So after the reunion I have been thinking. The talk there was about illness, death and hip replacements! Well, not all the talk, but a fair bit of it, even though the demographic was from just under 50 to 65ish. At one point I thought perhaps everyone who had ever worked in that office was 'doomed'! I mean, generally, I had a good time catching up with the people I wanted to see but some of the conversation was 'old'. And then I remembered that I was one of the youngest of the team when I was there and so consequently my aged self of the moment was - unusually for me these days - one of the youngest there.
In contrast, in my current job, I am probably one of the top 5 oldest people in the building! Perhaps this is why I don't get the illness and death conversations very often? Most of the people I work with could be my offspring. So, when we go the the pub en masse on a Friday night, not only is there a fair amount of work talk but generally a lot of "What are you doing at the weekend?" sort of chat, most of which is full of energy and busyness.
And so I feel I am getting a second chance to be young again, surrounded by youth, for whom illness and death are in the very distant future, the youthful- one of which I once was - who feel they can live forever.
I never did want to grow up. Still don't.
How about you?
7 comments:
Don't feel like I ever have grown up nor ever will.
I'm 67 and still pretty fit, so I'm always amazed at people younger than me explaining all their serious medical conditions, all the drugs they're taking etc. Have they just had a thoroughly reckless and unhealthy lifestyle or they just very unlucky?
It must be depressing for younger people to listen to all that old-age decrepitude stuff. I find it depressing myself. I think older people should concentrate on what they're still enjoying rather than what's restricting them.
And no, I never wanted to grow up either!
I think I'm lucky to have made my 50s frankly! Seriously actually 10 years ago I was on a road to an early death - if the drinking itself didn't kill me either I would have or an accident would have I think.
Now I'm ... into the last 10 ... as we say in my family. No male member of the direct family (Dad, Grandads, Uncles etc.) has ever made it to 60 - my Dad was the closest he died at 59 years 10 months.
My current employer is a wide range of ages - more biased to younger but not as bad as it was in the company I left about 4 years ago - in the whole IT dept there were only about 4 of us over 40 and only one over 50. I felt old there!
I think I am just getting old now - I get frustrated with the pace of technology change - why do Facebook have to change the bloody interface yet again! etc.
There's a good side to being old if you acquire wisdom like Confucius or Old Melonhead. If you're going to be old, you may as well be a wise old bird.
One of the ways to stay young is, I thoroughly believe, to work with younger people. I've done a lot of that in my careers, and I think it has been good for me.
Glad you enjoyed the reunion, and Friday nights en pub. Hope you keep going to those and enjoying them.
Blessings and Bear hugs.
My Dad went to a University reunion when he was in his late 70s and was shocked at how 'old' everyone was. He never grew old in any way, and I hope I'll be the same xx
That's why I try to keep young friends! So easy to slip into the who's ill/dead conversations at my age!
Post a Comment