Being a grumpy middle aged man

Fiction all the way for me. Pure escapism. I'm part way through the final book in Justin Cronin's vampire/sci-fi apocalypse trilogy "The Passage". I'm a huge fan of Terry Pratchett and he never fails to make me chuckle. Gradually working my way through his Discworld series (again!). Also love the short story format and have plenty of supernatural anthologies to occupy me over the holidays.

Tbh, I have so many books on my To Read list that they'll have to bury my kindle with me.

 

Grumpiness and intolerance will pollute most of us as we begin to suffer the pitfalls of aging. It's not helped by the wide acceptance that bile and vitriol constitute an opinion. Don't give in to the urge to be offensive or unpleasant. It only serves to fuel the venom in others and thus justify one's own vilifications.
Regarding mental health, talk about it and get medicated in whichever way your faith and beliefs see fit.

 

I'm currently going through the Michael Connelly crime series. I've just recently finished reading the Muhammad Ali autobiography "The Greatest" - what a truly amazing man he was and it's a great read

 

It's OK to let off steam mate, we all understand. Unfortunately there's no magic cure for this, but I try to get as much exercise as I can. I just go for walks as much as I can. It's better in the summer when we can walk around the countryside and take in a bit of nature as well. Plus as I and others have suggested reading is a great thing to explore. It occupies the mind and can open up the imaginative side of the brain as well.

Take care mate

 

Definitely a thing, but if you recognise it at least you can mitigate it.

 

Grumpy behaviour doesn't exist, I call it speaking the truth. When you're younger you don't feel knowledgeable or worldy wise enough to have confidence to speak up. I got wise early due to many life experiences and was able to stand back and see the bigger picture. I now say what I see, and I don't care who is present. If something or someone is wrong, I don't if you're Jesus reincarnated I'll tell em what's wrong and why.

That's one of the reasons why mostly blokes have less friends as they grow older.

 

You can tell the truth as you see it without being grumpy though.

 

Unfortunately when folk then disagree with you, you are then branded grumpy. It's a vicious cycle, at work I'm a marmite character. Folk either love my direct approach or in other cases bitch about me and on a couple of occasions made up spurious vexatious allegations to prove a point (senior gaffes on all occasions).

 

Not long past 40 and I think I fall into this category. Like someone said earlier in the thread, I tend to be quite direct and tell things as they are. I don't have much tolerance for bullsh1t either. Can spot it a mile away after many years experience of teaching kids and dealing with senior colleagues.

 

I don't think I'm grumpier from being older apart from when I'm tired or in pain. I agree about knowing who your real friends are, but in some ways i think I'm more accepting of people the older I get because I'm more exposed to different situations that people find themselves in.

 

I’ve got more laid back with age. If anyone really wants to vent anger. I will take you sabbing a fox hunt.

 

That's the reason there are so many racist or otherwise bigoted older people (not you) because they don't care anymore and just say what they think regardless of who it offends.
I also believe that the arrogance of the older generations coupled with their confidence and the widely held belief that we should automatically respect our elders is the reason that the UK voted for brexit. The views of the young were dismissed because the older generations were treated as more deserving of a voice and more knowledgeable etc.

I'm not describing you there or anything like that, it's just that your post made me think of it.

 

Ah, that old chestnut, an opinion which will upset and offend, but claimed to be truth. Noxious, quite noxious.

 

Everybody who has contributed to this thread is wrong. I am the only one who knows the light and dark. The sky and earth. I am thinking of setting up my own religion in India. What dya think?
P.s. If you think I'm a wan.ker then you must be a wan.ker for thinking it. See......I just know.....

 

Ask yourself "Why worry about things I can't control?"

You can't control what other people say or do. Nor can you control the Government's disastrous handling of Covid. That's not to say you shouldn't care, but that you look at the things that you can do something about and do them.

"It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters"

Ultimately you have a choice and know what's in your control and what's outside it, and how you choose to react. Be more aware of your own thoughts when they pop up and when your mind goes off on a tangent of worrying about Covid or you find yourself angry by what someone said or did.

"Being angry at someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die".

#Stoicism

 

Brilliant post.

 

Change the things you can't accept; accept the things you can't change!

 

5 or 6 years ago I would have agreed with you, then I got divorced and am now engaged to Anne. These days I hardly ever get grumpy (except sometimes on purpose for a laugh). The only thing that really winds me up is being unable to find things that I "put in a safe place" last week....

 

You've just described me as well, the older I get the more left wing I get poiltlcaly and the less tolerant I get with racists and bigots especially. My hate of thatcher also gets stronger as I see the end game of what she was put in place for getting closer.