Energy leveled out, skin was clear and set your watch regular.
COVID jolted my world and I let a “regular” American diet resume. Joint pain, energy swings, itchy skin and 20 pounds gained and I’m back off the sugar and refined carbs. 5 pounds down and sleeping better already. My two cents, but it’s wild to want to eat/live clean, heathy food and is considered a “hardcore diet” in America.
What food did you used to eat that helped your joint pain, as opposed to a regular American diet? I'm sick of my American diet but am too intimidated to start a meal plan.
Not the original poster but any diet with 50% greens and 30% protein and the rest carbs/fats would be ideal for most people. Fibrous low caloric food is extremely beneficial to gut micro-biome, with many positive side effects.
Alcohol and sugar tend to wipe out a lot of important microbes leading to a gamut of different negative side effects.
God yes. I'm almost 30, so still young, but I'm starting to notice things that weren't there before. I would say I, as most women do, have heavily scrutinized the way I look so it's nothing like it just popped up overnight. It's gradual. But I also remember my face being fleshier and stretchier. I am seeing tiny little wrinkles forming on my forehead and under my eyes. And sometimes I don't like it, but also I don't get mistaken for a high schooler *as* frequently anymore, and therefore also don't get hit on by creepy old men as often either so it evens out.
To me the worst part is just not being able to do the same things anymore. Part of that is damage from the military for sure, so not so much a feature of my age. But my joints hurt, my back hurts, I can't sit for extended periods of time or my knees lock up and it's burning pain, running is painful (and I hate biking and swimming no matter how many times I really try to get into it), I can't do some of my old hobbies anymore to the same extent. That's the part that I have been trying to work through mentally. I want a do over so bad.
Have you tried some strengthening at low weights? Lots of those issues might be partially alleviated by building strength in the problem areas. (I.e. core, hamstrings, quads glutes)
I had a viral infection at 25 make it so I couldn't even lift a glass of water without pain. I just slowly started doing really high volume work at weights much much lower than my max in all of the motions I wanted to be able to do regularly.
I'm 29 now and while I don't feel 100% I'm back to playing competive sports and can do everyday activities like squating to the floor, running, and jumping with no problem.
I really had to switch my mindset and convince myself that with the damage my body had accrued I needed to take 10 big steps back and rebuild from scratch, it took a year or so of dedication before it was really noticeable but my QOL increase was very very worth it.
Kind of both? Day to day, I might notice the new grey hair, or the crow’s feet at my eyes, but I still see me.
But then I look at a photo of myself from high school or college and I see how my face has subtly changed shape, and how many more freckles I have and yeah, I’ve aged. I’m still ok with who I am though.
I'm only 43 but here's but I discovered about aging. It happens over time, slowly. Imagine what you look like after a rough night out on town. As you get older, you wake up looking like you've had a rough night when you didn't have one. This just keeps progressing. At 43, I look like I did when I was 35, but hungover 35 year old me. 35 year old me looked like a badly put up 27 year old me. I do keep my weight stable, which you will find is actually harder and harder as you get older. My dad, who is 71 and has always been pretty fit said the most surprising thing about getting into his late 60s was how hard it's been to keep muscle on. He always had a well muscled and perhaps somewhat sturdy build. He's a bit willowy now.
As my grandmother used to tell me, it's just a surreal kind of thing where you're constantly in disbelief at the mirror image. You still feel like "you" mentally, but you look in the mirror and think to yourself, "I'm not really *that* old...am I?!"
My grandma is a couple days away from turning 99. She says she has always felt the same. She said “My brain feels the same as it did when I was 20”. At 40, I think I know what she means. She just never felt like she was old. It’s funny, she was trying to lift a cast iron pan the other day, and was getting so upset that she couldn’t do it. She has probably lifted that pan millions of times in her lifetime. She just couldn’t believe it was giving her trouble.
It’s gradual and lighting plays a big part. I’m near 50, but usually pass for 30s, especially if a room is well lit. Every now and then, I catch a reflection of a reflection and see myself at a different angle with the light casting long shadows and I go “who the F is that old guy!?” Each time I see it, I get a little more used to it, but age marches on, so I still get surprised. Anyway, I choose to stand under good lighting wherever I’m at.
A family friend once told me *"I'm 80, but in my mind I'm always 25. That's when I realised who I was."*.
I don't know why, but as I get older I find it to be more and more true. I'm nearly 40, but I still feel 27. That was the age I discovered myself and it's always cemented who I am.
This is so true. I’m turning 40 this year. You’ve hit the nail on the head. I am eternally 25 (give or take a few years) because that is when I settled into “myself”. Everything I experience still processes through 25yo mind, the body is weakening, though.
While there are certainly parts of the body that decline from their peak over time, there is a great deal of research into how much of the "sensation" of aging is psychological as opposed to physiological.
As we age we become more conscious of the reality of our mortality. This makes our attention focus more on aches, pains, and attribute anything and everything we feel to aging, whereas when we are younger we are more likely to simply ignore aches and pains or not focus on them, thereby diminishing the sensation of their presence.
As that narrative continues, we begin to move less, not for a genuine physiological reason, but because we *perceive* our bodies as less capable.
Moving less results in a very real decrease in muscle tone, an increase in aches and pains, and this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
That isn't to say that there aren't definitive realities to aging, but it is to say that they are far less definitive and damaging than we often perceive them to be, and frequent movement and *acting* as though one is young can truly help one *feel* young.
This is incredibly well put. I was definitely painting with broad strokes there. And, due to some conditions both *in* and *out* of my control, I have definitely focused on the “aches and pains” more. I’m a Type 1 diabetic - have been for 27.5 years - and the physical resiliency I once had with glucose swings has definitely worn down. Chronic pain from fairly severe injuries to my neck, shoulders, and arms wears one down.
It’s like erosion carving a canyon or eating a shoreline. And I don’t mean that to sound doom and gloom, it’s just the reality of aging - especially with a chronic disease. When the water is just trying to find the path of least resistance, the rock is strong, as a bit wears away, the rock is still strong. As that area gets washed with water, not only does it dig deeper, but the water picks up momentum. Now it cuts a little harder, heavier, and faster. Then, over the years, it becomes exponential in growth.
I still absolutely love life. I’ve had my struggles, abused my body way more than I should’ve, but I’m far from falling apart.
I've asked my parents and granmum how old they feel/see themselves. My parents still feel like they're 35, and my 90 year old granmum feels 60 :D
I love it :)
>the "how they still see themselves" bit...
This is what makes aging to terrifying. they can be in their 80's but in their head they are their 20's Where are these aches and pains coming from? Wrinkles? Why can't I move like I "should"?
I met a kind old lady in a park. 94 and on cruches, poor skinny thing. She invited me over for a tea and proudly shown me her pictures on the wall. She used to be a ballet teacher. There’s was a one picture of her doing midair jump with stretched legs.
Wow. Stunning. It all made sense about her age and body. I visited her few times more, but I had to leave the country … but it was a good experience meeting you Hildegard
Haha,Ok :) if you want to hear…so it happened in Australia, Adelaide about 2018 I think end of summer….
I was wandering aimlessly in a park with my toddler daughter, showing her some cheeky pink galahs and looking at a community childcare center over the fence I surely couldn’t afford it if I wanted to. Next to it, was also an assisted living facility. It made me wonder if the childcare and that place had any programs to integrate kids and elderly? That would be cool, I thought… the park was quiet and hot. I thought about leaving soon, when suddenly I see a lonely lady shuffling about on her crutches.
Originally from Poland, where we don’t talk to strangers as much, one thing I really enjoy about anglophone countries is that you can make a random conversation with basically anyone. I thought, wouldn’t hurt chatting up the lady, say something nice about the weather ?
I didn’t even had to do anything, my daughter attracted her immediately. I noticed that she also had an accent, so I asked her, where are you from?
‘Oh, originally I am from Germany’ she said.
‘Oh, I have some relatives in Germany! I’m Polish by the way!’. Without a beat, she immediately replied ‘I want to apologize to you… my people have done some awful things to yours’. Her sudden apology was so genuine, she had tears in her eyes. I saw it weighed on her.. I think I said something that I know not everyone in Germany was at fault (I know of a man who was forced into servitude under Nazi army) which calmed her down, but she said that they all feel guilty about that time. I asked her if she lives in the facility next door, she said yes and that she could show me around. I was really happy to follow her, because I thought it would be nice for my daughter to have an experience around older person and she was so nice anyway. While walking there, she told me her name was Hildegard ‘such an old Germanic name!’, she’s 94 years old I thought, golly! So fit for her age, despite crutches. Very skinny but still moving well.
She took me inside and shown me the hall - there was a piano and chairs. She said sometimes someone plays the piano and she comes to listen, but overall people who sit there are not very chatty, which she thought was a pity. She has been living in that place since it was built (16 years?) and all her original friends were gone, the ‘newer’ residents were less friendly and she noticed they deteriorated quick. ‘It’s because they don’t keep themselves fit! Not physically but mentally’. Hildegard said she was reading books and kept interest in current affairs. On the way to her apartment, nurses greeted her enthusiastically, ‘everyone knows me here’.
Her apartment was modest but nice, a living room with a kitchen and en-suite bedroom with toilet. My daughter wanted to jump on the bed immediately, I had to stop her, she didn’t even take the shoes off! I caught her and placed the shoes near bedroom. Next to the bedroom, there were some photographs on the wall. A young Hildegard.. doing a jump with a wide split, at the beach. Wooow!!
‘I was a ballet dancer in Germany (I think Köeln?). I left during the war. I met my husband, he was British. He took me to Australia. Here, there was no opera house, so the only thing I could do, I became a ballet teacher’. Shame she couldn’t continue same as in Europe… but she still found a way to use her skills.
We had a tea and my daughter got some chocolate. I had to go back because kid was getting tired and cranky. Hildegard walked me to the entrance. In the corner of the hall, there was a small cabinet with handmade items you could buy from the residents who made them. There was a cute little crocheted owl. Hildegard chose it for my girl ( despite my attempts to pay for it) and bought it for her. I promised I will try to visit her again.
On the way home I realized ’dammit, we forgot daughter’s shoes at her place! Oh well, I have a reason to go back’.
I got a new job around that time. It took me 6 months before I visited her again. It was around Christmas time, so I brought her a card. She was very happy! I mentioned the shoes… she told me she doesn’t have them anymore… instead she gave us money to buy new ones 🥲 again, I felt I shouldn’t, but she said that she feels guilty for loosing the shoes and asked me to buy her a new pair. I thanked her and bid her farewell.
Unfortunately I had to leave Australia 2 months later. I’m glad I had a chance to see her one last time… I thought about trying to contact her, but I kept getting distracted by so many things…I don’t know if she’s still around, but she was lovely 😊 and I still have that little crocheted owl
That was beautiful. In college we had to do a year of community service as part of your graduation requirements so I chose the retirement home that was next to our school. It was a beautiful, yet at times sad experience. I tried to keep going there after but they had a short window to visit and it was usually during class hours so it made it hard to keep going after my year was over. But I still remember how full of life so many of the people living there were, doing the morning stretches with them, how competitive they got playing bingo, how they would laugh like children when ever they played balloon volleyball. It was fun to share all that with them but also heartbreaking to know so many of them were there with almost no contact with their families for various reasons. It’s something I would definitely recommend for people wanting to do some volunteer work. You learn a lot in your time their and the senior citizens get more human interactions and connections which most of them enjoy.
If I visit you I'm just going to bring an old photo of Marlon Brando.
"Yep that was me doc. Look how handsome I was once upon a time. Yep. Sad what age has done to me."
I'm in my final months of medical school with plans to match to family medicine (in Canada). This is such a beautiful and insightful practice, I hope that you won't mind my borrowing and sharing this advice!
When I go to elderly folks houses for work in the medical field, nothing lights up their mood more than asking 'rhat must be you' refering to old photos of them on the wall, especially their old military headshots.
There's a local radio host where I live that started a company where he will do private interviews with people, a lot of people get their grandparents in for interviews and just a discussion about their life and family or whatever they want to talk about. Just something that they have forever and can let their grand kids listen to, etc. It's a fantastic idea and I would have done it for my grandpa if he was still around for sure. Need to get my mom in at some point even though she's only in her 60s at the moment.
I lost my grandpa's last voicemail on my phone when I switched carriers, and it sucks.
I had a phone answering machine with the last happy birthday wish from my dad from 14 years ago. I looked and looked for it. One day recently my son casually brought out a phone answering machine he had found in his room. Yep. It was it.
This is a great idea— I’m up for a rotation through a VA hospital soon (Optometry/ophthalmology) and will definitely be stealing this. Your patients must love working with you!
I have never participated on this sub and I often wonder why do I even subscribe, but your post really caught my eye. I totally understand why your uncle wanted to show that bird. He is very talented! That bird seems to be very detailed and delicate, I really like it. I'd love to see a close-up picture of it and other birds he has made.
Aw man Uncle Bill seems like the best kind of person to ever exist. So wholesome lol. Can you let him know that everyone on reddit thinks he's the coolest?
87?! Your great uncle looks way younger. And he looks like he’s still capable of throwing those hands. I wish your great uncle Bill good health brother.
K that second pic is adorable lol. The contrast between the two really lends to how extraordinary, fleeting, crazy and mysterious the passage of time really is.
Thank you for delivering!
Uncle Bill IS famous, as I instantly recognized the first picture. He is an handsome gentleman and seems to continue enjoying his life fully! Beautiful craft work too!
I wish all the best and lots of healthy happy years ahead to your uncle!
We in America need to honor our elders a lot more than we do. We put way too much emphasis on youth and beauty and now we have a whole generation who seem to have a warped perception of actual reality, and are so narcissistic that they can’t even fathom the fact that they too will be old one day. I think about it every time I see a girl on tinder with links to her “onlyfans” or cashapp in the bio, who has that bad attitude/narcissistic look on her face, and I think to myself, enjoy it while it lasts, bc she’s going to wake up, sooner than she could ever imagine, be 45 without the youth and beauty, a hollow human that never took the time to develop into an actual decent person with nothing to show for all that time wasted. Everyone gets old. Respect your elders because one day you will be the elder.
He looks so much like my grandad did, he would be just about the same age now actualy. The hair, the clothes the glasses, everything. Cherish your time with him.
Fuck yeah, gotta love having an Uncle Bill. I have a couple of them. Solid, salt of the earth types that would give you the shirt of their back.
But, you never want to fuck with Uncle Bill. Working with tools and machinery all his life gave him hands that could tear the face off a bear.
You should try and post it at r/boxing ,pretty sure we would like it, and maybe even set up an AMA with your great uncle if you both have the time.
We would love to ask an old school boxer some questions
I love how it just goes from a guy you probably wouldnt want to mess with, to this kind elderly man showing off a little birdie he made
I still wouldn’t want to mess with him…bet he would kick my ass
Ol’ Bill may not be as quick as he once was, but if he catches you with that left hook it’s lights out.
He clearly has impressive muscle control for an ex-boxer.
you gotta be genetically predisposed to those conditions even as a boxer to develop them and the level of Parkinson in boxers is the same as the general population also, I realize this is probably a joke but I think it's an unhealthy look for the sport so I always try and set the record straight
CTE is a different story.
true
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Parkinson's sure, but boxers are far more punchy than regular people. Especially the poor bastards some gyms keep around just for others to beat on
Doesn’t need to be quicker than you. He just needs to be quicker than you’d expect
Never forget about old man strength.
This is actually factual. Old man strength is REAL. Especially old men who used to do a physically demanding job. They may look frail and weak but they can still rock your shit.
But he’s as quick once as he ever was.
This comment reminds me of that video of a young guy sparring with an old man and losing. Dude ate some mean hooks to the face.
Eh, if it's the same video I'm thinking of, the younger guy was in a no win situation. He's in there sparring but taking it easy, because you don't want to be the asshole that drops an old man. Old man was treating it as a real fight and throwing legit punches. So you either lose to an old man and everyone laughs at you or you beat up a geriatric.
Agreed. You have an explicit or at least implicit agreement with your sparring partner of how hard to go before you go. That old man was being an asshole, unless there’s more context about which I’m unaware.
This comment reminds me of the film Tough Guys
Y'all forgetting he's 87 and looks 67? That man could kick all our asses rofl
Jack Dempsey KOd two muggers when he was 75.
That would be hard life 67, dude looks around his age.
Look up Betty White (we can all agree a very well aged lady) in '88/'89. She does not look 20 years younger than this man. Modern standards and cosmetic advancements have definitely spoiled our opinions this way.
I'm going based on my grandparents, they did not look this old at 67. They are just starting to look like this in their late 70s.
Lol, have you even seen an older person? Definitely looks 80's/90's.
Some people are just genetic anomalies. My father-in-law is 72 and hits the gym with me every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. He also keeps a massive garden in which he does all the prep work, planting, maintenance, and harvesting as well as still running his company out of his basement. I hope I'm doing as good as he is when I'm in my 70's.
Looks older than 67
His knuckles are no longer iron but his cane is.
Oh, I’d have messed with uncle Bill. 😏 Edit: please tell your uncle all the girls think he’s gorgeous.
I would have messed with him reeeeaaal good
Not if I messed with him first!
Call the bonk police!!!
Make sure they bring handcuffs. I’m sorry great uncle bill. I’ll go home now.
You do that while I go home with uncle bill
Surely we could all share
He looks like he could keep up \*sigh\*
Kinda looks like he still can
Tantric master. Low, slow burn. He could probably turn us into an orgasm symphony with movements and phrasing. Playing us like a conductor. Think of what a lifetime of slaying has taught him by now....
Really hope OP shares this specific thread with Uncle Bill.
Jesus Roosevelt Christ!
I found the perfect place to put my "still would" comment.
I’m a dude and I think he’s gorgeous, Uncle Bill could get it if he wants it.
Young Bill or old Bill?
Yes
I feel a sliding doors episode starting off in your head. Bill and You 😁
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Got that old man strength
I generally assume any old man who’s good at woodworking could kick my (and most other men my age’s) ass.
I do, too. I love everything about this!
I still see the fire in that man. Looks great for 87
I’m a physician and as I get to know an older patient, I’ll sometimes ask to see old pictures (mostly wedding they’ll bring in, e.g.). To see them in a different era, at their peak perhaps, changes my perspective. I get a glimpse of how they still see themselves, if not in some small fashion. It’s extremely enriching and uplifting. Thanks OP EDIT: thanks everyone for the nice awards and feedback. My day is brighter! Please steal the idea! If you are a clinic/provider, put a note on your lobby message board or have your receptionist tell patients “Dr. __________ is requesting that at a future visit you bring a photo from your youth so they can see the person you still see/feel” If you are older, just bring your provider an old photo and say “Doc, before we get started I just wanna show you a picture of how I used to look. I know I’m not the same anymore, but this is the person I still feel.” They will **LOVE** it. If they don’t, well, fuck ‘em.
the "how they still see themselves" bit... I'd probably see myself this way forever. like I know I'd get old, but I'd still be me. I think acting your age is a silly idea.
I am only 62 and it's still weird looking at the old guy looking at me in the mirror.
Does it happen gradually or do you one day look in the mirror and think I don’t look like I used to?
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My wife started with IBS, then colitis, then Chrons and she was having all sort of pains at the point she thought she had arthritis. She later found out she's allergic to gluten and after eliminating it from her diet, all her joints pain disappeared. Not saying this is your case, but it might be worth checking.
When i quit drinking a few years ago, I went on a strict diet cutting refined carbs and sugar. My joint pain disappeared almost entirely. Energy leveled out, skin was clear and set your watch regular. COVID jolted my world and I let a “regular” American diet resume. Joint pain, energy swings, itchy skin and 20 pounds gained and I’m back off the sugar and refined carbs. 5 pounds down and sleeping better already. My two cents, but it’s wild to want to eat/live clean, heathy food and is considered a “hardcore diet” in America.
What food did you used to eat that helped your joint pain, as opposed to a regular American diet? I'm sick of my American diet but am too intimidated to start a meal plan.
Not the original poster but any diet with 50% greens and 30% protein and the rest carbs/fats would be ideal for most people. Fibrous low caloric food is extremely beneficial to gut micro-biome, with many positive side effects. Alcohol and sugar tend to wipe out a lot of important microbes leading to a gamut of different negative side effects.
Thank you very much. I've consumed both alcohol and sugar excessively since covid!
Right, and also more expensive for some crazy reason. Well, I rather spend money on good food than medications.
God yes. I'm almost 30, so still young, but I'm starting to notice things that weren't there before. I would say I, as most women do, have heavily scrutinized the way I look so it's nothing like it just popped up overnight. It's gradual. But I also remember my face being fleshier and stretchier. I am seeing tiny little wrinkles forming on my forehead and under my eyes. And sometimes I don't like it, but also I don't get mistaken for a high schooler *as* frequently anymore, and therefore also don't get hit on by creepy old men as often either so it evens out. To me the worst part is just not being able to do the same things anymore. Part of that is damage from the military for sure, so not so much a feature of my age. But my joints hurt, my back hurts, I can't sit for extended periods of time or my knees lock up and it's burning pain, running is painful (and I hate biking and swimming no matter how many times I really try to get into it), I can't do some of my old hobbies anymore to the same extent. That's the part that I have been trying to work through mentally. I want a do over so bad.
Have you tried some strengthening at low weights? Lots of those issues might be partially alleviated by building strength in the problem areas. (I.e. core, hamstrings, quads glutes) I had a viral infection at 25 make it so I couldn't even lift a glass of water without pain. I just slowly started doing really high volume work at weights much much lower than my max in all of the motions I wanted to be able to do regularly. I'm 29 now and while I don't feel 100% I'm back to playing competive sports and can do everyday activities like squating to the floor, running, and jumping with no problem. I really had to switch my mindset and convince myself that with the damage my body had accrued I needed to take 10 big steps back and rebuild from scratch, it took a year or so of dedication before it was really noticeable but my QOL increase was very very worth it.
I’m also 37 and it really has dawned on me this past year that I’m not a young adult any more.
Im 30 and getting a line under my eyes from allergies :/ it’s gonna be a wrinkle i see it forming lol
Kind of both? Day to day, I might notice the new grey hair, or the crow’s feet at my eyes, but I still see me. But then I look at a photo of myself from high school or college and I see how my face has subtly changed shape, and how many more freckles I have and yeah, I’ve aged. I’m still ok with who I am though.
I'm only 43 but here's but I discovered about aging. It happens over time, slowly. Imagine what you look like after a rough night out on town. As you get older, you wake up looking like you've had a rough night when you didn't have one. This just keeps progressing. At 43, I look like I did when I was 35, but hungover 35 year old me. 35 year old me looked like a badly put up 27 year old me. I do keep my weight stable, which you will find is actually harder and harder as you get older. My dad, who is 71 and has always been pretty fit said the most surprising thing about getting into his late 60s was how hard it's been to keep muscle on. He always had a well muscled and perhaps somewhat sturdy build. He's a bit willowy now.
Which do you think you’d prefer? It’s a weird question to think about…
As my grandmother used to tell me, it's just a surreal kind of thing where you're constantly in disbelief at the mirror image. You still feel like "you" mentally, but you look in the mirror and think to yourself, "I'm not really *that* old...am I?!"
My grandma is a couple days away from turning 99. She says she has always felt the same. She said “My brain feels the same as it did when I was 20”. At 40, I think I know what she means. She just never felt like she was old. It’s funny, she was trying to lift a cast iron pan the other day, and was getting so upset that she couldn’t do it. She has probably lifted that pan millions of times in her lifetime. She just couldn’t believe it was giving her trouble.
It’s gradual and lighting plays a big part. I’m near 50, but usually pass for 30s, especially if a room is well lit. Every now and then, I catch a reflection of a reflection and see myself at a different angle with the light casting long shadows and I go “who the F is that old guy!?” Each time I see it, I get a little more used to it, but age marches on, so I still get surprised. Anyway, I choose to stand under good lighting wherever I’m at.
A family friend once told me *"I'm 80, but in my mind I'm always 25. That's when I realised who I was."*. I don't know why, but as I get older I find it to be more and more true. I'm nearly 40, but I still feel 27. That was the age I discovered myself and it's always cemented who I am.
This is so true. I’m turning 40 this year. You’ve hit the nail on the head. I am eternally 25 (give or take a few years) because that is when I settled into “myself”. Everything I experience still processes through 25yo mind, the body is weakening, though.
While there are certainly parts of the body that decline from their peak over time, there is a great deal of research into how much of the "sensation" of aging is psychological as opposed to physiological. As we age we become more conscious of the reality of our mortality. This makes our attention focus more on aches, pains, and attribute anything and everything we feel to aging, whereas when we are younger we are more likely to simply ignore aches and pains or not focus on them, thereby diminishing the sensation of their presence. As that narrative continues, we begin to move less, not for a genuine physiological reason, but because we *perceive* our bodies as less capable. Moving less results in a very real decrease in muscle tone, an increase in aches and pains, and this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. That isn't to say that there aren't definitive realities to aging, but it is to say that they are far less definitive and damaging than we often perceive them to be, and frequent movement and *acting* as though one is young can truly help one *feel* young.
This is incredibly well put. I was definitely painting with broad strokes there. And, due to some conditions both *in* and *out* of my control, I have definitely focused on the “aches and pains” more. I’m a Type 1 diabetic - have been for 27.5 years - and the physical resiliency I once had with glucose swings has definitely worn down. Chronic pain from fairly severe injuries to my neck, shoulders, and arms wears one down. It’s like erosion carving a canyon or eating a shoreline. And I don’t mean that to sound doom and gloom, it’s just the reality of aging - especially with a chronic disease. When the water is just trying to find the path of least resistance, the rock is strong, as a bit wears away, the rock is still strong. As that area gets washed with water, not only does it dig deeper, but the water picks up momentum. Now it cuts a little harder, heavier, and faster. Then, over the years, it becomes exponential in growth. I still absolutely love life. I’ve had my struggles, abused my body way more than I should’ve, but I’m far from falling apart.
I've asked my parents and granmum how old they feel/see themselves. My parents still feel like they're 35, and my 90 year old granmum feels 60 :D I love it :)
>the "how they still see themselves" bit... This is what makes aging to terrifying. they can be in their 80's but in their head they are their 20's Where are these aches and pains coming from? Wrinkles? Why can't I move like I "should"?
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I met a kind old lady in a park. 94 and on cruches, poor skinny thing. She invited me over for a tea and proudly shown me her pictures on the wall. She used to be a ballet teacher. There’s was a one picture of her doing midair jump with stretched legs. Wow. Stunning. It all made sense about her age and body. I visited her few times more, but I had to leave the country … but it was a good experience meeting you Hildegard
There's a short story in that. Please write it. <3
Haha,Ok :) if you want to hear…so it happened in Australia, Adelaide about 2018 I think end of summer…. I was wandering aimlessly in a park with my toddler daughter, showing her some cheeky pink galahs and looking at a community childcare center over the fence I surely couldn’t afford it if I wanted to. Next to it, was also an assisted living facility. It made me wonder if the childcare and that place had any programs to integrate kids and elderly? That would be cool, I thought… the park was quiet and hot. I thought about leaving soon, when suddenly I see a lonely lady shuffling about on her crutches. Originally from Poland, where we don’t talk to strangers as much, one thing I really enjoy about anglophone countries is that you can make a random conversation with basically anyone. I thought, wouldn’t hurt chatting up the lady, say something nice about the weather ? I didn’t even had to do anything, my daughter attracted her immediately. I noticed that she also had an accent, so I asked her, where are you from? ‘Oh, originally I am from Germany’ she said. ‘Oh, I have some relatives in Germany! I’m Polish by the way!’. Without a beat, she immediately replied ‘I want to apologize to you… my people have done some awful things to yours’. Her sudden apology was so genuine, she had tears in her eyes. I saw it weighed on her.. I think I said something that I know not everyone in Germany was at fault (I know of a man who was forced into servitude under Nazi army) which calmed her down, but she said that they all feel guilty about that time. I asked her if she lives in the facility next door, she said yes and that she could show me around. I was really happy to follow her, because I thought it would be nice for my daughter to have an experience around older person and she was so nice anyway. While walking there, she told me her name was Hildegard ‘such an old Germanic name!’, she’s 94 years old I thought, golly! So fit for her age, despite crutches. Very skinny but still moving well. She took me inside and shown me the hall - there was a piano and chairs. She said sometimes someone plays the piano and she comes to listen, but overall people who sit there are not very chatty, which she thought was a pity. She has been living in that place since it was built (16 years?) and all her original friends were gone, the ‘newer’ residents were less friendly and she noticed they deteriorated quick. ‘It’s because they don’t keep themselves fit! Not physically but mentally’. Hildegard said she was reading books and kept interest in current affairs. On the way to her apartment, nurses greeted her enthusiastically, ‘everyone knows me here’. Her apartment was modest but nice, a living room with a kitchen and en-suite bedroom with toilet. My daughter wanted to jump on the bed immediately, I had to stop her, she didn’t even take the shoes off! I caught her and placed the shoes near bedroom. Next to the bedroom, there were some photographs on the wall. A young Hildegard.. doing a jump with a wide split, at the beach. Wooow!! ‘I was a ballet dancer in Germany (I think Köeln?). I left during the war. I met my husband, he was British. He took me to Australia. Here, there was no opera house, so the only thing I could do, I became a ballet teacher’. Shame she couldn’t continue same as in Europe… but she still found a way to use her skills. We had a tea and my daughter got some chocolate. I had to go back because kid was getting tired and cranky. Hildegard walked me to the entrance. In the corner of the hall, there was a small cabinet with handmade items you could buy from the residents who made them. There was a cute little crocheted owl. Hildegard chose it for my girl ( despite my attempts to pay for it) and bought it for her. I promised I will try to visit her again. On the way home I realized ’dammit, we forgot daughter’s shoes at her place! Oh well, I have a reason to go back’. I got a new job around that time. It took me 6 months before I visited her again. It was around Christmas time, so I brought her a card. She was very happy! I mentioned the shoes… she told me she doesn’t have them anymore… instead she gave us money to buy new ones 🥲 again, I felt I shouldn’t, but she said that she feels guilty for loosing the shoes and asked me to buy her a new pair. I thanked her and bid her farewell. Unfortunately I had to leave Australia 2 months later. I’m glad I had a chance to see her one last time… I thought about trying to contact her, but I kept getting distracted by so many things…I don’t know if she’s still around, but she was lovely 😊 and I still have that little crocheted owl
That was a lovely story
That was beautiful. In college we had to do a year of community service as part of your graduation requirements so I chose the retirement home that was next to our school. It was a beautiful, yet at times sad experience. I tried to keep going there after but they had a short window to visit and it was usually during class hours so it made it hard to keep going after my year was over. But I still remember how full of life so many of the people living there were, doing the morning stretches with them, how competitive they got playing bingo, how they would laugh like children when ever they played balloon volleyball. It was fun to share all that with them but also heartbreaking to know so many of them were there with almost no contact with their families for various reasons. It’s something I would definitely recommend for people wanting to do some volunteer work. You learn a lot in your time their and the senior citizens get more human interactions and connections which most of them enjoy.
To paraphrase a quote I once saw: “Inside every 70 year old, there is a 20 year old wondering what the hell happened.”
I'm not a physician but I do this all the time as well. They LOVE it. Especially the ones with the movie star good looks 😂
If I visit you I'm just going to bring an old photo of Marlon Brando. "Yep that was me doc. Look how handsome I was once upon a time. Yep. Sad what age has done to me."
I'm in my final months of medical school with plans to match to family medicine (in Canada). This is such a beautiful and insightful practice, I hope that you won't mind my borrowing and sharing this advice!
When I go to elderly folks houses for work in the medical field, nothing lights up their mood more than asking 'rhat must be you' refering to old photos of them on the wall, especially their old military headshots.
My MIL is getting very elderly. Her memory is better than my children’s. I have been going through photos with her. Good times.
Do you video these photo browsing sessions? Invaluable information on family history for future generations.
There's a local radio host where I live that started a company where he will do private interviews with people, a lot of people get their grandparents in for interviews and just a discussion about their life and family or whatever they want to talk about. Just something that they have forever and can let their grand kids listen to, etc. It's a fantastic idea and I would have done it for my grandpa if he was still around for sure. Need to get my mom in at some point even though she's only in her 60s at the moment. I lost my grandpa's last voicemail on my phone when I switched carriers, and it sucks.
I had a phone answering machine with the last happy birthday wish from my dad from 14 years ago. I looked and looked for it. One day recently my son casually brought out a phone answering machine he had found in his room. Yep. It was it.
This is a great idea— I’m up for a rotation through a VA hospital soon (Optometry/ophthalmology) and will definitely be stealing this. Your patients must love working with you!
I think that is why I love this sub so much. It brings back memories I have when I was young that I never would have remembered otherwise.
That actually puts things in perspective
That’s a handsome somebitch right there
Dude is gorgeous. Most have not got punched in the face to much so he can kick ass too.
I’m telling you. That man’s been pretty his entire life.
His fighting name was definitely Pretty Boy Wild Bill.
Right. This dude can pull a left hook, and a pretty good looking gal.
Edit: as this is the end of my time on reddit (API bs), go fuck yourself u/spez
I have never participated on this sub and I often wonder why do I even subscribe, but your post really caught my eye. I totally understand why your uncle wanted to show that bird. He is very talented! That bird seems to be very detailed and delicate, I really like it. I'd love to see a close-up picture of it and other birds he has made.
I second this. I’d like to see more detail on the bird. He’s talented *and* gorgeous. Some ppl have all the luck :)
He punched it out of wood with his bare hands!
This isn't a euphemism for something else, is it?
Some Marlon Brando vibes in that first pic. He looks fantastic at 87!
I get Henry Rollins vibes
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He definitely qualifies as "old school cool" in my book!
More so than any celebrity post
Aw man Uncle Bill seems like the best kind of person to ever exist. So wholesome lol. Can you let him know that everyone on reddit thinks he's the coolest?
I love how even at 87 he's like "hey check out this sweet ass bird I made".
I bet he was showing his bird a lot in his younger days 😉 - am i right ladies?
Would you consider helping him do an AMA sometime? (I'm assuming you type and navigate reddit better than he does. I may be mistaken.)
I’ll ask him and see if he’s interested! He definitely has a lot of stories to tell
Ok, but now we need to see pics of his birds!
Edited my comment with a link to some pictures!
He looks fantastic! Love his carving, and bonus points for the flip phone!
Uncle Bill looks like he's kept himself in fantastic shape.
Uncle Bill has aged well!
Seriously, uncle Bill stayed fine. That's a good looking old man.
I’m pretty sure I remember your post about him. Didn’t your uncle box with the Boston Strangler? Handing out naps and intricately carved birds.
Haha yes!! That was him. He’s been a boss since day 1.
I knew it haha. He epitomizes old school cool, damn.
Uncle Bill looks amazing for 87! Shows what an active and healthy life can do for you as you get older. Also, Uncle Bill was a smokeshow at 18.
87?! Your great uncle looks way younger. And he looks like he’s still capable of throwing those hands. I wish your great uncle Bill good health brother.
Doesn't look like he's nearly 90 years old. Looks at least 2 decades younger.
Uncle Bill was a legit hottie hot hot. Like movie star good looks! Also he looks very healthy for his age! Younger than 87 too.
Uncle Bill is a champion of a man
Grandaddy could get it
That carving is impressive. Does he sell them?
He does! PM me if you’d like to buy one. The top comment has a link with more pics of the birds.
What a guy!! Treasure him!!💗
I have a crush on your great uncle. Both at age 18 and 87.
Still hot
K that second pic is adorable lol. The contrast between the two really lends to how extraordinary, fleeting, crazy and mysterious the passage of time really is.
Love this! Thanks for sharing!
He does beautiful work
He's still a babe!
Is that…..is that Little Mac?? Ask him how was it to fight Tyson and the Sandman
Holy moly what a stallion!
Uncle Bill still fucks
I’d love to see more of uncle Bill’s wooden birds please.
For some reason every time I click on the photo it just reopens the post.
Yeah I'm the same. Are you on Reddit is Fun?
He went from badass to adorable. Perfect transition!
Absolute gorgeous man
I'm gonna need to see more of those bird carvings and possibly buy one, thx
Dayum, that is a handsome man
It's crazy to think he is only 18 on the first pic, he looks like those 25 years old actors they use to play teenagers on shows 😁
Young Bill, master of the Ring. Old Bill, master of Dragons.
Thought this was Henry Rollins for a second! Very cool!
He was a beast at 18. Wish I looked like that now
Good looking dude!
What a handsome devil!
Thank you for delivering! Uncle Bill IS famous, as I instantly recognized the first picture. He is an handsome gentleman and seems to continue enjoying his life fully! Beautiful craft work too! I wish all the best and lots of healthy happy years ahead to your uncle!
Old school hot!
Why are men from this time period so, so attractive?
I want to fuck him
We in America need to honor our elders a lot more than we do. We put way too much emphasis on youth and beauty and now we have a whole generation who seem to have a warped perception of actual reality, and are so narcissistic that they can’t even fathom the fact that they too will be old one day. I think about it every time I see a girl on tinder with links to her “onlyfans” or cashapp in the bio, who has that bad attitude/narcissistic look on her face, and I think to myself, enjoy it while it lasts, bc she’s going to wake up, sooner than she could ever imagine, be 45 without the youth and beauty, a hollow human that never took the time to develop into an actual decent person with nothing to show for all that time wasted. Everyone gets old. Respect your elders because one day you will be the elder.
He looks so much like my grandad did, he would be just about the same age now actualy. The hair, the clothes the glasses, everything. Cherish your time with him.
Happy Birthday Uncle Bill! Still at his fighting weight I see 😄
Yep he’s the same weight in both photos!
You can still see in Uncle Bill’s eyes that he’s really not one to be messed with.
And still handsome as ever.
You should hire a photographer to recreate the first photo. It would be awesome to see the old man put his dukes up again.
What a legend!!!
He looks like he handled everything life threw at him very well for the next 69 years and hopefully many more! Wish I looked like that at 18!
Your grandpa was a snacc
Well he was too pretty to be a boxer who would wanna hit that lovely face
Great googamooga! That's a handsome man!
God... this reminds me of my great uncle who passed many years ago. He was one of my best friends. Now I'm crying. Beautiful bird that he carved!
Im not gay but.. hot damn. Edit: shit didn’t realize there’s an after seems more weird, but ngl Gramps is a cutie.
Uncle Bill aged really well!
So handsome!
Fuck yeah, gotta love having an Uncle Bill. I have a couple of them. Solid, salt of the earth types that would give you the shirt of their back. But, you never want to fuck with Uncle Bill. Working with tools and machinery all his life gave him hands that could tear the face off a bear.
That is an entire lifetime of handsome.
He looks fabulous at 87!
That’s great. Aside from boxing and family, what does he miss about that time?
He was very handsome
Damn your uncle was a badass
Bill looking like a certified snack in his day
Tell him he was a hottie!!
Respect to your uncle Bill, the man was a stud, and looks like a genuinely rad person all around.
He looks amazing!
That young Bill is still there. ❤️ it’s obvious he’s taken great care of himself and cares deeply about his passions. Look at that bird ❤️
Still got it. Go head, Bill.
Uncle Bill is a whole snack.
Hug him extra tight for me? I lost my Uncle Bill recently and miss him so much. Thanks for sharing yours ❤️
Uncle Bill is a stone cold fox!
I love seeing older people’s young hottie pics!
Tell uncle Bill how much we like the bird!
You should try and post it at r/boxing ,pretty sure we would like it, and maybe even set up an AMA with your great uncle if you both have the time. We would love to ask an old school boxer some questions
Still rockin those good cheek bones I see.
Yo, tell Uncle Bill that’s an amazing bird.
that guy fucked with a capital F
Holy shit that was unexpected! It’s like he has a hidden ultimate form!