People Share The Things That Become Less Important The Older You Get

People Share The Things That Become Less Important The Older You Get
Eliott Reyna/Unsplash

Aging is DOPE, y'all.

I know we were all sold this idea that youth was where it's at, but trust me—we were lied to.

There is something so freeing about aging, and I'm not about to let anyone lie to the young'uns about that anymore.


The best part, BY FAR, is the way that all your f*cks just seem to just evaporate into the breeze like seawater, leaving behind only salt.

So much salt.

It's awesome.

Reddit user Gourmet-Guy asked:

"What gets less important the older you get?"

Listen folks, there are so many things you get to no longer care about when you get older that it's honestly kind of exciting.

I'm sincerely looking forward to bring one of those fearless old ladies who beats up criminals with their ridiculously giant purse, or has deadly chancla aim even though she's been blind and deaf for 5 years. You'd better believe she turns into some sort of mystic seer when you put a flip flop in her hand, though.

She gives so few f*cks about anything that her mind is clear and she can be one with the universe. Just guided by the spirit of chancletazos...

That's where I'm trying to be, but I'm not there yet. I know because I still sort of care about one or two things on this list.

Do You Like Me?

"Being liked."

"I find that the older I get, the less random acquaintances like me; but the more my friends and loved ones DO like me."

"I stopped trying to be likable and just decided to be me instead."

- brokenhippie91

"Same, also the less friends I need. Just a few good mates that are trustworthy is enough."

- Specialist_Prompt_54

"THIS! And it's crazy how fast a change like this can take place as well."

"I'm a senior in college now. Less than four years ago I was running around trying to befriend as many people as possible just to see what would stick, now I'm pretty happy with my little group."

"A possible downside of this is that meeting new people seems kind of tiring in certain situations, but that's really on a case-by-case basis."

- hammalamamba

Giphy

Late Nights

"I used to like staying up late. Now I get excited to go to sleep."

- BjornBeetleBorg

"All of our childhood punishments have become our life goals."

"Going to bed early."
"Not leaving my house. (I pay the mortgage, I'm damn well going to get my money's worth.)"
"Not going to 'that' party."

- throwawayspank1017

"The absolute joy I get going to sleep by 9 so that I can get up at 4am, work out for 1.5 hours and still have so much extra time before I go to work is unparalleled by anything I did when I was young."

- Reality_Gatekeeper

"It's also enjoyable to be up fully rested, properly breakfasted and with chores, exercise or some form of entertainment already behind you while the rest of society groans and fumbles for their alarms."

"There's also a special appeal to the hours when everyone else is still in bed. It's almost like the world is yours for that brief period of time."

- Good_Dog_Almighty

Giphy

What's Cooler Than Being Cool?

"Being cool."

"One of the most liberating things about getting older is you can just do your own thing without caring if it's trendy or not."

- DeathSpiral321

"Just started skateboarding again and I'm going full dork mode with a helmet, wrist pads, knee pads, and I plan on getting elbow pads and even hip pads when I start trying to learn to skate on bowls and mini ramps."

- evil_con_carne

"This. I started college quite a bit later than most and was worried that I'd never finish my degree. So I went all in and decided I still wanted a 'normal' college experience, living in the dorms at 25."

"It was so easy to pick out the kids who still clearly cared not only about being cool, but being POPULAR, bless their little hearts..."

"They were all so exhausted."

- Famous-Honey-9331

Giphy

Age

"The age of your friends."

"When you're 20, hanging out with a 30-year old is a bit weird. When you're 30, hanging out with 40-year olds is normal."

- DomDeLaweeze

"I have a friend who's the same age as my father. I routinely forget she's not my age cause she's such a cool person."

"Not to say my dad isn't cool. My dad rocks and he's the coolest person I know. But there's always that mentality of wow he's so much older than me because he's my parent."

- TheRedMaiden

"Cuz when we're younger, even a few years makes a huge difference in our thinking."

"Like when you're younger than 20, maybe 15? Even a 5 year old difference, that is, hanging out with a 10 year old is weird."

- Working_Ad168

It's Not All Treasure

"Physical possessions."

"When you're a child, everything you own is a treasure. When you're an adult, it starts turning into junk."

- Sharrakor

"As you get older, only certain things are treasures. And that's only because you get certain joys out of them."

- Anjunagasm

"Exactly this."

"I see physical possessions as something I have to make space for, deal with, and maintain. Honestly it's not worth the energy to have more stuff if I don't need it and absolutely love it."

"Less really is more. Less makes lazy me happier."

- fivesforeveryone

"I am so excited about my stuff! It's not junk because I put thought into all of it and it's all mine. It's also part of getting older."

"I am so jazzed that I bought a new washer and dryer set! I could get whichever one *I* wanted."

"My set needed replaced so I splurged and got a Wi-Fi enabled LG matching set. So happy about it, too!"

- PC509

Giphy

Going Out? No Thanks.

"Needing to go out to do stuff. Fireplace, movie, spouse, good movie, comfy couch = happiness."

- angeltati

"I hate going places. God forbid I have to ever stand in a line."

"My wife and I, when we do decide to go somewhere, go on weekdays when it's not as busy. I feel like such a grumpy old man lol."

"I can't wait to be home most of the time that I'm out and about."

- PD216ohio

"This 100%."

"Sit outside at night with a cup of hot chocolate watching the sky. Stay inside and play games or do a puzzle. Reading."

- Electrical-Pie-8192

Giphy

As People

"What kinds of cars people drive, what kinds of homes/apts/condos they live in, what brands of clothes they wear, what kinds of new electronic technologies they have . . ."

". . . instead, I care a lot more about how they are as people. "

"Are they kind? Are they honest? Are they interested in the world and making some kind of contribution to it? Are they interesting and true to themselves?"

- RandomInternetLady

Giphy

It Works Fine

"Keeping up with new tech and apps."

"I'm at a point where what I already have works fine for what I use it for and I don't care enough to upgrade or learn how the newest thing works."

- PeterBernsteinSucks

"My phone is going on 40 months old (longest I've ever had one last, wish I could get another Note 9 when it dies lol)."

"When I get a new one, it will be top of the line, but only because I don't have the patience for slow stuttering cheap technology. And usually the more you spend, the longer it lasts."

"Beyond that... For status? For bragging rights? For that old itch I used to have for always having the best? None of that drives me anymore."

"Function > form."

- legacyweaver

Giphy

Looks

"Looks."

"I'm not being cheesy here: when I was a teenager, you really had to look a certain way for any guy to go out with you. They wouldn't dare to admit that they liked a chubby girl or one without a typical sense of fashion."

"When you get older of course looks still matter, but people are a lot more forgiving! There's a whole wide world out there full of people with different tastes."

"I was so surprised with how easy it was for me to get dates in my twenties."

- DameDrunkenTheTall

Giphy

Just A Job

"Work."

"First company I worked there 14 years. Outworked my colleagues, stayed late, worked weekends. Missed family events to 'get ahead.' "

"Never got me a dime more in my paycheck, I never was thought of as a better employee by management than my colleagues who left as soon as they could get out the door."

"Had enough. Found another job, swore I would never work that hard for a company that could care less about me again. Lied to self."

"Second company I worked there 17 years. Outworked my colleagues, stayed late, worked weekends. Missed family events to 'get ahead.' "

"Never got me a dime more in my paycheck, I never was thought of as a better employee by management than my colleagues who left as soon as they could get out the door."

"People I worked with, went to war with, spoke to every single day for years- I never heard from them again after I left."

"Both of these companies replaced me the day I left and never looked back. It was like I was never there."

"The only thing that is important is your family."

"A job is just a job."

- Beths_Titties

Giphy

Have you found yourself no longer caring about the stuff on this list?

Or are you still hung up on a few things? What sorts of things have you stopped caring about?

Sound off, folks!

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.

People are required to have a license to drive, fish, and have certain jobs.

So it boggles my mind that people aren't required to have a license to have kids.

Some of the cruelest and most vicious things I've ever heard were words uttered by a parent to a child.

As an adult, I was haunted by a few thigs.

I can't imagine the scaring of an adolescent.

Keep reading...Show less

A tough realization that most of us have to process and accept at some point is the fact that our parents lied to us when we were kids.

But the tougher fact to process may not be the lying itself, but some of the lies that were told along the way.

Keep reading...Show less
Lone moviegoer in a theater
Karen Zhao/Unsplash

With theaters finally open to those wanting the ultimate entertainment experience that streaming movies at home can't provide, the pandemic that kept many venues closed now feels like a distant memory.

There's nothing like seeing a film up on the big screen the way Hollywood studios intended, and many would argue that experience is worth shelling out the cash for.

That being said, there is no assurance audiences will remain in their seats until the credits roll at the end.

Because not all movies are created equal. Some are just embarrassingly bad and not worth sticking around for.

Keep reading...Show less
Woman holding her head in her hands
Photo by Simran Sood on Unsplash

If there was one good thing to come out of the pandemic, it was that it made us all the more appreciative of all that is good in our lives.

No one ever appreciated the importance of friends or family more, having to be kept apart from each other for months, or the little things which bring us joy, which we made sure to keep doing even as pandemic restrictions were lifted.

Of course, being alone with our thoughts for such a long time also resulted in our reflecting on things in our lives, or in the world in general, which we were less than happy about.

Not to mention the all-important realization that life is short and precious, and we don't have time to waste our thoughts on some things.

Keep reading...Show less