Congrats-my last day was yesterday-although I am still going to do sme contracting and other worklike stuff-but nose is mostly removed from the grindstone.
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In my opinion, the 50s (Iām in their early stages now) ā¦ and hopefully the 60s, 70s and beyond are truly āThe Wonder Yearsā.
Much as Iād like to win the Lotto, I think the constant, quiet, whine in the back of my head that I need to be sensible and earn enough to proceed as I like, keeps me sane. Risks keep us young; or at least sufficiently distracted to stay focused on Maslowās Hierarchy.
What surprises me the most about getting older is, despite the long years already experienced, I live in a window of relative recency.
A longer term version of the āSpecious Presentā - it often seems like Iāve got a fast RAM for about the last 12 months, sharper in the last 12 hours but everything else is a progressively longer term storage archive that seems more like a movie I know I was in. Any other aging folk have a similar phenomenon? Nothing bad about it per se, but the mind is a curious thing when it comes to sense of time and presence ā¦
Another interesting perspective Iāve been reading about lately is how our senses define our reality, being three spatial dimensions (length, width, and depth) and one temporal dimension (time). A ācreatureā could perceive all of time at once rather than linearly, though it would require a sensory and cognitive architecture entirely foreign to human biology.
A cosmic thought, but interesting to contemplate how we are limited to perceive the dimensions we can.
ā¦ as Iām sharing some zany concepts: it is interesting that science has yet to in any way really understand consciousness - where it operates physically in the human body and onward across the spectrum as to how it might relate to the new wave of AI hypothesis about machines gaining consciousness. Whether everything is conscious to some extent simply by virtue of being an object (eg a tree).
Lastly, it is interesting that all humans may contemplate these things and have been doing so in some shape or form for millenia.
The specious present is a psychological and philosophical concept describing the short, subjective duration of ānowā that humans experience. Coined in 1882 by E. R. Clay and popularized by William James, it posits that our conscious awareness spans a brief interval (often lasting a few milliseconds to several seconds) rather than being an instantaneous, mathematical point in time. This āthickā perception of the present is what allows us to directly experience change, motion, and succession
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All good. I had a financial plan and a happin ss plan that has provided structure to my day. I am bogged down with rebuilding our back stairs which is proving to be a major time suck.
It is quite different and I can see how people struggle with the transition but all in all itās been great. I got my bike repaired and added some panniers and I use it to go most places Iāve lost a lot of the social aspects of work but donāt really miss it. I could easily be a lighthouse keeper. Iām not making as much music as planned atm due to the back stairs project but still get in an hour of piano practice each day. Iāve also stopped pushing my self hard to get everything done before work starts on mondays cuz well thatās no longer an issue.
TLDR. Iām happy and donāt miss work at all.
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Same day happy birthday me too.
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Itās
Summary
in the brain mostly and throughout the body as the autonomic nervous system and endocrine system, and the way they feedback to each other. Well thatās all I remember from my days at university studying medial science. I remember the lecturer giving the class the homework at the end of one lesson, āwhat is a gut feeling? Answer in less than 50 words.ā Sounded impossible at first, but when you know the basic math of human physiology it is ridiculously simple.
Well thatās all I can remember. And that was over 30 years ago 
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Also, just realised that Ive been listening to News Radio on an AM station for the last year. On a Transistor radio 
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Oh Jesus, man. Might as well buy a recliner and get a tiny dog that fetches your slippers. 
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The older you get, the more relaxed you become.
Many years ago, my mountain bike tire burst while I was pumping it up. I got really upset and loud. A friend who was there told me to calm down because getting upset wouldnāt fix the tire.
Iāve kept that simple piece of advice in mind ever since. That doesnāt mean I donāt get annoyed anymore, or that Iām emotionless. But my annoyance doesnāt last very long. And thatās exactly what does me (and those around me) a huge favour.
One thing I miss compared to the past is that Iām less willing to take risks. I question things more than I used to, so sometimes I donāt try new things.
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I am in my mid 40s, but yes, the same.
Oh yeah? Ima need you to come tell my wife. She must be aging backwards in that area.
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Ditto, way more stressed the older she becomes 
I also still take a lot of risks as I get older, it just takes me longer to recover from the subsequent injuries. 
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Interesting. My wife has become calmer in recent years. Though not calm enough 
Sometimes it makes her angry when I see things in a much more relaxed way than she does.
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My takeaway is how lucky are we to have found such wonderfully vibrant companions to keep us on our toes throughout our journey 
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Iām super calm until Iām not!
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Iāve become increasingly anti social and boring with age. Never was the clingy, need2be on the scene type that liked to hang in sausage packs with the fellas but had to at times due to the nature of my chosen lines of business. Iām very much jaded. Paying to go out after a lifetime of being paid to be out feels super weird.
Had the pleasure of making some great friends, acquaintances and to this day am frequently invited to shows, parties, events, cookouts etc.
My wife and I blow everyone off. Left unread.
Now playing Leave Me Alone by Wacko Jacko
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Iād take the cookouts and skip the rest.
Itās pretty damn difficult to make friends the older I get. A few of our close friends had kids relatively late in life. We donāt have kids. Everybody knows how that goes. Now we donāt see them as much, if at all. More close friends moved for career opportunities.
Even the ones that are left, I dunno, I feel there is something weird going on with people these days. No one wants to make the effort anymore. We have people over here for cookouts maybe once a month or so, and somehow itās been established that we are the ones who cook and host. People come and seem to have a good time. But very few reciprocal invites.
It kinda sucks. Iād like to have more friends, and see current ones more often, but Iām feeling a bit burnt. I donāt think Iām the only one. Thereās a whole genre of this type of confessional videos on YouTube from older people.
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I would suspect two things. First is the illusion that online contact creates that we are truly keeping in touch, and the second is everything is costlier than ever while simple hangouts donāt seem to cut it anymore for some.
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Thanks for some nice deep tangents from a fellow 50+.
I do not think I perceive the now that much differently from before but Iām quite sure the way itās filtered into where I turn my attention and how I interpret what I find is different and, Iād like to think, evolved and refined.
I have thought a lot about how the perception of the now is key to appreciating music. Recognising patterns or lack thereof, anticipating change and so on. This is particularly interesting when listening to a piece you already know well. We know what is happening and what will happen next, but thereās a pleasure and we are not bored. And then we are when we have heard the same thing too many times and we look for the next thing.
Relating to consciousness Michael Pollan has a recent book out, A World Appears, which seems really interesting.
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Haha. As you know, that depends on whoāalls comin and more importantly, whoās cooking.
The wife and I are actually hosting a cookout/picnic in a few weeks for fam and a few friends. Doesnāt happen often but we do try to bring our family extended together atleast once a year.
This is a real thing I can empathize with from a couple perspectives. I am a parent but since I got started as a teen, my lifestyle is closer to adults my age (48) that never had em.
So, on one hand i understand what parent life is like and how challenging it is to show up socially. Iām also very far past being obligated to or compromised by having children such that my lifestyle is foreign and incompatible with theirs now in many ways.
Most of my core network have similar background as artists, entrepreneurs, etc but somehow I remained mostly the same while marriage to fun police, late stage parenthood, age, etc have forced many of them to become Squares.
So, Iām now the friend my guysā wives are weary of for won reason or another. Solo trips to Miami or LA to visit me is not something many of them have enough game to sell these days. Some of it is financial, bringing a whole family on a trip is pricey af. I offer to subsidize for the really close ones but thereās pride, ego etc involved.
Is what it is. Iām enjoying life a lot. I always have and always will despite whatever challenges age, health or otherwise. I intend to keep kicking father times ass and make being a washed dad look sexy.
We only get one life. If nothing else Ima make this mf shake until the lights go out.
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Thatās an interesting position to be in. I can totally see that happening.
Maybe those old friends will come back around once their kids leave the nest?
Sounds like you do a good job keeping in touch at least, even if you donāt see them as often as in the past. Thatās really good, and unusual these days for lots of people.
Seems like people, in general, are much more willing to simply discard others once they no longer fit their lifestyle, income, demographic, schedules, etc. So, keep it up, man. Theyāre lucky they have a loyal friend like you!
Hell yeah! 
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