What's the best age to be?

The "Not That Old" thread made me think about this. If you could relive an age, a year, a decade, an incident that was the best time of your life, what would it be? And would you want to stay in that time, or return to the present?

Personally, my answer is that I wouldn't go back at all. I have loved the life I've been blessed with, but am happy to be 60 and ready for the future. How about you?

You talked me into it Nancy - I want to be 60 too.

I don't miss my 20's much that's for sure. 30's were pretty good, and of course being young and in school with no responsibilities was easy.

I'm with you nap, wouldn't go back. I'm 44 and it seems life just gets better! A friend at work has told me to enjoy my forties because they are the best. I hope I feel like you do when I'm in my sixties, nothing better than being content.

I'll be 52 in a few months and don't think I would want to go back to relive any prior years. I'm content. I have my health and my sanity and a brand new digital camera. What more could I ask for?

Whatever age I am - and I am currently 67+ always seems to be the best. After a year of cancer treatment in 2002 I retired - actually never went back to work in between and now spend my time with my dogs and garden, some volunteering and having a wonderful time so I guess currently this age is the best!

siskiyou: U and I are the same age. I'd enjoy going back to being 30, briefly, if I'd know what I know now. And I'd love to be as healthy as I was at 30. But I'm happy right where I am. (And I have an aarp card! ;> )

Now if you asked me which age you'd never - ever - want to be again, then I'd say my teens. What an ordeal that was! :D

Deb

Hmm. Interesting and fun thread!

While I would not go back to a particular period forever, and
would not change who my kids are, I would have made different
choices in my younger days with regard to men. It was later in
life that I realized what the term "Raise the bar" meant. (grin)

At present, 41 years has brought many things my way that youth
certainly did not.

Financial responsibility has been a long but well earned road for me.
I'm so proud of the lessons I've learned and the steps I've taken to
correct habits of old. The "Must have it now" syndrome. Today I
get a bigger kick out of paying bills than I do spending money.

Wisdom truly does come with age.

Though I wouldn't mind having back just a bit of my youthful
appearance, I've come to terms with the fact that we can't all look
good forever, and no, I'm not willing to be cut, carved and sculpted
to have it back. I feel good about myself without having strangers
ooh and ahh over the surface of myself.

I don't want to fast forward, either, but I am curious to see what
wisdom will come with the future. Of course, we can never have time
to do and to learn all there is in the world, but we can have fun trying
out a few.

Karen Marie

If I could only have had better judgement in my twenties, I probably would have made different life choices in my thirties. Who knows what I would be like now (in my forties)? LOL

Life is Good. I am blessed with contentment, and optimism.

I've enjoyed reading these responses. You people have a good deal of wisdom. (Especially you, Al. ) I feel pretty sure, from what I've read here, that it is "maturity" that generated that wisdom.

I guess the younger folks will find that out...in time. It's something like this. "I've been there, and now I'm here, and here is good."

But.....at the Nursing Home I go to everyday for visiting, they think that I am the young one!

I enjoyed my 30's, when the kids were in grade school, that was a great time. Then the 40's came and one went off to college and one to HS Rodeo and that was great fun. Now the 50's have brought two daughter-in-laws and a granddaughter; plus a grandson due in April.
So the 60's will bring us back to grade school, 70's college; 80's great grandchildren. All is good in life!
Jo

I don't think I would go back. I'm 57 and there are health problems, but then I've always had health problems. There are plenty of things I wouldn't want to have to go through again. A lot of joy in my life, but I've been there and don't need to do it again. That's what memories are for, and I have lots of wonderful ones. I can't think of anything important that I would do differently either. So here I am and here I stay. I just want to see what tomorrow is like :0)

My favorite movie of all time is "It's A Wonderful Life" where George Bailey gets to see what life would've been like if he'd never been born. That's how it is for me. I can't imagine my life without all the missteps and trials and heartaches and joys. And my children, and my impossible husband. LOL Course I could always dream up a "new" leading man, tee hee.

Hey, you all are wonderful and I think, wondering at your lives.
I feel so good. I'm happy. Very deep feelings about where I' m going and how I'm getting there. Its been a really great ride of 60 years with interesting people, travels, good friends who I love. Great learning experiences and work I have loved going to everyday. No complaints other than I've had to bury a few pets I loved.

So nice to see the general opinion is that people are content with the phase they are living in. =)

I'm in my late 20's and am perfectly content with the path of my life. I am excited for the wisdom learned in the early 20's through hard times and am glad to have set myself on a path of success for the years yet to come. I was just telling DH the other day that life is good and even though I'm getting older I enjoy each year more than the last.

All things from my past have made my today that much greater; I've gone through buying homes twice (and thus been able to help other friends do the same), tried to educate myself about finances by reading books by Robert Kiyosaki and listening to Dave Ramsey's radio show, read probably 100+ cookbooks in an effort to learn how to be a good cook, graduated from college, tried my hand at writing a children's book, learned lessons from buying new and used cars, lived in different states as an adult and of course now enjoying the new wealth of information from Dave's Garden about how to garden and many other things! Wisdom gained with age makes life better but for me the start of living was moving out and having my own place with my own husband and child. I'm always trying to learn and do better. The only regret is that I couldn't have known x,y, or z sooner. =)

I am 64 (almost 65) and any age is good to be as long as you are moderately healthy and happy. Life's lessons learned that the young should be taught in school. NEVER loan money to people that you cannot afford to never get back; don't co-sign anything for anyone and never buy a cell phone for someone you have only known for a few months. None of this has ever happened to me because I was smarter, but from watching judge shows on TV there are a lot of not som smart people out there who do things like that and most of them are young. That is why I say it should be taught in school. Could be called "Life's Lessons". LIZ

Never loan money, period. Then if you get repaid, it's a bonus. Hard won lesson learned.

Like Siskiyou, I'll be 52 in a few months as well. I am completely happy being my present age and "where i am"...I live a modest life, by choice....I'm not hooked in to money and am happy as a clam with what little I have...and don't really want or need any more.

I would go back in time to any age, just so I could be with my parents again....and for no other reason....they were wonderful people...and I was blessed beyond words to have been born to them.

What great reading and I go along with so much of what's been stated. I'm "barely" 63, couldn't be happier..as hard as it was to move to Alaska nearly 30 years ago, I think it was meant to be. It worked out well..my husband and I have 3 married children, 9 grandchildren, all living nearby..Sac Valley is my sister and we travel back and forth, and, I think I speak for Jo, too, have always felt the thousands of miles apart, didn't matter.
Kiska

best age to be is my age, 59. Prefectly happy with is ............

Well I guess I'm the spoil sport. I found myself torn between two lives. Had I not met my wife and started a family that I would never give up which is why they won, but rarely does the day go by that I don't think of the ocean. Me being a Texas Panhandle boy go figure. I love nothing more than being right on the oceans surface riding the waves as well as the calm. Holding on to the life lines and watching the ocean rushing up at me through the bull nose as the bow of the ship would pitch 10 to 15 feet up into the air and come crashing back down until the old man would threaten me with Captains mast if I didn't get off his bow. To pass silently through the night so dark you could not see the end of your nose and you could reach up and touch the stars. Skies so bright and clear during the day you could see forever and breath clean salt air. To meet her fury head on and to come out the other side with a respect for what a true power that she has and then to have her show you what true beauty can be when you can look deep into her depths and see all manor of things. To marvel at things that few people ever get to see or even hear about unless they live her to the fullest. All this you can only do when your young, but she is a demanding mistress and does not like sharing with anyone. So you give yourself to her completely or don't give at all.

Don who loves his wife and kids but misses his mistress.

spoken like a naval seaman?

Don, what a great statement you've made! I'll bet you're a great guy, and your family must know how fortunate they are. Thanks for your frank answer!

Don.......SUPERB statement indeed.......when I first read it, it reminded me of my surfing days....
Are you a writer? If not, you should be !!!

Yes I was a sailor on a destroyer escort for 3 1/2 years. Out of that time I spent at least half that time at sea, all this during the cold war. I have never understood my intense love of the ocean it just was always there from the first moment that they cast off lines on my first cruise and it never dimmed. My experience might have been different if my tour had been on a carrier or some other large vessel. I have always noticed that tin can sailors attitude toward the ocean to be different than those of other sailors, I can only guess it has something to do with how close we were to the surface and the way we were always flung into harms way, always on the move, always in search of something and never knowing quite what that something was. I have seen the ocean at its absolute worst and at its best and loved it all. Amazing thing was I never once got sea sick. Well I got sick once and that was my fault, something about sitting in a home made swing in ruff seas and staring at a gage, took about 5 minutes, I took down my swing.

Don

Don,

What base were you out of? I was out of Norfolk and made two Med trips (first one I flew over to Spain, then Italy to catch my ship) so it was a brief 2 months and then the long one which was from May until mid-December. Lots of trips to the Caribbean. Saw a lot of things, got seasick (the only time) 3 days out of 6 on a shakedown cruise after coming out of the yards (9 months in Portsmouth) off of Cape Hatteras in mid-March, had some great friends, but ... One of the best days of my life was the day I got out. My buddy tried to get me to sign up for a few more months since my second ship was making a two month cruise to the Scandinavian countries (Sweden would've been great). That would have been nice but I wanted to get back to college and a "normal" life.

My dad put in 20 so half the time he was off sailing in the Med (usually for 9 month cruises), the other half was on land such as Puerto Rico, Panama, Hawaii, Maryland. His last cruise was an ill-fated one since he was aboard the Forrestal which caught on fire off the coast of Vietnam. Over 100 died during that disaster. After they limped back to port months later, he got out shortly after that. Six years later I was aboard the Forrestal for five days before being transferred to my ship in the Med. Now I read that the Forrestal is supposed to be sunk for use as an artificial reef.

I'm almost 43 and loving every minute of it! Turning 40 was wonderful for me. When you're a kid you always think that the "big 40" is near death but when I got there I found out how funny that was. I was so proud of myself for suddenly being that "old" person and still being ME. I'm the same person I have always been but I'm also such a different person than I was just a few years ago. I just seem to learn more and understand more and appreciate everything more with each year.

Hey Don! Burleson must be getting on the map now, there's 2 of us! Thanks Kelly Clarkson!

I was stationed out of Norfolk as well from 73-77. I was aboard the USS McCloy DE1038. I have sailed from the North Pole to the Med to the Caribbean and just about every country in between. Total countries & islands visited in my 3 1/2 years totals to 17. I was sorry to hear about the Forrestal on both counts. Due to my MOS I would spend seven years at sea and only one on shore, that making it the real reason why I had to get out, no way to raise a family.

I was the odd sailor that yes I drank but I made it my main focus to see as much of every place I visited, I saw a very great deal. I even met the King of Denmark in 74. I destroyed everything I had after I got out to ease the pain of never being able to do it again. Wish now I hadn't.

Don

Well a big ole howdy konkreteblond maybe you know me maybe not, we used to run a burger joint out on 731, home of the $2.95 burger, fries and a drink called Brennens.

Don

I was aboard the USS Josephus Daniels (DLG-27) and the USS Mullinix (DD-944). I was in from 72-76. Got married in 73 but no kids until I got out. Went above the Arctic Circle (bluenose) and came back to Scotland for a little R&R. We were the first US ship to go into the Black Sea since probably WWII. That was interesting! Us taking pictures of the sailors aboard the Russian ships and them taking pictures of us. My second Med cruise saw a lot more sea time than port time (we had a young O-5 who was bucking for O-6, which he got when we returned but the morale aboard was very low). Give me an old man who knows he isn't going any higher so cares more about his crew than any promotion. The second ship had a lot better morale and if I had been on this one first, I might've stayed but the die was cast after my experience with the first ship.

Sorry to hear you destroyed everything after you got out. I still have some old souvenirs from Pompeii, Italy and Rota, Spain but most other things have been thrown out (either junky or just worn out - mostly clothes I picked up for my wife). Sicily had some beautiful beaches and ports but also some pretty ugly ones as well. I'd like to go back to the Island of Capri off of Naples, Italy and some of the Greek islands one of these days. Did you get rid of pictures as well? Mine are buried somewhere in the house.

Yeah I destroyed it all and a fellow bluenose to boot, way to go hcmcdole. Did the junior ensign get to paint the bull nose, ours did. What time of the year where you in the circle. We were running red route 1 in Nov. and we stood in the helo hanger watching the Sarsfeild disappear behind the waves and she was 120 foot to the top of her mac. Made the rounds of Rota, Sicily and Capri but Pompeii was closed due to a national holiday of some sort. Robin came over on a dependents trip we spent 2 weeks touring Italy and the islands. Did you go to the Blue Grotten ( not sure of the spelling there) cave on Capri? The was also a restaurant in Naples by the same name and Robin got her first taste of licorice liqueur, she was not pleased. LOL Thats what happens when you hang out with sailors! She loved every minute she was over there and found out what it was like when you travel with people into foreign countries that know how to get around. As far as Scotland is concerned did you go to Mary Queen of Scots castle I was amazed at the egg shell ceiling, the guy must have had a corner on the egg market.

I was a BT when I got out, being on a tin can I'm sure you know about my kind.

So as the old saying goes "haze gray and under way".

Don

I think the junior officer and junior enlisted man or boatsun's mate in his underwear were supposed to kiss the bullnose (it's been a long time). It was in November and I didn't stay outdoors long enough to observe much. It was pretty cold.

Mt. Vesuvious was closed the day we went to see it. Well, it wasn't closed but the ski-lift to the top was due to a huge cloud hanging over the crater and a bit windy. We - my wife and my buddy and his wife tried walking to the top but the tour guides were coming down and said it wasn't worth going up. Yeah, my wife came over for two weeks which was October and the weather was still very nice (like Orlando - boot camp).

I don't recall a "Blue Grotto" or Grotten. I just know the boat ride over there (to Capri) is worth it - about two hours. We took the hydrofoil back (1 hour) but then they dock 3 or 4 miles from port landing so we saved no time but got to see a neat castle off the shoreline on our walk back.

The Italians know how to stretch out the dinner hour (more like 3). We ate a lot of bread, cheese, grapes, and pasta, and drank a lot of wine. We went to a ship's party at some field. That field was actually the caldera of some ancient volcano that now served as a very large park (lots of baseball and soccer fields). Huge! Of course when we returned on the bus, we were on with a bunch of drunken sailors and marines - that was a bad scene.

The only thing I remember about Scotland is Edinburgh (pronounced Edinboro) Castle, the pubs, the hard to understand "English", and how cold it was. Beautiful green grass though and interesting customs on when stores opened and closed (observed for eating and drinking). Most of us were anxious to get underway to get back home for Xmas though.

The song they always played when getting underway from our last port in the Med was "Homeward Bound" by Simon and Garfunkel.

Why did it take ten days to get back home, but seven days going to the Med? Anyway on that last trip we had rough seas (swells were probably 30 foot) and they couldn't prepare any hot food. We had bread, crackers, peanut butter, and I don't remember much else. We couldn't sleep in our cots else we might get tossed out so we sat in our work spaces and slept in an upright position.

I tore my knee cartliage on that trip ducking under the divider bar in the mess hall and when I came up on the other side, my knee popped and I had instant pain. No way was I going to go to sick bay being that close to home. I finally had to go see a doctor in Feb about the knee, had surgery in late Mar, and could not get back to my first ship after the doctors released me in May. The second ship was really laid back compared to my first one which was nice. I saw on the web that they sank the Mullinix and scrapped the Daniels.

What year in Naples? Robin and I were there in 76. June or July I can't remember which. The America was in port with us.

Don

75. I got out in 76.

We left for the Med a day or two after the Nimitz was commissioned by Gerald Ford (the old man volunteered us to be one of the showboats tied directly across from the Nimitz). The uniform was still dress blues (early May '75 if I remember right) and we had to stand at parade rest for 3 hours topside while all the brass and politicians sat on the pier. Talk about hot and boring. Oh, the silly things the military does at times would boggle most people's minds. Like having a caisson watch during the first oil embargo. I guess if we saw a camel we were suppose to club it with our nightstick?

When we left Cuba from RefTra instead of going home, we went to New Orleans (an admiral had some PR there and needed a showboat). After we left New Orleans instead of going home we went to Annapolis (another PR event). I took vacation there and my wife picked me up and we stayed in D.C. for a couple of days and did some sight seeing.

Well sorry I missed you in Naples but yeah the military you gotta love it.

Don

I don't miss the boring moments. I did miss the time spent away from home.

Cruising on the seas was great for the most part, visiting new places was a neat experience, learning all the things about the ship was for the most part educational, and having great friends are the things you like to remember.

Some of the funny stories will always have a place in my mind. I'll never forget my last Med cruise. After seven days of crossing the Atlantic and arriving in Rota, Spain late afternoon - most of the guys go out to party. The Navy sure had its fill of drunken sailors (a lot of alcoholics, too) and our division was no exception. I came back aboard at a decent hour that first night and got a good night of sleep. I was up bright and early (5 AM) for breakfast and to see the sunrise. Summer hours were in effect now (6:00 AM to about 3 PM) so muster was like 5:45. Well, one of the guys came in after being out all night at around 5:00 and went to bed. I told him that muster was in 45 minutes. He said he would get half an hour of sleep and then be up. Well, I went up and saw a glorious sunrise and thought about going back down to get my camera to get the sunrise but decided against it since muster wasn't that far off. So at 5:45 everybody fell in to line and the guy who got 1/2 hour of sleep made it at the last minute. Being the last one there, he was in the front line right in front of our chief (that nobody liked). After the division officer, CPO, and LPO had given us the orders of the day and other info, the guy in front promptly threw up. Needless to say, the vomit hit the deck and splashed up on the CPO's pants legs and shoes. It was hard for all of us to not laugh out loud while the chief was chewing out this guy. The chief's eyes bugged out and veins in his temple were about to break and he kept saying the same thing with lines like "I can't **** believe you did this". The guy just smiled while wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and said "If you only know how much better I feel". We had a huge laugh once back in our quarters and for most of the day. Supposedly he had to launder the chief's pants and polish his shoes but we always wondered what else he may have had to do.

Whatever age I am, cause I'm not dead yet.

right on, luna!

I'm 63 and loving it. A few years ago I stopped coloring my hair and let the gray grow in and I can't explain how much it freed me to be me. It sort of started as an experiment but turned into a statement.

As I think back, when I was in my 40's the kids were past baby stage and not yet teenagers, that was a nice time too.

What a great thread and great responses! I wouldn't want to go back to any time - well, maybe to stop in for a minute and say hi to loved ones who are gone now...but to relive it? no thanks. Each part had its good times and bad. I learned a lot from all of it.

17!!!!!!!!