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"When I was your age…"

Credit: Unsplash, Nathalia Bariani

 
‘When I was your age’ is not something you look forward to hearing in a conversation. Stereotypically, what follows is a long monologue of dull and confused information that ultimately leads to criticism about how the youth of today behave. But how often in our day to day lives do we actually listen to those around us who have experienced exactly what we are going through right now.
Emma de Kiefte recently got the chance to have a chat with an experienced group of people at a local respite aged care centre to find out about what it was like when they were ‘our age’. Here’s what they had to say…
What was the best part of university?
Merilyn, 75
“I went to university to study teaching and library studies. I mostly enjoyed the experience…I’d like to say the study but that’s just not the case.”
“I think the best part at the end of the day was having the ability to study and work hard. Being lucky enough to work hard, while sometimes it didn’t feel too great, was the biggest gift.”
Jimmy, 82
“I didn’t get to go to university, but my wife did. She was outrageously smart. I always admired her for it.”
“I use to joke that she came back from her studies with a brain but that she’d lost it when she married me.”
What do you miss most about university?
Marleen, 80
“I miss sorting it all out. Originally, I felt like a big part of me was missing. There was nothing to replace the work load, the friends, the learning. Gradually you get use to living a different way but nothing ever comes close to what it was like.”
Do you have any advice for people who are currently studying?
Merilyn, 75
“Be organised!”
“Be organised so that you can make sure that you can take time out to do the things you love. I use to go dancing and it was the best way to break all the hard work up.”
What was the best part of being in your 20s?
Harold, 76
“Playing soccer, skiing, boxing. Being able to move that way, be able to do those things… I miss the social contacts that come from sport. I was able to move from France to Australia because of the connections I made through sport.”
Noel, 87
“I miss sport the most too. Sport of all types. You don’t realise how lucky you are until you can’t do the things you use to anymore.”
Georgia, 96
“I just simply miss being young.”
After all these years, what are you most thankful for?
Jimmy, 82
“I’m just lucky to be alive. You get to my age and you suddenly realise how much of a blessing that is.”
Marleen, 80
“I’m the same. When you get to this age, all you can be thankful for is being healthy. You really come to realise what that really means.”
Noel, 87
“Young to old is an interesting phase to go through. We are the only animal on earth that are able to reflect. Becoming ‘old’ makes you look back at your life with new eyes. It really does change you in ways you can’t imagine. You see things in a new light and you see your younger years through new eyes.”
“Be open to experiences and be grateful. That is the way to make it through this world.”

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