No one told me that when I reached 64 I would be thinking, “Well, I’m in my 65th year.” But, I am.
Big deal, right? I mean, what’s 65? Sure, it used to be the magic number for Social Security, that light at the end of the tunnel for folks longing for the end of a workaday life. But, hell, that’s now 66, and in another three years it will be 67. And, for many, working past that is a necessity to survive. These days, you better not be counting on living on just Social Security. Hopefully you have an IRA, 401(k), etc. – one that has survived the meltdowns of the stock market. And pensions? Those are just as susceptible.
As for 65, I have to go back to my paternal great-grandfather to find a male ancestor who made it to 65. I’ll give credit to my maternal grandfather for making it to 76, but for his father, it was just 49.
Fortunately, it occurred to me to sing “When I’m Sixty-four” to someone just before I reached 64, so I have a lock on the “Will you still need me? Will you still feed me?” aspect of that in my waning years.
I know that decades cause panic in some people… 30, 40, 50, 60, etc., but those birthdays never bothered me. I think it was my on 54th birthday that it dawned on me, “Hey! I’m 50!” I know, plus a few years, but you have to stay young in your mind.
So, yeah. I’m in my 65th year, and the fact that I have far fewer years ahead of me than behind me does come to mind now and then, but I’m not ready to start counting down, just yet.
Image source: RoseBakes.com
rivrvlogr 
Is this your birthday? If so, happy birthday! I turned 60, and it was kind of big deal because it’s a new decade, I guess. At the same time, I didn’t feel any older than I did at 59. We do get discounts at a movie theater we go to, so there is that. 🙂 Yeah, as far as healthcare, pension, Social Security–we could be a big trouble. We’re living in scary times.
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Thank you. It was earlier this month, but the song popped into my head, again today.
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Yes, happy birthday. I’ve got a year on you, but seriously, the last time it bothered me was 40. I don’t feel that old, but when I look in the mirror, I certainly see my mother!
The only people I know with pensions were unionized. The rest of us? we’ll be improvising. (K)
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Thank you. I’ve benefited from a pension for the last 11 years. There’s a major change coming very soon (it’s not public sector, which are generally protected – at taxpayer expense) but SS in 2 years will cover it. Still, it revises plans.
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I, of course, never thought about it. I’ve freelanced for years, and none of the companies I worked for before that had pension plans at all. But hopefully they won’t mess with social security.
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Happy belated birthday. I have to wait until I’m 66 for my state pension now (2022), unless I get caught in the revision and it’s stretched to 67. I’m just glad I took my bank pension at 50 as I’d have lost it otherwise when the bank was sold some years ago.
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Thank you. Yes, it’s all in the timing.
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Happy birthday. I have realized in the last few years I’m in the last 25 percent of my life. It’s been helpful in prioritizing. People do get taken aback when I say, I can’t do this or that because I only have 20 years left to live. I laugh. May these be the best years for you.
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Thank you. I hope they are, as well.
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welcome to the over-the-hill gang
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🙂
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happy belated Birthday my friend, still young at heart ❤
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Yes. Thank you!
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You’re only as old as you feel; but, damnit!, I’m feeling OLD . . .
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WHEN I AM OLD
When I am old, do you suppose
That hairs will grow out of my nose,
And as I count the passing years
Will tufts of it sprout from my ears?
When arms and legs are thin and frail
And memory begins to fail
Shall I recall those days gone by
When passing women sought my eye?
When face is wrinkled, fold on fold,
And summer heatwaves leave me cold,
And teeth are gone, and eyes are weak,
Shall I lose all desire to speak?
When I have lived my lifespan through
And found at last a perfect view
Will others see there no more than
The mumblings of a mad old man?
When I am always far away,
Too deaf to hear a word you say,
Your feelings – will they be the same
When I keep asking you your name?
When mind’s decayed, and flesh repels,
And speech no longer casts its spells;
When I am old, then we shall see
Just what it was you loved in me.
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Excellent!
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Thank you. It seemed a relevant response to your piece.
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