Outside of wrinkles, what was your rude awakening to getting old?

[Anonymous]

I didn’t get gray hair until my early fifties, thank goodness. Thanks to botex, I’m in the “I look younger” zone. The real realty hit me with when arthritis started, not walking as fast as I use to- just lower endurance in general. Aches, here and there and catching colds that I never use to. Yeah, 60’s are officially here.

[Anonymous]

Gray hair. I used to be able to just pluck a few here and there, then at mid fifties it is just too many.
Reading glasses.

[Anonymous]

45F -

1. White hair starting in my 40s. Not complaining, my mother had white hair starting in her teens! I dye it.

2. Stiffness after periods of not moving, despite living an active lifestyle and being flexible. I have a hitherto invisible autoimmune condition that I was told would manifest in the joints. Maybe that's my first visible symptom of that disease.

[Anonymous]

Mine involves literal rudeness.

A little self-entitled Gen Z girl pushed past my elderly father in a line to catch up with some friends. Didn't say excuse me or anything. Just literally pushed him aside. My father started to tell her off and she got combative. So I stepped in and told her to move along. She persists to argue so I repeated just move along. Finally, I told her to hush her mouth. She seemed shocked. She looked at me and asked, "How old are you?" (I'm 53). And then very seriously declared, "It's amazing that I'm only 25 and so much more mature than you."

Gen Z really is an obnoxious lot lacking in basic manners. But I've noticed a lot of ageism from them. It's wild.

[Anonymous]

Tendinitis and random joint pain. Started at 52. I’m very active and workout a lot but this surprised me.

I’ve had a bit of grey hair since my late 40s. I don’t care. We’ll see how it comes in and go from there.

[Anonymous]

The clothes I wore as a teenager/college student came back into style.

[Anonymous]

Breaking my foot by stepping on a towel

[Anonymous]

Seeing that sparkling gray hair on top of my head in the rearview mirror.

Recently I noticed the inside of my arms are getting crepey

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Breaking my foot by stepping on a towel

This made me laugh--I'm sorry! I'm 54 and can totally imagine having something like that happen.

[Anonymous]

Having an ache or pain somewhere more often than not.

Casual conversations with peers about what hurts today.

Catching myself giving the stink eye to younger folks shriek-laughing in restaurants. (Why must they SHRIEK??) Hating loud spaces in general.

[Anonymous]

My eyes! I miss my young eyes that could read tiny print on medication labels without a magnifying glass

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine involves literal rudeness.

A little self-entitled Gen Z girl pushed past my elderly father in a line to catch up with some friends. Didn't say excuse me or anything. Just literally pushed him aside. My father started to tell her off and she got combative. So I stepped in and told her to move along. She persists to argue so I repeated just move along. Finally, I told her to hush her mouth. She seemed shocked. She looked at me and asked, "How old are you?" (I'm 53). And then very seriously declared, "It's amazing that I'm only 25 and so much more mature than you."

Gen Z really is an obnoxious lot lacking in basic manners. But I've noticed a lot of ageism from them. It's wild.

I have no idea why you decided to pick a fight with someone 30 years younger than you and more than 50 years younger than your father. Shake your head and move on.

[Anonymous]

Insomnia.

[Anonymous]

Gaining nearly 10 pounds over one summer when I didn’t do anything different other than turn 48. I worked hard to lose it but I still needed to go from a size 4 to a size 8 to feel comfortable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My eyes! I miss my young eyes that could read tiny print on medication labels without a magnifying glass

Same! Just got reading glasses at 47. I have always prided myself on 20/20 vision, which I still have but now I need readers.

Still only have very few gray hairs.