52 this year, feeling it all in my lower back.
I’m busier now with stuff more than ever. I thought things were meant to slow down?
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I’m 62 this year and have spent over half my life dealing with the effects of the brain tumour and its treatment that ended my medical career, fucked up my motor control so I can’t really play any musical instruments any more (but yay sequencing!), and destroyed my bony skeleton, leaving me in constant pain.
I am lucky because I have an amazing wife and I was a bit of an athlete before all of this so I had some reserve as my body fell apart. I am also thankful for our NHS which despite delaying my diagnosis, has meant that I’ve not been left destitute.
I spent 20 years in the doldrums before I re-discovered music-making 5 years ago and that has become my main distraction from my otherwise shitty situation.
I guess the message is to make the most of what you have because you never know what’s around the corner. And try and be as healthy as possible so that if the worst does happen, you stand a better chance of surviving it. And make a life with someone special. So that’s three messages.
Apart from all that though, mustn’t grumble.
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I’ll be turning 55 this year. They say I still look quite young for my age. Maybe it’s genetic (inquiries should be directed at my manufacturers 
) but also because I actually don’t feel that age on the inside by a long way. I still goof around, do weird stuff, etc. People say my whole vibe is more end 30s-beginning 40s. Still get a lot of eye contact/flirts with much younger women when I’m out. It’s just that my body sometimes indicates that, well, you’re not exactly 19 anymore. Run out of steam earlier, muscle ache lingers a bit longer, etc. Being really drunk is an given trip to the ‘porcelain steering wheel’ while in my 20s I’d just be a bit fluffy in the head next day, so I regulate that nowadays. You don’t feel the need to participate in all of life’s/society’s events anymore, sometimes I just want to have a bit of alone time. You worry more about global political and financial events than before. Not only your own life but your kid’s future to ponder about. Stopped paying attention to Tiktok/Facebook/ one-month crazes…it’s just noise, as a whole we humans can act pretty stupid, lots of unsollicited needy egos and it tires me. I search for my own information as the MSM is very biased, I hardly listen to radio or TV news…you start to see through the smoke and mirrors a lot more when you’re older. I focus more on the little things in life that make me happy and the people that mean something to me.
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Apart from back and neck ache from not looking after myself when younger, I’m loving my age (54)
Have made much better decisions in the last few years, moved away to the country, getting some seriously good fresh air, good food, and I’m going to finish my ‘Magnus opus’ of my own weird electronic techno dancehall by the time I’m 60-70 
Just one album I’m completely happy with to leave as my creative mark in my lifetime !
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Well, I’ve got 20 years on you, give it time
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I’m 45 and I haven’t had any major health issues so I’m grateful for that. I’m tall and thin (2m or 6’6" in sterling) and I’ve had a lot of typical tall person issues like back and neck pain. Being a software developer desk jockey doesn’t help, but I’ve improved my routine over time in terms of plenty of walking, stretching and more recently a bit of gym and it helps a lot.
It shouldn’t need repeating but the self-care basics really do help.
One of the big issues for me is with the career. I was told years ago by older folks that being a software developer gets much more difficult as you get older and, like a typical younger man, I probably just brushed it off. Unfortunately it’s true! I’ve been unemployed for about a year and the market isn’t being kind to me. Truthfully, I don’t have cutting edge skills but I do have is 20 years of experience but apparently that starts to mean less as time goes on! It’s a cliché but it really does get harder to stay relevant without dedicating a lunatic amount of extra time to learning new tech. I’ve become more resentful of that, but I guess you have to play the game a bit.
Nonetheless, I try to be grateful for what I’ve got including my pretty decent health and some financial stability/buffer that I didn’t have when I was younger. I’m not the guy who bemoans getting older really, I didn’t have a meltdown when I turned 30, then 40 etc like some people. I always found that odd.
You gain new friends, experiences etc and you lose other things. I can live with it. You’ve got to roll with it, if you set yourself up with too many specific expectations then you’re bound to be disappointed!
Happy new year!
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Do you know what totally knocked the peeing a lot thing on the head for me? It’s counter intuitive but it really works … stay properly hydrated!
Drink lots of water in other words.
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Great thread as its something I reflect on a lot now im 47.
Of late my concerns / thoughts are
Tiredness early in the day - certainly my mental focus on making music, especially learning anything new. Decent sleep is a battle as we decided to have a 3rd child quite late! My first two kids were girls - so the energy levels of a boy was quite a contrast! In saying that ive been a shite sleeper for a good decade or two anyhow.
Worry about health of elderly family members
Random injuries make fitness a battle - no more heavy lifting. Running / hiking I have to now be careful with my lower back / ankle injuries etc. Diet has become more important due to my high cholesterol levels.
This year I required reading glasses for the first time and im sure I developed early Tinnitus at a concert! The eyes was a shocker as I always had amazing vision and felt invincible in this dept! Decline occurred out of nowhere!
On the plus side I have much to be thankful for! Ive learnt in recent years that health is certainly more important then anything else on this planet. Happy 2026!
Ps - not had the middle of the night peeing issues yet lol
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I’m 46 this year and having my first child in February. Better late than never.
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You say that now … 
(and congrats to you and mum!)
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Same! Not happy at all about this . It’s like a f’ing disability
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The big 54 on Sat, and feels like time is flying by. Met up with a load of old friends from college days over Christmas (some I’d not seen for 30 years), and it was amazing to catch up. It was like nothing had changed (only a few grey hairs).
I was made redundant last July (4th time), and it’s been pretty difficult. The creative industry is on its arse, and sadly there are a lot of good people in a similar situation, but I’ve had freelance, and I’m being positive about it all. I’ve made a load of headway with my downtime, with software, website, exploring AI, new contacts etc.
I still feel young in mindset, but would rather stay in than go on mad nights out nowadays. Reckon I look good for my age, but I am gonna make an effort to get fitter, just due to a few back issues. My wife called me a “sarcopenic twat” recently, so time to get back in shape. 
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Ohhh dear…‘C’mon, let’s play around dad! I wrestle you!’ 10 minutes later: ‘Daddy has to take a quick break, ok?’ Had my first one at 40 (ok, one before that, but sadly that was a pre-enclampsia story), and they have unlimited energy!
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Oh no…no lenses, no glasses, but my moment is coming soon too I think. Need some contrast (read: lot more light) otherwise it’s very hard to read small text nowadays. After waking up it also takes a bit of time before my eyes want to properly focus on text.
a few random thoughts about age I reflect upon for a while …
- there’s nothing wrong with being old
- age is just a number, I can choose not to identify with
- but be prepared that many people will judge you just by the number
- my body is changing, because it’s not built to last forever
- still I have a fair amount of influence on how fast mind and body are ageing
- on the other hand it’s absolutely nothing you can control oftentimes
- people come and go, but recently I feel it’s really getting hard to make true friends
- I connect more easily to younger people, but talking about how things were in the past can create weird silence
- it feels like I’ve seen it all
- it takes a lot more to get me really enthusiastic and excited about anything
- but at the same time I am surprised how little I know so far
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For some reason i do too. Its like i have more in common with them.
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I’ve been really hoping that by the time I’m in my 50s and the kids are older I can get back to proper outdoor hiking, climbing and raving again. Guess I should wait and see how my body feels 
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I’m 44 and had to start contending with some pretty serious health issues right after I turned 40. Luckily, in my 30s I had decided to focus more on my health and that has paid dividends as I’ve dealt with new challenges.
The whole experience has led to new perspective on life, some slightly grim, but mostly for the better. The usual stuff: time flies, focus on the important stuff, identify noise and don’t let it distract you, be yourself.
It’s also led to a fair number of bucket-list gear acquisitions in recent years
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I’m 44 and in many ways it seems like my life is just beginning, or maybe more accurately it feels like most of the generic mistakes have been made and repeated enough times so that concentrating on more meaningful things like art and health has become easier.
Nowadays I miss company less and am happy to go and jam with a group of friends once a week and have that be my social thing, whereas I really liked to see ppl on daily when I was younger.
I did quit my job and a relationship about an year ago and might just go without a job and dating for the rest of my life.
All in all I really like ageing more than I would have thought when I was younger. There’s just more peace and focus which to me are the most important things in life. Without peace it’s difficult to be focused and without focus creativity suffers.
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There is so much yet to do!
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