My head is 40, my bones are 65. I'm slowly catching up.

You could be closer to death at 18 than 68


These go hand in hand, your memory starts to play tricks on you and makes you think you were far more active, funny, witty, handsome and interesting when you were younger than you really ever were.

As for getting older, nah, not bothered really, I still act like a 4 year old.

It only bothers me that I can't get student discount or a young person's railcard...

Doesn't really bother me, just wish I had met my girlfriend a decade or so earlier... That said, we were both different people back then, so I don't know if we would have hit it off.

My body is starting to let me down - had a lump of extra bone growth removed from my heel last month, because it was interfering with my Achilles' Heel. Also my eyesight is coming and going, some days I need to wear glasses, other days not...

I lost vigour about 20 years ago, and I regret not looking after myself better when I was younger. I was always mentally about 30 years old when I was a teen. I think I still am, even though I am a much wiser person now. I still find the silliest things funny, and I think it's important not to lose touch with the inner child.

As I approach my half century, I worry about declining well-being. I think I will remain mentally active enough to avoid turning into a dribbling vegetable, and I plan an active retirement like my parents. I want to be able to still see the wonder in new things, the same way a child's learning and discovery helps them grow, right to the end.

I worry about being alone. Best Beloved is no spring chicken, and is 25 years older than me. We don't have kids, and neither does my baby sister, so I don't think there will be anyone close when I'm old and doddery. I hope I'm able to cope, or be smart enough to realise it's time to check into somewhere to look after me when I can't. A close friend, who died a year ago, was in a similar situation, and I don't want to go the way she did. It was very sad to see.

When my time comes, I want it to be in my sleep.

I don't, I had a good time.

I didn't.

It doesn't often bother me. In fact, sometimes, I enjoy it. But stories like Heather's do linger when you hear them

Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't mean to depress everyone.

I'm not bothered. I get more awsome every year

I feel younger than I did 10 years ago. What bothers me is my other half complaining that she’s “old” - well, no - she’s younger than me for a start.



What is upsetting me at the moment is my parents. They have just plonked down for a new static home which the family uses. The lease is 20 years, and is being referred to as “the inheritance”. They are getting rather matter of fact about it - they will be in their 80s by the time it’s time to renew, and are both saying that they probably won’t be around by then. That’s what’s getting to me at the moment. Not me ageing, both the others around me - my family. They won’t always be there, but they always have been…



Not screaming in terror like your passengers then?

Same here and more modest every year as well.

Sorry, didn't mean it like that. I just sympathise and I don't know how I would feel in your shoes. I'll be 29 in a month, so I should shut up and stop moaning, but I often think about my later years.

You shouldn't apolgise, we're all in the same boat. None of us know when the end will come so we could all be in our "later" years.

Does getting older bother me?

Not the numbers per say, rather it's the side effects that bother me.

In all likelihood, I am now closer to my death than my birth. Bits of me are showing serious signs of wear and tear, like a second-hand car that's not firing on all cylinders and needs constant TLC. The MOT is getting more expensive every year, and I just don't "go" like I used to: I find myself putting relaxation ahead of partying, and that's just so dull

I'm not fit enough to climb mountains any more. I can't even run or cycle very far because of my bad knee - even walking becomes painful if I'm on my feet for more than an hour or two!

I've lost my coordination. Sometimes I'm so damned clumsy it makes me want to cry. I can't solder delicate circuits, and even mundain tasks are become too "intricate" for me. Just putting a plate back in the cupboard can be a traumatic experience involving much swearing, and potentially a lot of expensive damage.

I've lost my marbles. OK so I only started with half a bag, but now I can't even remember where I put them. My IQ is still over 150, but what's the use when you forget what you're doing all the time? Thankfully I have technology to help. If I was dependant on paper and pen, I'd actually have lost my own head by now.

I lost my hair a long time ago, pretty much the day I started working full-time. I don't mind being bald, but what hair I do have is terrible! The hair on my head is usually shorter than the hair in my ears and nose, on my back and face, and my eye-brows - and it sticks out randomly. If I grow it over 3 inches, I look like whatisname in the Fire Starter video... except fatter and less pierced. The result is, my looks frighten people. Some of you will be aware of my pen·chant for pretty Japanese idols, but I can safely say that my landing in Tokyo would make them all hide under the bed repeating "I can't unsee! I can't unsee!"

"Beauty and the Beast" is now my favourite story

im 19 (just), have the music taste of a 40-year-old and the mind of a 3-week-old puppy. nothing bothers me