Is it still a midlife crisis at age 55?

[dbg]

Sitting on the patio on one of those wonderful Sunday mornings, I'm reading "Outside" magazine from an adirondak chair with my feet resting on a spent keg of Sam Adams from last night's graduation party (#2 son). I'm a bike and golf guy but a new neighbor moved in across the street and we have pretty well connected. He's a surfer and boxer. He has a heavy bag in his basement and works out on it regularly. He gets his surfing fix by flying around the neighborhood on his 4 ft skateboard pulled by his dogs (he calls it dog-surfing). I find those interests intriguing but don't think I have time for them. I will never give up biking or golf. This should be an interesting summer as I have a busy schedule of bike projects planned. But I'm sure there'll be those afternoons where I hook up, adjust attitudes, and play around with the heavy bag and a skate board. Hmmm --how to handle new things when I don't want to give up the old things (?)

[Jet Travis]

Is it still a mid-life crisis at age 55? I sure hope so.

[John E]

Technically, I figure I hit midlife somewhere in my late 40s, so I guess it's all downhill from there. ;)

[stapfam]

Technically, I figure I hit midlife somewhere in my late 40s, so I guess it's all downhill from there. ;)

Feels as though its uphill for me. Lot of effort to get anywhere slowly.

[Louis]

Technically, I figure I hit midlife somewhere in my late 40s, so I guess it's all downhill from there. ;)
True. But it's up to each of us to determine the angle of the slope.:)

[zacster]

I was too busy with my kids in my 40s to have a midlife crisis. It had to wait until my 50s. But since I've been riding pretty much non-stop since my teens, I don't feel like I've had it, yet.

[Tom Bombadil]

Nothing stops one from moving directly from a mid-life crisis to a later-life crisis.

[DnvrFox]

I'm having my mid-lfe crisis right now, at 68.

What's this 50's stuff?

[Widsith]

I'm 53, and I think my mid-life crisis started when I was about 15. I'll let you know when it's over.

[Red Rider]

Define midlife.

:lol:

[Spokes man]

I hope I'm not there yet . . .

[stapfam]

Define midlife.

:lol:

Comes just before the after life. Or will do if you worry about it.

[Rowan]

A mid-life crisis is when your wife leaves you... and takes your bikes and clubs with her.

No... it's a second childhood. Everyone should have one.

[cyclinfool]

If you haven't bought a new road bike and paid more than $6,000, full team kit and start riding with a less than 30 YO hottie then you haven't hit a mid life crisis yet. Get you surf'n buddie to start riding, sounds like he could be a fanatic if he gets the bug.

[Jet Travis]

Define midlife.

:lol:

It happens just about the same time you realize that the bathroom mirror is a liar.

[Beverly]

A mid-life crisis is when your wife leaves you... and takes your bikes and clubs with her.

No... it's a second childhood. Everyone should have one.

Or it could be your husband suddenly announcing "We're going to retire early and move to TN to live in our A-frame". He could have his mid-life crisis....I wasn't ready to have one:)

[aqua4her]

I rather refer to it as my renaissance.

[Wildwood]

I rather refer to it as my renaissance.

+1
Exquisitely stated.

[Wildwood]

He gets his surfing fix by flying around the neighborhood on his 4 ft skateboard pulled by his dogs (he calls it dog-surfing). (?)

I wouldn't consider golf, cycling & Sam Adams to be midlife crisis material. Dog-surfing probably qualifies, unless he is just an off-the-wall character who is permanently a bit out of step. Some of us hear the beat of a different drummer, no crisis in that.

[Road Fan]

Sitting on the patio on one of those wonderful Sunday mornings, I'm reading "Outside" magazine from an adirondak chair with my feet resting on a spent keg of Sam Adams from last night's graduation party (#2 son). I'm a bike and golf guy but a new neighbor moved in across the street and we have pretty well connected. He's a surfer and boxer. He has a heavy bag in his basement and works out on it regularly. He gets his surfing fix by flying around the neighborhood on his 4 ft skateboard pulled by his dogs (he calls it dog-surfing). I find those interests intriguing but don't think I have time for them. I will never give up biking or golf. This should be an interesting summer as I have a busy schedule of bike projects planned. But I'm sure there'll be those afternoons where I hook up, adjust attitudes, and play around with the heavy bag and a skate board. Hmmm --how to handle new things when I don't want to give up the old things (?)

A fellow late bloomer! Yes, middle age can last into our '70s at least!

[Road Fan]

If you haven't bought a new road bike and paid more than $6,000, full team kit and start riding with a less than 30 YO hottie then you haven't hit a mid life crisis yet. Get you surf'n buddie to start riding, sounds like he could be a fanatic if he gets the bug.

does it count if the hottie is also 55?

[Jet Travis]

+1
Exquisitely stated.

And spelled correctly, which is more than I could have done.

[StanSeven]

I'll spilt the difference with you. I had my mid-life crisis at 52 yo. My wife and I were driving one Saturday. Suddenlt I decided to pull into a Chevt dealership out of the blue. I don't know what got in to me but I brought a Corvette that day.

Thinking back, I couldn't say my age from 50 on without stuttering. It took me a few years to realize it's all mid-life crisis.

[megaman]

A fellow late bloomer! Yes, middle age can last into our '70s at least!

Oh wonderful. :eek: :injured:

Heck, mine just started in August. I try to think I'm going to get past it soon. Some days are better than others. But I guess that means I'm going to live to 110.

[PirateJim]

I've either been having my mid life crisis since I was about 25 or I haven't had it yet at 54. Maybe a brush with cancer in your late thirties puts things into perspective a bit and it never really happens. On the other hand, I've gone through a good many nice mid-life crisis cars (Porsche, Vettes, various BMWs) starting pretty early (first Vette at about 23). So I'm not really sure working out on your buddy's heavy bag or maybe even trying out his skateboard is exactly a mid-life crisis. I've lived forever needing to balance time/budget with things I wanted to do.

Of course... At this point, I refuse to admit that I may actually be at "mid-life" so it may happen yet when I get there!!

[fthomas]

Like a stream that narrows and speeds as is discends the rapids of life spilling into a pool of apathy. Some are ejected from the pool into a speedier decent and others are caught in the pool awaiting their new adventure!

Paddle Hard! Mid Life awaits us on our exit!

[zonatandem]

'mid-life in your 70s?' . . . there's hope for us two!!!

[Tom Bombadil]

Mid doesn't have to mean square in the center. Anything after the beginning and before the end is somewhere in the middle.

As in if you were flying from LA to NYC and your plane experience mid-flight turbulence, it doesn't mean it happened right over Kansas City.

[DnvrFox]

Mid doesn't have to mean square in the center. Anything after the beginning and before the end is somewhere in the middle.

As in if you were flying from LA to NYC and your plane experience mid-flight turbulence, it doesn't mean it happened right over Kansas City.

That's strange. I ALWAYS get turbulence over Kansas City. That is because it is midway.

[Tom Bombadil]

That's strange. I ALWAYS get turbulence over Kansas City. That is because it is midway.

Well then you need to fly from Denver to Miami, then KC will be smooth because it won't be mid-way.

[Terrierman]

How is drinking beer and playing golf a crisis anyway?

[Aikidoka]

I am clear my (I can't say or it becomes real) you know..."crisis" officially happened/began when I left a Honda dealership in 2000 with a new Honda Aero (cruiser) motorcycle, it continued 1 year later with the addition of a Honda VFR800 (sport/tour bike) motorcycle and an immense amount of gear to go with it. 1 year after that the addition of a Honda RC51 V-twin Superbike (major sport bike) that I dumped a ton of $$ into to get it track prepped. Getting pulled over by cops who "expecting" a kid on the bike looked at me and I knew what they were thinking staring at my grey beard...

I do have the 30yo hottie who happens to be 49, sold the motorcycles and returned to my first real love...the bicycle. No Vette but I can be found muttering about the new Nissan GTR and one day, some day building my all-time favorite..a Factory Five AC Cobra (replica). Until then I bought a new grill and fine-tune the perfect burger...:)

cheers

k

[zoste]

I don't have the time for one; or the money.

[Barrettscv]

My timetable consisted of 20 years of fatherhood and the rest is me-time.

Michael

[Road Fan]

Mid doesn't have to mean square in the center. Anything after the beginning and before the end is somewhere in the middle.

As in if you were flying from LA to NYC and your plane experience mid-flight turbulence, it doesn't mean it happened right over Kansas City.


So for a mathematician it should really be called "non-endpoint crisis?" :lol:

[Tom Bombadil]

You know, a large percentage of the psychiatric profession doesn't even accept that something definable as a mid-life crisis even exists. Most of the chatter about this is pop psychology.

A lot of events that are pointed at and pronounced a mid-life crisis event, are nothing more than someone who now has the time and money to do or buy something that they wanted to do for years, but couldn't. It isn't so much that they want to be 18-25 again, as it is that they have the opportunity to do something and if they don't do it soon, they may never have the chance again.

Let's use the example of a 50-something person going out to buy a motorcycle. When they were in their 30s and 40s, they may have had kids to support & protect. Their mortgage ate up a lot of disposable income. They needed and wanted to spend time with their family.

Now they are making more money than they ever have. Fewer people are dependent upon their income. They have more free time. Buying the motorcycle may not be a big financial deal anymore. Perhaps their spouse is more receptive to the idea (or would like to see them out of the house more often). You don't want to wait until you are 65-70 to get one, or regret never having got one. So you pop for one at 52. That's not a mid-life crisis.

Likewise for buying a sports car, boat, cabin, snowmobile, carbon fiber bike, whatever. Most of the time this is someone in their late 40s through 50s who just takes advantage of their situation to enjoy life. As long as it isn't too reckless or too financially risky, I think most psychiatrists would tell you that this is a healthy thing.

[Aikidoka]

You know, a large percentage of the psychiatric profession doesn't even accept that something definable as a mid-life crisis even exists. Most of the chatter about this is pop psychology.

A lot of events that are pointed at and pronounced a mid-life crisis event, are nothing more than someone who now has the time and money to do or buy something that they wanted to do for years, but couldn't. It isn't so much that they want to be 18-25 again, as it is that they have the opportunity to do something and if they don't do it soon, they may never have the chance again.

Let's use the example of a 50-something person going out to buy a motorcycle. When they were in their 30s and 40s, they may have had kids to support & protect. Their mortgage ate up a lot of disposable income. They needed and wanted to spend time with their family.

Now they are making more money than they ever have. Fewer people are dependent upon their income. They have more free time. Buying the motorcycle may not be a big financial deal anymore. Perhaps their spouse is more receptive to the idea (or would like to see them out of the house more often). You don't want to wait until you are 65-70 to get one, or regret never having got one. So you pop for one at 52. That's not a mid-life crisis.

Likewise for buying a sports car, boat, cabin, snowmobile, carbon fiber bike, whatever. Most of the time this is someone in their late 40s through 50s who just takes advantage of their situation to enjoy life. As long as it isn't too reckless or too financially risky, I think most psychiatrists would tell you that this is a healthy thing.

Well spoken...agreed. In my case the motorcycles were doing what I hadn't the means to do earlier (and went a bit overboard I admit). :thumb:

cheers

k

[mrardo]

I hit 50 and looked over the hill and didn't like what I saw so I turned around and will be 40 in a couple of months. Maybe if I get younger I will stop getting dropped by the 70 year old guys I ride with.