Glory Days???

[Bubba1235]

So I'm with a group of "old timers" over the week end and I realize I'm getting to be one of them. Anyhow the thing I noticed was every conversation began with "I remember when..." or, "When I was young..." and then the conversation went on to explain what happened in the past.

Because I'm a bit of the ornery sort and I wanted to just see what happened when I tried to start conversations (No politics) about what was going on today, what tomorrow might bring, etc. and it went nowhere. You would have thought I had two heads or was speaking Greek from the looks on faces.

After maybe 45 minutes of listening to the stories of past glories I moved away from the group and conversation and another fellow, who is nearing 70 came over and sat down and said, "I seen what you were trying to do and got a laugh out of it". We talked for a few more minutes and he summed up his feelings (and mine) very well in a single sentence.



"I don't want the best part of my life to be my past".


I think I'm going to have that engraved on a plaque and hang it on my office wall.

 

[JB]

Re: Glory Days???

There comes a time in every life that has a natural path when dreams and ambitions are gradually replaced by treasured memories. It is a natural thing, Bubba. What else when your bucket is empty? Anyway, if you are a decent raconteur, people enjoy and learn from your stories.

By the way, I remember when. . . . .

 

[colbyt]

Re: Glory Days???

I have no intention of letting the best part of my life being the past. But like you I am still acclimating to the fact that now is what I worked so hard for all those years. You have more land than you need and I have more houses. Farming and being a rental property owner are an awful lot alike. As close as any two occupations I have ever performed.

I swear I am going to master the concept before much longer.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Glory Days???

What JB said!
I play rugby football with an Old Timers team....although those familiar with the sport might not recognise one of our games immediately....

Our motto is "The older we get, the better we were"

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Glory Days???

The best is yet to come!......I hope. Kinda sad if you "peaked" in high school/college :/

 

[aspeck]

Re: Glory Days???

I remember when posts like this were about the other guy and not so personal!

 

[rbh]

Re: Glory Days???

I think the secret to a good life is not getting into a deep rut.
God knows I need to dig myself out of one every once in a while.


? is the spice of life!

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Glory Days???

I think the secret to a good life is not getting into a deep rut.
God knows I need to dig myself out of one every once in a while.


? is the spice of life!

Yes he does....... Better days are a comin'...

 

[rbh]

Re: Glory Days???

Variety is the spice of life, so go try something new!

 

[JimS123]

Re: Glory Days???

I'm the old timer at work. I am in a new job where all of my coworkers are young snot nosed kids with magna cum laudes but no experience. I am a 41 year veteran engineer who has managed an engineering department and even run my own engineering consulting firm.

I fall into the category of telling old stories just like the OP described. I do it not to hear myself talk, but as a mentor to my colleagues. I really think they enjoy my tales and I know for a fact that they have considered my suggestions when they have tackled big projects.

The funny part here is that my wife and I still ride jetskis, go mountain climbing and hiking and take vacations to exotic places. We are very tanned and live life to the fullest. In contast, my coworkers are silky white and spend all their free time playing games on the computer.

Retirement is nearing and we have decided to make this the best is yet to come. Its all about attitude. When I go I want it to be just after I jumped a wake and yelled "Yee...ha". In the meantime I'll continue to tell my stories and yell at them how they need to get out a lot more.....LOL.

 

[JB]

Re: Glory Days???

See if you are so quick to ridicule and boast when you are pushing 80, living with a cane and pain and can't remember your great-grandchildren's names without crib notes.

Your turn will come.

 

[JB]

Re: Glory Days???

Well, I've told you what it will be like if you survive that long. It begins to happen to most before 70

I really agree with making the most of what time you have left. That's what I did but I didn't plan on living this long or suffering so many "repairs" and afflictions that have aged my body beyond my years.

No regrets, bucket list complete. What I can do now is pass on what I have learned.

My post probably seemed a lot more hostile than I intended. My apologies for that.

 

[ngt]

Re: Glory Days???

I for one love learning/listening to people that have "been there". I'm 34, and not many people are willing to "teach" people my age about fishing without charging $200-400 per day. When someone wants to give pointers or tell me a story about something they did where I can learn something or just get a feel for the life someone else lived, I soak it up.

One thing I learned about people that tell stories is let them have their moment. Nobody feels good after telling a story when someone comes in and says, "that's cool, reminds me of when we use too...." and turns the story into something about them. People appreciate a bit of conversation after telling a story. Show you listened. Show you actually care about what they said. Makes them feel good.

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: Glory Days???

as a youngster learning the trade i use to look up to the old guys who had years of experiance as they were the old pros the ones who knew how to do it right the first time and the ones with the ans. now im 40 and i find the kids at work asking me how to get the snapped bolt out and how to do this and that......im way to young to be a mentor.... then i figured out all the old guys i looked up to have retired and its all down hill from here.......so if you old ones get real bored its time to go back to work to sort out the colledge kids that read a book on it ....we need the old stories about how you fixed things before they are forgotten and lost

 

[southkogs]

Re: Glory Days???

Experience shapes so much of who we are, that (to JB's point) treasured memories become monuments to a life well lived and act as reminders for wisdom gained. There can be instruction, comfort and joy stored in those "old stories."

The trick (to Bubba's point) is not to get trapped in the prison of what once was and is no more. Even as ambitions wind down in life, they don't necessarily need to be any less grand. I can (right now) only imagine the profound value of being a grandfather and passing on what was important in all of those memories.

I think it's folly to try and live like you're 20 forever, but it's hardly wise to get trapped into feeling you're all washed up (which I don't think JB does, just for the record).

 

[generator12]

Re: Glory Days???

"I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good - once - as I ever was."