Many people, through the media and our culture in general, seem to be determined to slow down the hands of time. Skincare routines and fashion to make us look younger are constantly advertised. Ads for medications, supplements, and diet plans promoting feeling younger are everywhere. While doctors do recommend certain healthcare plans and suggestions to help our bodies function well as we age, the old folks who’ve reached a “certain age” realized there are some perks to reaching their “golden years.”
In 2023, a woman who turned 108-years-old discussed that one of the perks of being of advanced age is that not only do people treat you well and are friendly toward you, but that “everything is special” since she knows she won’t be around to experience certain small pleasures again. She takes nothing for granted, making her happier than she would’ve been in her early adulthood.
In fact, many of our elders have gone online to share the privileges of old age the youth can take advantage of when they start to see grays in their hair. Here are some of the best ones that us whippersnappers can look forward to:
“‘I had a senior moment.’ You would be surprised how many younger people just accept this at face value.”
“For the two years before I retired, I started saying what I really thought in meetings. Thought I would be pissing people off. Nope. Suddenly, I was the ‘trusted opinion’ guy in the office. People started bouncing ideas off me. Zero repercussions. It was nuts.”
“I travel solo a fair amount and it’s so much more peaceful now. I can chill out wherever I want, whenever I want and no one thinks a thing about it. And I can talk to whoever I want and no one thinks I’m flirting or up to anything.”
“Occasionally, I get a senior discount. I never ask for the discount, but if the kid behind the counter gives it to me, I’ll take it. I’m not insulted. I know how long I’ve lived!”
“I’m retiring in about five months. For the first time in my life, I’m not worried about my job or what the boss thinks. And an odd effect is that I’m doing some of the best work I’ve ever done.”
“I don’t get hit on while going about daily life activities, like working, buying groceries, picking up a pizza, or just walking down the street. And no one ever orders me to smile!”
“Sometimes I can talk myself out of tickets. Be excessively thankful for the police finding the problem and confuse them just a little bit. They’ll decide not to give grandpa a ticket.”
“After retiring: arranging your sleeping schedule to fit your own needs. If you do wake up during the night for an hour, you don’t care, just sleep in or take a nap during the day.”
“If you’ve been fiscally responsible, your old people privilege is having a lot of disposable income. Compound interest is magical.”
“If I do something stupid at work or in public, I can just say, ‘They got my medications all messed up’ and it goes away.”
“You’re not really shocked by anything anymore. You have Trump, we had Nixon.”
“Birder here. People don’t call the police if they see me walking around the neighborhood, looking into the bushes. Over the years, a couple have said, ‘Can I help you?’ but the last time this happened I was able to show someone photos of a hummingbird in a sidewalk tree, and he was charmed.”
“I rather like wearing the invisibility cloak of a silver-haired, soft-bodied, middle-aged woman. I also have an ‘approachable’ face, which attracted creeps when I was younger but now attracts pleasant people to have normal interactions with me.”
“Collecting my pension. I retired last year at 60 and am still amazed that my bank account is replenished every month. Also, being able to travel in the off-season. We just go when the weather is best and crowds are not an issue.”
“Freedom. I’m old enough to have figured out who I am, and it’s not a bad person, overall. It kept up, as I got older, and then one day I had a light bulb moment. So I stopped caring about what people think of me. It’s incredibly freeing. I’m a nice lady. But don’t give a flying f— what you think of me.”
These perks, jokey and otherwise, aren’t the only benefits of aging. Over time and experience, you “know” yourself better as the last commenter said, leading to better resilience and ability to handle stress. You know which coping techniques work because you’ve lived through, and thus survived through, certain experiences. Like with any part of your body, your brain will still need to be “exercising,” but, typically, humans grow sharper in intellect as they age in spite of “senior moment” tropes.
To the young, worry less about getting older and enjoy the stage of life you’re in. Not because you’ll miss it later, but because it’ll help make growing older into growing better.
