MandolinPicker
Every morning when I get up and out of bed I hear a bunch of 'snap, crackle, pop' but there ain't a cereal bowl in sight!

I've always had noisy (and painful) joints. The typical story - tall and skinny kid, grew up fast, hated sports and exercise...
 
2014 has been a tougher one on my body, despite me eating very well and getting plenty of exercise.
 
Touching my toes seemed to be child play until a few months back - I could do the Bruce Lee thing and touch my tibias with my head.
 
Now my feet seem so far I feel like calling a cab to get there when I need to put socks on. 
 
The strangest thing would be my feet themselves which feel like they've been crushed when I get out of bed in the morning. It's really odd.
 
Actually, spending more than 7 or 8 hours in bed inevitably means back and legs problems.

 
 
Every time I cast a weary eye over this thread's title, I think it's about Jan

The hairs that bug me are the ones that grown on the outside of my nose.  Once I notice one, I'll keep staring at it until I can get rid of it.  I'm sure I must look cross-eyed while I'm distracted by it.  

Give it ten more years and you'll be missing spots when you shave.... but it's OK. You'll get wrinkles and liver spots but try to keep the wonder, hope, and love of a child in your heart and mind.
I pluck my ears and nose regularly. When I forget about my nose, I remember when the hairs get just long enough to touch the other side of the nostril... that will remind you in a hurry! I keep a miniature knockoff Swiss Army knife in my truck, it has a file and knife and scissors. Those scissors come in REALLY handy when I am out and all of a sudden my nose begins to tickle because those hairs just reach the other side!
You may as well grow old gracefully, because you WILL grow old, unless of course you are regularly saying things like, "Hey y'all... watch this"! In that case I fear for you, LOL.
Actually, I think you have a ways to go yet. You are far from old. I have a good friend who went pretty much bald in high school. I didn't need glasses until I was 47 and I went from no problem to not being able to read at arms length in 3 months... but the most changes, at least for me, happened between 50 and 60.
A word of advice... be careful about what medications the doctor wants to give you as you get older. It is better to change diet and lifestyle. Meds can cause more problems. Blood pressure meds can make you tired and some can actually raise your BP. I know from experience that you can decrease your quality of life by treating symptoms rather than causes BUT, think about it... big pharma pretty much controls healthcare and health insurance is right in there with them. THIS>>> they have no interest in you getting well, they only benefit if you are NOT well, if you have symptoms and take their drugs to deal with the symptoms.
Pluck the hairs... and smile, just smile and wave boys!
 
Julien

jbow
 
I know from experience that you can decrease your quality of life by treating symptoms rather than causes 
 
Julien

+1  that is wisdom 
 
Kenny

I think one of the scariest things about getting older is how much more quickly time seems to pass. I know it's just an illusion of perspective based on the fact that any given period of time becomes a smaller fraction of your overall life as you get older, but damn it still freaks me out. I really started to notice it in my 30's when it dawned on me that things which I thought were just a few months ago were actually a year ago. This is especially true of seasons and at this point in my life I occasionally have a little trouble remembering whether something happened this summer or last summer. I get it in the end, but there's that hesitation. 
 
Another thing which surprises me is quite literally forgetting how old I am (in years), and sometimes even what year it is. Again this is just a momentary phenomenon, but that short period of confusion makes me think wow. I think it's probably just because things like ages and dates become less important to you as you get older. 
 
At the same time, my long term memory amazes me.  The first few years of your life are like being a human tape recorder and some memories are set in stone in the darkest depths of your mind. I was showing my girlfriend my class photo from when I was 6 last night, and to my surprise I was able to reel off the full names of all 30 kids in my class without any hesitation. But if I'm at a party now and I get introduced to someone, I've forgotten their name within minutes. It's embarrassing. 
 
I've also noticed that the older I get, the less afraid of bees and wasps I am. 
 
 

"I think one of the scariest things about getting older is how much more quickly time seems to pass."
 
So true, I have to fill my daily pill reminder every three days... at least it seems like it. Thankfully it no longer has as many pills in it!
 
Hey RAIN.... I thought about this thread last night when I was going to sleep and it occurred to me that sometimes relieving the body pain from being in bed is as simple as flipping the mattress, if that does not work turn it, then flip it again if you need to. If you turn it again you're back where you started.
Never buy a "pillow top" mattress. They feel great in the store but you will regret it every morning, once you reach the age where it matters. Those things will make you hurt all over. Our mattress has one way that it works pretty good, it has one side or way that is horrible. I want to get a Select Comfort http://www.sleepnumber.com/ around Christmas or early spring. I hear nothing but good about them and you have a pretty long trial period, 20 or 25 year warranty and really, they aren't that expensive. That will be my next bed. We have considered the memory foam mattresses (Temperpedic) but they are seriously more expensive and the ones I've seen are non-returnable. Then there is the Duxiana http://www.duxiana.com/  bed. It is also really expensive and more complex, it has a lot of ropes and some have a crank for adjustment. They are supposed to be nice. Too much money for me though.
 
Anyway, try flipping the mattress, side to side. If that does not help turn it... etc. If nothing helps, I think you need a new mattress. If it's a "pillow top" get rid of it ASAP.
 
J