Today I realized it’s over—well, over soon.
I’ll soon end my time in my current age grouping.
I noticed that some surveys are using the age groupings for adult into LARGE bands of under 35, 35-54 and 55 and over. Those make three nice big age groups: younger adults, middle adults and older aging adults. Simple and clean.
But now that I’m 54 (completed 54 years, now living my 55th year—example: 1900s were 20th century) I’m in my last year of this polling age group. Even if I were in the 45-54 age group, I would be ending that smaller band.
The next age group for me in most analyses is 55-64, 55+, etc. I wonder why they aren’t 50-59, the 50’s? Also, why are cars still showing speedometers at 45, 55, and 65? That takes brain power if someone is trying to drive 50 or 60 based on new “maximum” freeway speeds. I guess our new car does have a digital speedometer, but not our other cars. Numbers is hard.
Aging Out (Up)
Do I feel as though I’m aging out of an age group? Yes, in some ways I do. I see things around me differently than I did at 35 or even 45. I see the world differently after traveling broadly. I see health differently. I feel fitness differently as my body moves and responds rougher.
Is it strange that in my mind I don’t have a real identifiable break from my young adult life? I live in the same home, same wife, same truck as when I was 37. We don’t have children to use as a reference point to our aging. We don’t have school schedules to chart the progression of each year, or grades for that matter. Even the view outside our home’s windows doesn’t change much, always sunny and bright.
Because I attend many weekend events around the country (and Bali) with others I get to spend a lot of time with amazing people who are often 20 years younger than myself. I get along fine with these people, great with some. I know I’m older, but I can keep up with them on many tasks…except “kiddo” talk. I don’t relate to that at all.
I also am part of the Rock Retirement Club which has a handful of people who are 20 years older than I am. I get along with them great as well. I love talking to them about life, retirement, money, travel, interests, goals, dreams, health, etc. Come to think of it, the older crowd has the same discussions as the intentional 30-somethings I hang out with. Maybe it’s that I’m just lucky to be around great, intentional, and intelligent people.
Feeling
How do I feel about aging up a demographic?
It’s funny to me because I’ve often felt that I was an old(er) guy in a younger body. Now the body is aging up officially. And, my personality feels younger than ever. I really have a go-for-it-do-what-I-want mentality.
I am totally fine with being an older demographic. I am super proud that when I’m in the 55+ or 55-64 that my metrics will seem amazing compared to average or median. My health, my savings, my employment, my travel experience, my marriage are all very fulfilling to me. I also feel by those data points I am excelling at the metrics important to me.
I do feel that I have so many growth opportunities. I have many exciting challenges ahead. I have unknown life struggles ahead. I have an attitude of pure gratitude (can’t believe I typed that phrase) that makes me welcome the future and its opportunities.
One friend told me she doesn’t feel like a Gen Xer, but instead connects more to millennials mindset who’s just a little older—like a “milleni-old.”
I won’t go that far, or even near that position for myself, but each of us should really sit down and think —or when exercising and your brain is getting good blood flow and oxygen—how do we feel in our mind and body? How do we feel about our progression into the future?
How can we have an amazing future?
*** Nothing in this article is to be construed as financial advice. I am not a financial planner, nor do I pretend to be. You should always consult your own professional when seeking advice. This post is not a piece of literary mastery, just a random thought I had.
Thanks, Kevin, for sharing your always-fun, interesting, provocative (and even sometimes odd) meanderings. This aging thing is not as big a deal for me as I was worried about a few years back. But that doesn’t mean I don’t think a lot about my sixty-plus years on earth … I do, often. I’m not a farmer but the metaphor just popped into my head: The years I’ve planted, harvests brought in, times of both rich soil and arid land, water and fire and other elements that give and take, fertile hillsides still to plow, fields long abandoned. Forgiving myself and forgiving others is one of my latest crop being tended. Age gets murky for me: I literally can feel a visceral sense of early youth, powerful life-prime and wizened vulnerability all in the same day. But I like that, feeling all the ages. There’s a great greasy spoon breakfast place near us that has a sign for senior discounts starting at 55. 55! I still pay full price.
Wow, your farming metaphor taxes my brainpower. I often think of life seasons and you tie that into crops and years of preparation which is how it makes sense to me.
You sure have a great grasp of aging while maintaining youth, to the point of slyly paying youngster prices at the diner. Wow, 55 senior discounts. uh oh.