ARRRRRRGGG! I'VE BECOME ONE OF THEM!

[dirtlooter]

About 25 or 30 years ago, I was with my daughter and son a local restaurant waiting on our food. It was pretty quiet and we were talking about our favorite things at this place. As we talked, about seven or eight "elderly" ladies came in and sat down at the large table beside us. The ladies were pretty excited as they greeted each other but then it began to get serious. Rule #1, it is best not to ask how an elderly person is feeling or doing. In doing so, you have forfeited your rights to not know about their numerous problems. Even before the first woman was finished moaning about her gall bladder, the next woman was already gearing up and trying to outdo her with her fluttering heart. In a matter of moments, every woman was remembering something else that hurt or didn't work right. My daughter rolled her eyes as she listened and I had to threaten her much younger brother to be quiet or else. Well, the ladies didn't mean any harm but their pains and aches were the biggest thing that they had in common. Finally one of them brought up a different subject and they went a different direction for a couple of minutes. We finished our meal and headed back out to the truck to leave. The first thing out the six year boy's mouth was about how miserable those ladies had to be, then he began the usual facial expressions that small boys are good at. I looked over to my daughter and told her that I hoped that never got that way, especially in a restaurant. So present time now, here I am with my wife at a restaurant with a mixed group of friends, some are in their fifties, some their sixties and seventies with a eighty something thrown in. Within minutes, out comes the talk about stints, by passes, every kind of operation imaginable. What makes it really bad, is that I am okay with it...in fact I had my own fair share to share with them. As we are talking, a young family comes in and sits just a little ways from us and I suddenly remember what I had told my daughter years ago. Oh well, let me tell you about....

 

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[releventchair]

I used to think those shirts that boast " I Pooped Today!"were a little zany.
I might wear one today though.......

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Well, not working, physical limitations, not many exciting things to compare with others in life, will lead to the old favorites, physical ailments, cures, doctors...or eliminations.

I once had the satisfaction of hearing my oldest say out loud, "Oh my God! I have become my mother!" lol! She could do worse!

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[dirtlooter]

I used to think those shirts that boast " I Pooped Today!"were a little zany.
I might wear one today though.......

hey, being some sort of regular means a lot! there is nothing like being miserable and wondering when and or if

 

[dirtlooter]

Well, not working, physical limitations, not many exciting things to compare with others in life, will lead to the old favorites, physical ailments, cures, doctors...or eliminations.

I once had the satisfaction of hearing my oldest say out loud, "Oh my God! I have become my mother!" lol! She could do worse!

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my wife just the other day said something about some of the stuff that her mother used to do and how she thought it was disgusting but now she totally understands. in fact, she admitted that she had realized that she was exactly what her mother had been.

 

[dirtdigginfool]

Good stuff DL...In my early twenties to my early thirties, I raced atv's in the woods..the GNCC series...raced amy where from an 8 mile course up to over 25 mile course for 3 hours...I was 10 foot tall and bullet-proof...now I'm just 5' 10" and couldn't take a shot from a potato gun...those years certainly advanced my aches and pains a decade or so early. A nasty crash in 2008 left me with a broken back and into permanent atv retirement, I sleep in a reclining position and still need help getting to the shower. I have a great job I love and put 60 plus hours in a week. I figure when I retire in about 13 years or so, I'll be just barely able to drag my carcass to the soccer field to detect. But hey guess what!?...im a HELL of a lot better off than a lot of other people health-wise so I thank my higher power for that and keep on steppin every day...if I've got one foot in yesterday, the other in tomorrow, I'm pissin' all over today...this hobby is ONE of the main things that helps drag me out in the morning even though I'm not getting out much right now due to work, that's why I love this site, I can sit back with a cup of coffee and enjoy all the great stuff y'all have found...thx DL! I always enjoy your posts, your finds and your kind words of wisdom and advice. You're the one who encouraged me to get off my a## and door knock, I'm not finding anything good driving PAST that old farmhouse. Great post, thx again...Ddf.

 

[smokeythecat]

I am one of them now.

 

[dirtlooter]

Good stuff DL...In my early twenties to my early thirties, I raced atv's in the woods..the GNCC series...raced amy where from an 8 mile course up to over 25 mile course for 3 hours...I was 10 foot tall and bullet-proof...now I'm just 5' 10" and couldn't take a shot from a potato gun...those years certainly advanced my aches and pains a decade or so early. A nasty crash in 2008 left me with a broken back and into permanent atv retirement, I sleep in a reclining position and still need help getting to the shower. I have a great job I love and put 60 plus hours in a week. I figure when I retire in about 13 years or so, I'll be just barely able to drag my carcass to the soccer field to detect. But hey guess what!?...im a HELL of a lot better off than a lot of other people health-wise so I thank my higher power for that and keep on steppin every day...if I've got one foot in yesterday, the other in tomorrow, I'm pissin' all over today...this hobby is ONE of the main things that helps drag me out in the morning even though I'm not getting out much right now due to work, that's why I love this site, I can sit back with a cup of coffee and enjoy all the great stuff y'all have found...thx DL! I always enjoy your posts, your finds and your kind words of wisdom and advice. You're the one who encouraged me to get off my a## and door knock, I'm not finding anything good driving PAST that old farmhouse. Great post, thx again...Ddf.

wow, wasn't expecting that. thank you so much for your kind words. I know that there are a huge amount of people out there that are either getting older and having to make adjustments or are disabled/challenged. This sport/hobby is one that most can do in one way or another, just some of us are now more selective on the how, when and where because it is what it is. I also know that many of us need to smile or even laugh a little more so I tend to interject some of my own experiences that I hope will do so. Encouragement is so simple to give, not just in detecting but in everyday life. It only takes a moment or so to lift up someone and even change their outlook for the day. The world that we once knew is quickly disappearing but we still have the power to make a difference in someone's life. I once told a man that I had become a has been, he responded that a has been was a lot better than a never was. I also try to get people to focus on what they can do and not on what they can never do again...it is too depressing. By the way, I am here and able to do what I am able to do now by the Grace of God. Thank you for lifting me up.

 

[hvacker]

Years ago I did contract work at a lot of homes. If I brought the bill to the customer they might say "I just got out of the hospital."
Then I would hear every crook and cranny of what they went through, the meds, the drama.
After having my time being taken up, after the bill was completed BTW, I learned that when the subject of health comes up with older
people, don't ask, look away, change the subject, call a friend, anything to avoid the drama.

BYW, I'm an older person too so I have to conclude their medical experiences are the only exciting thing they've had worth talking about. I know the dark side of this so don't ream me.

 

[pepperj]

For some odd reason the phrase "THE NEW OLD" comes to mind.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I was visiting with my aunt and uncle right after returning from the military.

They were simple Southern folks.

My Aunt Rowena told me quote: "Roger, sometimes my legs hurt so bad I don't think they got no nerves in them"

 

[pepperj]

The pleasures of growing old, I now buy my tissue in the 6/12 pack packages as it seems to disappear a lot quicker for some reason.

Though I have learnt to hang out with millennials as they often say "You're so young compared to so many we meet that are your age"

Then I know a fellow that's 83 has the "Nine Lives" type of life, never stops, bales up 500/600 rounds a year, runs around like a person of 40, and has dreams of a millennial. I want to be like him when I grow into his age, an inspiration for many.

 

[dsdigger]

I remember being one of those kids and hearing the older adults and wondering what the fuss was about, I felt great. Now as I get older and things change and age and health change, I understand and have that empathy I lacked long ago. I look around and see that at least I am still moving, able to work, (seems like work and collapse at home are all I get done lately), not in the hospital or worse. Dirtlooter, the world around us is changing and I agree it is not for the better and what I remember is just passed as "I remember when we could". At least if I am going to join the crowd, I can pass along what fun was and good life and also what you have to look forward to as you get older and be respectful, pay attention and learn. I may not wear my pants up underneath my armpits but I hate to go shirt untucked unless I really fell the need as it is just messy, guess I am old! Just give me my detector, pinpointer, digger and pouch and point me in the right direction and I'll be okay, I am one of them too!

 

[Msbeepbeep]

For sure. They can't pry me out of my chair to "go for a walk", but hand me a detector, my digging tools and point me to a grassy field and i will "roam" around for hours!
....maybe its the company -- detector?

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[Mzjavert]

Dang and I thunk my family had that monopoly.

 

[dirtlooter]

I heard an elderly man telling a forty something man that he had better be good at math because he was going to be doing a lot of subtracting as he got older. Unfortunately, for a lot of us, this holds very true. My father used to tell me that I was wasting time hunting and fishing on my time off work, that I could do all of that in my "golden years". I wasn't sure that I would even make it to my golden years much less be able to do all of that stuff. So far, the only golden thing that I can find is how often I have to go to the bathroom during the night. But, to keep things in perspective, a simple walk through a Children's Hospital or a VA Hospital quickly reminds me that I have no problems, just some inconveniences. I have learned to not say anything about how well I might be feeling or things can't get any worse. All in all, I am a very blessed man, more so that I really deserve. Besides, when I do whine, my wife laughs at me.

 

[Escape]

Going to a wedding I tell my wife,” I hope they don’t stick us at a table with the old people.” When we get there we were the oldest ones there.

 

[4x4x4]

....Being there , resembling that....
....for a brief time I watched over a 104 year old. He drove to the store every day for his Lotto tickets , his newer car looking like a badly strafed aircraft and any protrusions wiped clean. He enjoyed his life, family and pets emmensily .
His rich stories never mentioned physical hardships only life lessons.
While I put the miles on and deal with my own breakdowns , I remember to thank those who go ahead and check it out for the rest of us !
DL , you write eloquently----Thanks.
Mark.

 

[dirtlooter]

Going to a wedding I tell my wife,” I hope they don’t stick us at a table with the old people.” When we get there we were the oldest ones there.

It's amazing, somewhere and I don't where or when, I crossed the line and became the old one. I guess when the older guys began calling me Sir I should have known or when you got the senior discount even though you weren't that old yet. But now I feel it.