I’m well old enough to be your daddy. Here are some things you should pay attention to.
Have a reason to get up every day you can breathe. Because if you have no reason to, you will wither and die. I’ve seen it happen and it ain’t pretty.
Time will seem to accelerate. You will slowly start to notice that the “past” gets farther behind you quicker and the “now” flies by to become that “past” and the “future” gets here far too soon.
Like it or not, you are getting closer every day to dying rather than living no matter what you do. Make your peace with that concept because no one gets out alive.
Buy a nice suit. You will probably be going to the weddings of the children of your friends or your own children. And far more sadly, the funerals of family and friends. And at some point in time, the funerals will out number the weddings.
Start doing things for society. Get involved in your community. Help build a park or two or three, teach kids something - I spent 4 years tutoring/teaching math to kids in a small rural school during COVID. It did cost me some health, (Thanks! long COVID), but it was worth everything it cost and I would do it all over again. Those kids did more for me than I could do for them.
Physical exercise is great but don’t forget to exercise the mind also. Because if you don’t, you will lose cognition and the ability to think perhaps faster than your physical health - and this is my greatest fear. Cultivate hobbies that stimulate mental challenges. And a diet of video games ain’t it. Go fishing, bird watching, gardening, do art. Something, anything, that challenges the mind to solve problems and be creative. I design and build metal model steam engines and 3D printed items to try and keep my mind sharp. I try to learn new skills every chance I get.
As much as it might be fun to travel the world and see new places and people, there is a whole world to explore right outside your door. Go explore it and really learn the details of it. It will surprise you with it’s beauty and complexity. You don’t need to be rich to explore the world.
Teach something to someone. You know things - pass it on to others. Do not let the knowledge die with you.
Learn to laugh at yourself - do not fear looking silly. It can help make people feel more comfortable with you and with themselves.
And finally, live a good life. Be kind and be there for the world when it needs you. Leave a legacy for others to remember you by - even if it was only a kind word at the right time. The memory of you is all the world will have - leave your mark on it.
Good Luck! We all need it!
Pretty good advice, except the bit about eschewing video games. Bird watching is more mentally stimulating than piloting a T28 in extreme battle conditions? You’re out of your fucking element, Donny.
I did not say you shouldn’t play video games at all. But you miss the total picture of an activity like bird watching. Bird watching involves actually getting up, getting dressed, getting you gear and camera ready, and getting out into the “real world” to do. Often with groups of other like minded people enjoying the hobby. And not sitting on your ass in a room alone for hours on end.
It’s about being involved with the outside world and the physical effort interacting with other real in-person humans that matters. As a medic I was paged out at times to people who were lonely and just wanted someone - anyone - to actually be with and talk to. Sometimes they would even have a suitcase packed and ready for the trip to a hospital. Playing a video game online won’t give you the same social interaction as someone actually being there with you.
And now being old myself, I understand even more just how important it is to have regular physical social interaction for good mental health. And just like sitting alone on a bench in a shopping mall, a video game lobby or team match isn’t quite the same thing.
Idk, video games are absolutely mentally stimulating, but it’s less fulfilling than a variety of activities.
The warranty is gone. It’s run out. Don’t be surprised by ANYTHING that starts to act up, and if you have decent medical support, address them with your doc. Knees grinding? reading small text / focusing on street signs? get your optical script updated. And sometime in the next decade, get mentally ready to get a colonoscopy.
The warranty is gone, now it’s time for you to keep an eye on all the systems and plan for the long road ahead and the hard times to come. Good luck.
Build a consistent bodywork routine. Don’t bother with any high-flying goals, just stay active. A 30 minute routine done consistently every day beats hulking out in the gym two times a week by a lot. Fokus on functional mobility and flexibility exercises and throw in some full-body strength work like pull-ups, push-ups and squats.
Stretch and practice meditation. I started in my 50th year, do it every day, and wish I’d started sooner.
The trick to doing it everyday is to view it as a matter of hygiene instead of exercise. I won’t leave the house when starting the day without first brushing my teeth, stretching and meditating, taking a shower. It’s like rinsing your mind with fresh water.
What do you mean when you say practice meditation? What is it that you do?
I mean to do it regularly. Ideally, every day, even if just for 5 minutes.
Personally, I sit in a dark room, on a one-person couch with no armrests, so I can bend my knees and open my legs butterfly-style with the soles of the feet touching. I put a firm cushion on my back to keep it straight, keep myself at a 90° angle.
Always paying attention to my breath, releasing whatever is on my mind at the moment of exhaling, while trying to not do anything (now there’s a paradox), to let go and just observe, returning to the breath, returning to the breath, returning to the breath.
I started doing this for 10-15 minute sessions, worked up to 25 minutes, jumped to around a full hour, and have settled on around 45 minutes.
Sometimes, I’ll do this in the backyard. There’s loud traffic nearby, including trailer trucks, but there’s also some beautiful birdsongs coming from the trees.
And in theory, one is supposed to be able to meditate perfectly fine even if there’s a jackhammer operating by your side.
You could also focus on the breath while thinking something along the lines of:
“I am calm…” while inhaling, then “…and I smile” while exhaling.
You could do this at the start, at the end, at the middle, during the whole session, not at all… there are no fixed rules, do what the moment calls for, go with the flow. Do it until you… stop. By that token, also don’t do it until you start.
Eat your vegetables and exercise.
If you’re fat, lose weight. It’s a risk factor for practically everything and you’re getting old now whether you like it or not. You can at least stop causing further damage.
Read books. It helps you stay sharp. If you just can’t read, do something else daily that uses your brain.
