December 20, 2024 was my second day of being 62 and it happened to fall on December twenty-two. So what’s it like to be 62? I’m going to give you my assessment of being over 60 which will be much different than many others. One big factor is that I spend lots of time taking care of myself physically so I’m able to do things some 62 year olds cannot. I get in 16,000 steps every morning on an outdoor trail, I meditate and I am able to view every morning sunrise. If you keep moving and have a positive outlook on everything this is what 62 could look like for you.
While many of my friends have died or retired I’m over here still trying to decide what I want to do when I grow up. In a way your 60s is a great time to make a fresh new start at the life you’ve always wanted. I’ve learned it’s never too late! My ultimate goal is to reach a healthy 102 years old.
1. I finally realize I’m in an older age bracket and younger people now consider me old. I’m not going to be the young guy in the room very often. I’m not going to get on Survivor and be the one to beat, I’m going to be the token old guy for the season.
2. The music I grew up with and enjoy more than anything has never even been heard by many young people. Unless the songs are used in a movie or on a commercial they no longer exist to a younger generation. I now see videos of 20 and 30 years olds listening to Boston for the first time!
3. Movies I loved as a kid look old and faded and the sound quality is questionable. Some films are square and can’t even fill the screen of most new TV’s. The main actors in all of the movies are either deceased or grey headed getting pushed in a wheel chair.
4. Fewer and fewer friends have living parents and almost nobody has a living grandparent. At 62 we are now emerging as the older generation and the head of the family. The buck stops with us and there’s no one left to get advice from.
5. Physically I am in shape but only because I run seven miles every morning, lift some weights and do several stretching and bending exercises. At least half of my friends or more wouldn’t be able to sit in a deep knee squat position for any length of time. Few could sprint any distance at all. Most are on at least one daily medication. Luckily I am still not taking any prescriptions.
6. I am noticing wear and tear on my body. I definitely can’t hear as well as I used to. I can get a knee pain or calf pull by just taking a weird step. Cold weather makes me have to urinate more often. I’ve got wrinkles on my face! I have grey chest hair. I grow more hair on my ears than my head.
7. Where the hell did my memory go? If I try too hard to think of a name or a word I cannot remember it to save my life. I can think of a task I want to complete but if I divert my attention for just one second I will completely forget what I was about to do. Writing things down does not help because after a few days I forget that I wrote the things down.
8. I love to sleep! I used to avoid sleep like the plague. I wanted to stay up late and get more things done. Now I enjoy going to bed so I can have great and vivid dreams. If I’m really tired I can power doze while being in the middle of some task or watching TV. And ten minutes later I can pick up immediately where I left off.
9. I don’t eat like I used to. I avoid buffets, big meals and going back for seconds. I hate feeling stuffed. I can eat light and I’m perfectly fine. I eat less greasy fast food and actually eat lots of granola bars and peanuts. I still don’t drink coffee or soda.
10. I think about life more. I think about death more. I understand there’s an end coming and well over half of my life has been used and enjoyed. I think more about staying fit so I can add more years on to the end. I no longer worry about what I’ll do about my parents but more about what I’ll do about me.
11. I know more than I think I do. After 62 years you start to see patterns and understand peoples behavior. Experience tells you things you may not want to believe. I know how to handle situations without even thinking most of the time. I have a head full of vintage knowledge.
12. It’s really weird running into kids you knew when they were little and now they’re like grown adults. Some of them call me Mr. Tucker which is so strange. And some even have their own kids which look almost like you remember them looking.
13. Music is so surreal. I swore I’d never be the older person that hated the new music. Whelp! Here we are. Not ALL new music. There are tons of new artists I enjoy but more than half I’ve never heard of. Of course some of the new music doesn’t even sound like music. At least vinyl made a come back.
14. I’ve outlived a bunch of my classmates. It’s almost been 45 years since graduating and we’ve lost many classmates due to accidents, health issues, suicides, murders and more. A 50 year high school reunion sounds insane!!
15. I don’t feel like I have to work as hard for a paycheck. I need a monthly income but I don’t feel the pressure to earn more money. I can live on way less than I used to if needed. I like to work on my own money making projects and I no longer need a career. I don’t have to climb any ladder of success.
16. I’ve become closer to my oldest friends. They are actually now more like family members. We enjoy each others company and we know each other better than almost anyone. I’m even close to friends I had lost contact with for decades.
17. I buy stuff and collect stuff that I like. Older stuff. Stuff that brings back nostalgia. Things from the 70s make me smile. I think I collect the coolest things but my daughters will roll their eyes at the thought of keeping my old crap.
18. I don’t want to dress like an old dude. I wear shorts and sneakers as often as I can. I try to keep up with the latest styles but dropping my jeans around my knees to show my underwear and walking like a duck so my pants don’t hit the ground is not going to happen.
19. At 62 you miss your parents. A lot. You wish there was more time to spend with them as you get older. You understand their perspective just about the time that they are gone. You miss asking them questions. You miss them at holidays. You miss them.
20. Marriage in my 60s has been a blast so far. Denise and I are happier than we’ve ever been and we do more traveling than ever before. Having a little more money available and the girls being adults makes for more freedom now. We drink and party just like our old college days. Going to football games and meeting up with old friends is something we look forward to.
21. I am freaking old enough retire! What!?! Yep, you can start receiving social security at 62. I won’t but I could. I qualify for senior discounts. AARP wants me bad. Being an extra in movies has way fewer opportunities after the age of 60.
22 The older you get the faster time flies by. A year in school seemed to drag on forever. A year now seems like just last week. I’m on a set routine and the things I do on a weekly basis seem to happen so quicker and quicker. I’ve set up a year long calendar so I can always see some adventure way out ahead of me. The events come fast but I just keep adding new ones.
23. The great thing about being an entrepreneur and working for yourself is that you can reinvent yourself over and over and at any time you want. At 62 I want to become an author and turn my book into a movie. I intend to start painting colorful pop art pieces on large canvases. I want to grow a lifestyle brand into a major company. Sitting around with nothing to do is not happening in my near future.
24. I still don’t know the meaning of life or why we exist. At this point it really doesn’t matter much. Whether we got here through God or an explosion in the universe, either is equally unbelievable and a miracle. At 62 I believe that some part of us will continue in some form that we don’t understand.
25. 62 does not feel like 62. The age says I’m old but my mind says I’m as young as I ever was. I feel like I can still do anything that I set mind to do. My mind plays tricks on me and tells the mirror to make me look 42 or 32.
26. Honestly 62 is what you make it to be. If you’re happy and stay positive you’ll always be living on the bright side and you’ll avoid depression. If you stay active you’ll be able to do anything physical that you want to do. If you keep learning and use your mind you’ll stay sharper than most. Choose to be young at 62 and so you shall be!
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