I am interested to know if I'm the only one who feels like this?

When I was a kid, I was distinctly aware of getting older. In those days the years and months counted for something. When I was fifteen, of course I knew I was different to a seven year old.

This process seemed to stop at around the age of twenty and the years became a blur. Is there really much difference between being twenty and thirty? Is there that much added maturity? Do you think that much differently? Apart from the physical things of course, obviously they do change.

Now I am forty for the most part I think just the same as I did twenty years ago. I find it hard to believe I am this age. It doesn't seem possible.

Somehow I expected to feel different like between seven and fifteen but I don't. Sure I am aware of the things that have happened over the years but they all melt into one.

What I am starting to worry about now is that I will feel the same when i get to sixty or eighty. Man! An eighty year old who can't accept that he is not still twenty..... now that is scarey!!

After reading your entry it started me thinking about myself. Are we supposed to feel a certain way at certain ages? I don't think so. I feel that as we age society puts the preconcieved notion in our heads that we are supposed to be more mature and feel and act different but I think that it's up the person. I don't think there is a need to have a well defined line between ages, in fact age to me is as they say " nothing but a number". Being forty and still being in the same state of mind as you were when you were younger has it's ups and downs. It can be bad because your responsibilities are different and the people around you expect you to act a certain way but at the same time it allows you to almost slow down the aging process. They say that a large part of how quickly one ages depends on how they feel about themselves. Each year should melt into one another to an extent because it allows you to instead of focusing on each year coming to an end and aging you can now enjoy where you are at and live each moment to the fullest. I think people get wrapped up in age and believe that they have to stop doing certain things because they are too old or young but I don't believe that. I don't know if that helped at all but it was my opinion anyway.

I understand so completely what you are saying. I am 56 and other than the fact that most people think I am 40, I feel no different than when I was 20, with the exceptions of more experiences that may or may not change the way you look at events. I have been thinking about my deceased Mother lately who was 76 when she died. Because of her vainity she had plastic surgery to look younger when she was in her 40's. I wonder if she felt like a being inside and old body.At that time I was 26 and she looked like my sister. Mostly I have discovered that I pretty much want to do the same things especially adventurous activities, but physically I am unable to.For Example my mind wants a kyak, but can I still keep up. One thing as I get closer to checking out I am more responcible for what the consquinces may be, which I think is a total flaw in my character. Life is not numbers. I know old 30 year olds and work with a man who is 70 and I find it hard to comprehend his age. He looks and acts like my age. Age as well as beauty is a state of mind.

Hey dude!

I'll tell what's scarey. Seeing a 24 year old talking like a 35 year old, to a 15 year old like the 15 year old was 7. Now THAT'S scarey. :-)

No, I mean it. Ya see these guys sometimes (thank God, not often) but there they are talking from this position of "authority" or maturity...with comments like like "Well, son..."

I guess some people were born "old". And I don't mean like "old souls" I mean like "Old foggies".

But I think more people think like you do than not.

Your message reminds me of a time when I was about 23, I ask this guy who musta been about 40, when he finally got his act together. He said "Well, I'm still working on it."

(chuckling here)

Later Mr. Capper, Thanks for the post, I enjoyed it.

Lucky
(Fortunate is more like it ;)