Grumpy old fart !

My uncle has always been a pleasant man. He's was always quick with a smile, joke or laugh even if you didn't know him well. He was always full of life and was a joy to be around. My father ( his older brother) has always been...errrr...well, just the opposite. :smirk:

As time marches on, I find my uncle acting more like my father, and my father acting more like my uncle.

I have a neighbor in his 60's who is just a grumpy old fart, ~UNLESS~ he's arrogently telling of his exploits as a Navy pilot. He's always grumpy towards others, especially children and says some ~really~ unneighborly things to others here. I get along with him, cause I'm friendly, but this guy TRULEY is a jerk !

When I was 19, my then-current girlfriend's dad had a friend in his 60's (67 I believe). I've always been polite and pleasant towards him, but everytime I saw this guy he was a jerk. No matter what was going on, he would go out of his way to be unpleasant towards me. Finally, I asked gf's dad what the guy's problem was. He replied, "He's jealous of you." Stunned, I asked of what. "You're young and still have your whole life ahead of you, his is almost over and it bothers him", he replied.


I've always been friendly. I come from a friendly town. At the gas station, you talked to the person in line ahead of you wether you knew them or not didn't matter. You would speak to them about current events as if you've known them all your life. You would joke with them as if they have been your best friend for 30 years. I still do that even though I don't live there any more. IMO, there is NO REASON not to be friendly. :thumbsup:


A very wise man once said many years ago, "In order to have friends, one must first be friendly".


I am the same now as I've always been. I still behave like I did in my twenties. It's not that I refuse to grow up, I refuse to "get old". I have no intentions of changing and becomming a grump. :cooler:

Happiness is a choice, you ~choose~ to laugh and be happy or be a grump (or at least I would think; I choose that now).

Now...I don't know cause I'm not there yet; are people supposed to get grumpy as they get older, i.e a biological change? One of my closest friends is 92 and the NICEST guy you'll ever meet. My grandmother is 87 and is always in a good mood. (and she has lived a VERY VERY hard life.)

Why do people get grumpy as they get older? I don't get it. :confuse:

Why are some people grumpy old farts? It's still a choice as age besets you, right? I'm dead serious about this. Has anyone noticed a change in a relative or friend's behavior as they got older? ( Alzheimers excluded of course.)

You see grumpy old people, but you don't see grumpy young people. (Well, they're not grumpy, just disgruntled.) That would lead me to believe that folks get grumpier as they get older. From my expeiences, it's more grumpy towards those younger than themselves, but not nessisarily towards folks their own age. ( Especially my neighbor. He'll complain to me, but not at me.)

Is this just part of getting old? The fact the my father and uncle's behavior has changed worries me......I'm just like my uncle.

Is there a chance my attitude may change without me having control over it as I get older? I am now finding myself becomming more and more less tolerant of very young children which isn't like me. There are two boys down the street that drive me nuts, but they do have behavior problems.

I'm dead serious about this and any and all thoughts are welcome.

Your attitude is one of the few things over which you have total and complete control. If you don't like it, change it.

That and your diet, can't think of too many other things that we can totally control. :angel:

I sometimes wonder if the "grumpy old person" types are just very resistant to change. Often the complaints from these sorts of people are some version of "things were better in MY day!". You know the sorts of things-"When we were kids we didn't run around yelling and bothering people!" and complaints about not being able to figure out how to turn on the television.

I know quite a few people in their sixties and seventies, and I've noticed that those who have managed to keep up with technology at least a little bit don't act this way. People who continually say things like "We didn't need cell phones in my day!" don't.

It's just a theory, though.

-Wm.

A couple of observations.

1. The older we get the more we get of whatever we were. If grumpy we get grumpier if peaceful - more peaceful if worried more of a worrier etc.

2. I'm beginning to realize that a mark of wisdom and maturity seems to be that the older we get the more questions we get. In fact, the opposite seems to be those that get ever more set in their ways. Certainly in my own life, there are many things that just aren't as important as they seemed to be and I can gladly let them go, but, the things I do hold on to I hold on to more tightly.

JPSmit said:

A couple of observations.

1. The older we get the more we get of whatever we were. If grumpy we get grumpier if peaceful - more peaceful if worried more of a worrier etc.

.

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See, that's what spooks me. My dad is getting mellow and he has never been, and my uncle is becomming more of a jerk and he isn't like that (usually).

I find that as I get older (I will be 65 on my next birthday), I tend to slow things down a lot, on purpose. I am not as sure of foot as I once was. I tend to reach for things with more purpose, knowing that I will probably drop it if I just grab. I tend to listen to people more, if I want to. I don't suffer fools as much so I ignore people that irritate me. Yes, I repeat stores, especially to my kids. Heck, I just didn't have that interesting a life so I tend to embellish a bit. They understand, I think. I am still quite active, not as strong as I once was. Sex, oh well. Sleep, a real treat, don't get that much, maybe 4 hours a night. Flush the toilet a lot cause I pee a lot. Count the new skin lesions every month, keep the dermatologist busy. Slip an inadvertent fart in public every once in a while. And embarrass my wife when we go out, but not on purpose, with some of my crazy talk.

Ah, the golden years.

Hahahaha, Bill, that sounds like me now !

OMG, it's gonna get worse ?!?!?!?! :shocked:

Poor Kelly !!! :eeek:

I have found myself becoming increasingly angry over the last few years. I have noticed people would tend to not be as friendly and seemed guarded when they would come face to face. My Aunt even told me I was becoming more like my uncle as dementia took over his life and he became unbearably angry.
After many months of resistance I finally relented and allowed my doctor to put me on medication for Parkinson's. Some strange effects from that disease. For example the facial features become what is described as being "stone faced" and it effects a person on an emotional level. Mostly, I believe, because of the response from others which seems very confusing because I did not realize why they were reacting the way they were.
Only a few weeks since I started the medication and I can not believe the difference. Life is completely different in a better kind of way. Not only have the tremors been reduced but I have regained the ability to have expressions on my face. And people meet me with a warm smile, a reflection I believe.

glad you caught that Tom.

What an unexpected suprise this thread has become. Tom,that's great news !!!

FWIW, my mother in law has "stone face" and it aint caused by meds or disease. She just has stone face. She's nice and happy, but looks like an Easter Island reject.

I don't want to get too philosophical, but I believe we all want to be independent. As we get older, things get harder to do. This increases our frustration level and we become "grumpy". We don't have the same control over our lives as we used to so we are unhappy.
The secret is to be happy with ourselves and not worry about what we can't control (easier said than done).

I guess, at least keep enough friends to be pallbearers!

Cheers guys!

Dave :banana:

Dave, that's my grandmother's attitude.

14dna said:

I don't want to get too philosophical, but I believe we all want to be independent. As we get older, things get harder to do. This increases our frustration level and we become "grumpy". We don't have the same control over our lives as we used to so we are unhappy.
The secret is to be happy with ourselves and not worry about what we can't control (easier said than done).

I guess, at least keep enough friends to be pallbearers!

Cheers guys!

Dave :banana:

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even if it's only one to carry the ashes

Still smilin' about Tom. I love hearing stories like that. Thatis truley wonderful bro, glad to hear it !!!

That's my plan, Will. Just have a party. :laugh:

As for th' 'diminished capacity'.... we're all runnin' a race we can't win. Live wifit, and remember to <span style="font-weight: bold">TURN LEFT AT GANYMEDE!</span>

14dna said:

I don't want to get too philosophical, but I believe we all want to be independent. <span style="font-weight: bold">As we get older, things get harder to do.</span> This increases our frustration level and we become "grumpy."

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Haha, I can vouch for that! This past weekend I was doing this for 10 hours a day for two days:


There was a time when such work would not have bothered me in the least. But the next day I had to drive a few hundred miles to an undisclosed work location (where I'll be till the end of the month). When I arrived at the town I am to stay in for my work, the backs of my legs were so sore that I could barely get out of my car!

One of my co-workers told me that Pasta was the best thing to restore my over-worked muscles. So, I went to a local Italian place and ordered a plate of Spaghetti. I rubbed the pasta all over the backs of my sore legs, but so far it hasn't helped!

You putz.

EAT th' pasta, silly!

<this from a *deleted* Italian>

:lol: :lol: was hoping that was the punchline

I had a girlfriend with a dog named Pasta. It wasn't a Chinese joint...was it ?!?!?!?! :eeek: