There came a time when I was alone in a crowd, waiting for a table at a restaurant. As I stood in line, feeling sorry for myself as I looked around at all the groups of people sharing a table, or a couples connected without words I became aware of the people just behind me in line. He was talking loudly and his wife, whom he could not see, was mouthing the words "shut up, shut up, shut up", and I thought to myself, I Get To Eat Alone!
I think that sums up retirement.

When I see older people struggling to keep up with younger people and doing all the things that you mention, I feel sorry for them - chasing youth is a tiring business.

Marketers and magazines have always offered advice to people, young or old, as to how they ought to look/be/live. Bottom line is they want to make $$$$$. If some of their advice appeals to you, try it; otherwise, ignore it and live life YOUR way, no matter your age.

I'm beginning to understand why marketing focuses more on younger age groups. As I get older, I am less and less concerned with the constant blather of "this is where you need to be...this is what you have to buy... this is what you ought to think about this...etc".

I think as time goes by, I have become more comfortable in my own skin, and therefore less by the media and it's relentless advertising.

Let the 20 year olds be 20 year olds. I'm in my 50's, and I'm fine with it. I've EARNED this age!!

Makes you think they're afraid of us in a weird, new way, doesn't it?

If a person is not rushing to get ahead, stay in style, be cool, make money, learn six new electronic gadgets, or master five new sports in a jam-packed weekend, what else might they be doing?

Thinking. Enjoying life. Sorting out what's important.

Too much of that would destroy our whole economic system! Whoops, too late.

The 20 year olds have no money, that's why they have to target older people. Until we get national health care for the elders who want to retire but aren't 65, so the kids can get some jobs, we have all the money. ;^)

Paula wrote, "Makes you think they're afraid of us in a weird, new way, doesn't it?"

I can only imagine that ads and articles that are so off base in trying to pursuade us oldsters to act/dress/be more youthful are written by relative youngsters at the behest of other relative youngsters. They know they want to sell us, but they don't have a clue how to go about it.

Great posting and string of comments!

When we moved to NH, someone told me that the NH really was an abbreviation for "no hurry." Like you, we enjoy our quiet lives, the sunrises, the sunsets, watching the wildlife walk through our yard, etc...
We've cancelled most of our magazine subscriptions as the ads and articles are annoying.
Your post made me smile this morning and the comments are great!
PS - thanks for putting my blog on the weekly list this week! I've really enjoyed checking out the list each week.

Loved this post and the comments. Whatever our age, we are just "consumers" to the people who want to sell us stuff. I, too, don't care what marketers claim is the right way to dress or be. I have no intention of learning any more foreign languages,taking any more college classes, having plastic surgery, liposuction or Botox treatments. I am OLD, doggonit; I enjoy a slow country life, having time to read, being a grandma, and the other privileges of my age. It bothers advertisers that many other folks now are entering that stage where they simply don't care!

The topic of this post intrigues me and the comments are encouraging.

But I am feeling different from many of the commenters here. I really liked my life before 60: my social life, my work life, and my creative life -- all of which intersected, each feeding and feeding from the other.

I don't have any of that now and I miss it. I'm not sure what I want to replace it all with -- although I will be participating in writing workshop during this month.

I used to make friends easily -- and that's easy to do when you're in shape and attractive and energetic.

I suppose most folks see their lives as an evolution into who they become as elders. I feel as though I was jettisoned out of my old life into this elder time.

I feel pretty displaced.

Yes, relate to this post and most of the comments and have no temptation to hold back time. (No, not strictly true: I still haven't given up my mascara)

I find the pressure from the media (and some contemporaries) to look and behave younger both comical and sad. Like Rain, I dress and behave my own way, only limited by diminishing strength, aches and pains. Learning to adapt, remaining aware and curious and trying to be in the moment are things that preoccupy me, not holding on to a non-existent youth.

Magazine ads and so many stories hold little or no appeal to me for the reasons you describe.

I'm quite pleased with life as it is. I enjoy the independence of doing or not doing pretty much as I wish. I enjoy being alone and have no desire to change that situation. Someday I may have to accept a live-in companion (or not)in order to remain living on my own like this.

I have just the right amount of social involvement and activities with longtime close friends which we're comfortable enough with that we can increase or decrease contact at will without any hurt feelings though we do wish we lived in closer proximity. That's not to say I don't welcome new people into my life, but I no longer have the sense of urgency to seek them out as I did for a time after my husband's death.

I stopped using makeup years ago, but have never used a lot. If I go out I may or may not wear lipstick, depending on the occasion. I do consistently darken my eyebrows as the hair color fades into my complexion, also interfering with facial nonverbal communication. I have a rather wry sense of humor, often delivered straight faced but with eyebrow signals those who know me rely on to know whether or not I'm kidding. I continue to indulge myself by having my hair shampooed and blow dried regularly as I've never enjoyed doing my own hair as I did for so many years. No hair dyes for me ever.

I used to be so annoyed with a friend with whom we had a "spontaneous get together" agreement. Either of us might call the other on the spur of the moment any given morning to see if the other was free to go for coffee, or later in the day for lunch. Nowadays it could be for dinner, but she's gone. Even when she moved away we maintained the "spontaneous" contact, only via phone which was nice for both of us. One other nice aspect with the phone was I no longer had to wait up to an hour because she had to put on her makeup before letting the outside world see her. What a waste of time putting on makeup is in the scheme of life, especially as we get older. Her husband had to periodically frost her hair as she was never content with the natural colors.

I am keeping up requirements for my professional license but haven't engaged in my part time work since mid-July. There is a certain psychological comfort in knowing I can resume that work when I choose, especially given the unknowns of the current financial climate.

I suppose if I encounter some activity that engages me I might commit to it. At times blog writing elicits a flurry of activity from me, but becomes erratic as I easily drop into a lull. I could be more productive I tell myself but that would necessitate a much tighter schedule than I currently enjoy.

My focus on house interior has had to relinquish primary focus to efforts toward exterior changes. Our city has adopted water curtailment so I've advanced my long time intent to convert to natural landscaping -- just sooner than I had planned.