We’re not getting any younger, and there’s little we can do about it. And we may ignore it, but the reality sometimes shamelessly comes right into your face.
For example, when looking at your phone pictures from last year, or when lathering your skin with anti-aging cream, or when suddenly meeting your unrecognizable childhood friend in a supermarket, or when scrolling for your birthdate in a drop-down menu. These painful reality checks hilariously remind us of the passing time.
So when someone asked “What made you realize ‘you’re old?’” it hit a soft spot for too many people out there. A whopping 16k comments later, the all too relatable responses are in, and oh boy, I never felt as ancient as I do right now.
#1
I almost fell over when a local radio station called songs from the ’80s the ‘golden oldies.’ No! The golden oldies are the ’50s/’60s!
Image source: RichieNRich, Breakingpic
#2
I find more and more people are being stupid and annoying.
Image source: Wahooney
#3
Getting annoyed when they rearrange the grocery store.
Image source: tamarainspace, Pixabay
#4
Doing nothing became my favorite thing to do on the weekend.
Image source: MooreDubs
#5
I used to sneak out of home to go to a party, now I sneak out of the party to go home
Image source: Dman7419
#6
Sleeping straight through the night is a thing of the past; if it’s not a hip or shoulder screaming at me to roll over, it’s a bladder wanting releif.
Image source: drshawn001
#7
I’m disgusted by TikTok
Image source: k_1181
#8
Whenever I have to enter my birthdate in a drop-down menu
Image source: didfart, Qixotl LFC
#9
I teach writing to college freshmen. I had a student writing about standardized testing who started a paragraph with the phrase: ‘Beliefs about education at the turn of the century worked from the assumption that…’ It took me two paragraphs to realize that the turn she was talking about was 1999 to 2000. This was two years ago. The resulting existential crisis is still unresolved.
Image source: HGFuller, Dom Fou
#10
When I realized that I own t shirts that are older than people I work with
Image source: abigore
#11
You know all the celebrities that die. I remember celebrity deaths to me for years were just always random people that might as well have been from Ancient Rome for how well I knew of them and how old they were. Now, every celebrity death is like, ‘What?!??! She died?? But she was just in that movie!’ But then you remember that for you, ‘just in that movie’ was a movie 30 years or more ago sometimes.
#12
Look at an intact cardboard box you have in your house. What do you think? If the answer is: Oh, this is a good cardboard box, I should hold on to it, you know it has started.
Image source: Otherwise_Skill_4189
#13
Viggo Mortensen is now older than Ian McKellan was when he played Gandalf in Fellowship..
Image source: silox250, The Hollywood Reporter
#14
Wait a minute – let me get my glasses and put the main light on to read this properly…
Image source: jinglesan
#15
When my Mom moved into my mirror.
Image source: hazelhas2, SHVETS production
#16
Spent my 30th birthday itching to go home and take my new cordless vacuum cleaner for a spin.
Image source: SamCropper, cottonbro studio
#17
When “ow that hurt” became “I hope that’s not permanent”
Image source: Tall_dark_and_lying
#18
Guy at the liquor store looked really quick at my license. I said that was fast. He said it starts with 19–
Image source: sperbro
#19
I was reading Rolling Stone at the doctors office and realized I hardly knew any of the bands on the billboard #1 singles list. 90s music to my kids is like what 60s music was to me.
Image source: wholesomeorgange, Blair Fraser
#20
I use urban dictionary
Image source: CactusJuice_Enjoyer
#21
My “Check Knee” light turned on.
Image source: SkewberDewber, Terry Shultz P.T.
#22
A bunch of things lol.
Bent down to pick up my 20 lb pup and threw my back out.
Seeing athletes get drafted into the NFL that were born after 2000. Also watching guys I saw get drafted now retiring.
Wanting peace and quiet instead of parties.
Getting excited about grocery or furniture shopping.
Image source: Well_thatwas_random, Kindel Media
#23
when 30 seems like “just a kid”
Image source: GhostEntropy
#24
Nearly busted my a*s in the shower and suddenly life alert made sense 🤣
Image source: Luxcrluvr
#25
My everyday routine: Come home from work, watch Wheel of Fortune, look at the newspaper and sit outside(weather permitting), to watch the birds and squirrels. If that doesn’t mean I am old, then nothing does!
Image source: ripmerle, cottonbro studio
#26
When I discovered my sciatic nerve
Image source: Cattlemutilation141
#27
I recently saw a reddit post about things that were popular 25 years ago and I thought about the 80s until I saw a comment that pointed out that we are talking about 1998. I also then realized that I am older than 25.
I also recently used the phrase ’20 years ago’ when I was talking to a friend. That hit different.
Image source: No_Scale7584, cottonbro studio
#28
At 44 I don’t feel old but when I’m going to do something now a days I think about it if I could get hurt
Image source: Youhurtmypee, Diana Polekhina
#29
Both parents have died and their siblings are also gone.
Image source: brian2funny, Brett Sayles
#30
When I gave dating sites a try and found that the people my age were old looking.
Image source: No-Handle-3515, Good Faces Agency
#31
Discovered I had a favorite spatula
Image source: IRErover
#32
I was taking to my team (early 20s, I’m basically their parents’ age) about the actress Gillian Anderson and when it didn’t ring a bell, I said “you know, Agent Scully from X-Files. No one knew X-Files or who Agent Scully was but one of the girls chipped in “oh, the mother from Sex Education” and they all clicked.
Image source: Sattaman6
#33
My sister, a decade younger than me, asked about a band I was listening to. I told her I’d burn her a CD for her car. She told me her car doesn’t even have a CD player.
Image source: MrPBsErica
#34
When kids refered to the 90s at the “late 1900s”
Image source: riphitter, J Huang
#35
I had to go to a Walgreens to get my passport photo taken. They use a digital camera. The clerk helping me was so young, she said something like, ‘I’ve never used one of these old type cameras before.’ I had to help her get the SD card out and put it in the printer.
Image source: mmm_unprocessed_fish, Ryunosuke Kikuno
#36
I stepped in a hole in the concrete at the gas station and fell over. That simple fall to the pavement broke my foot, my ankle, and three ribs. I’m 56 and now officially old.
Image source: Typical_XJW
#37
When I started mixing corn flakes with frosted flakes because frosted flakes alone was too f*****g sweet.
7 year old me would be shocked at old me
Image source: 1_UpvoteGiver, Tiard Schulz
#38
You know what’s a totally not fun game to play with your younger coworkers? Asking them what cartoons they grew up watching. Asking them where they were on 9/11 is also a good one.
Image source: Civilized_Primate, Karolina Grabowska
#39
Nirvana being considered Classic Rock.
Image source: scienceforbid
#40
Clerk in a store was singing along to Soft Cell Don’t you want me/ Where did our love go. I said “ur too young to know this” He said he “lived with his Grandpa and knows all the oldies”
Image source: Daggerscar
#41
The first time the barber asked if I wanted my eyebrows trimmed.
Image source: jgriss, Nikolaos Dimou
#42
Asked a young relative what music she was into, thinking I would be able to impress her with all I know about the “cool” bands. She listed quite a few and I had never heard of a single one, instantly humbled.
Image source: greeenlander, Lopsan
#43
Appreciating a well mown lawn.
Image source: StAUG1211
#44
The setting in Back to the Future was the same distance from the 1950’s as we are to the 1990’s.
Image source: 52hrz
#45
My job has an ipad that we use for certain things. I asked a younger coworker how to adjust the volume, and he said “oh it’s just an ipad. Wait, do you not know how to use an ipad?” & he was genuinely surprised that I’d never used one before. I’m a millennial. My mom used to say I was tech savvy with my flip phone. Now look at me, pathetic.
Image source: frieshie
#46
Hangovers lasting into a 2nd day and waking up with random sore muscles.
Image source: PNWCoug42
#47
Looked in the mirror. Thats not my face, and it’s way older than me. Then my voice said “damn, I’m old” and I had to agree, but was very confused who said it.
Image source: Unstable_Stable19
#48
I hit 49 years of age and my body decided at that point that I’m old. Every bad decision I made regarding my health came back to bite me.
Image source: ToasterOven31
#49
When celebrities would come on late night shows and they looked SO much older… then I would think “I guess I do too…”
Image source: superdopeshow, JESHOOTS.com
#50
When i started working with kids, and they were told “You listen to [my name]! Do what she tells you, okay?” Hang on, i am in charge here? Of tiny people? F*ck.
Image source: Ieatalot2004, Taylor Flowe
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