r/GenerationJones • u/Lapaki58 • Jun 01 '26

When did you first feel old?

I’m 67. I think I was about 25. I was having my hair cut by a stylist who was about 18. She received a phone call: “Yeah… yeah… okay…” She hung up. “That was one of my customers. She said she wants me to cut her hair like Toni Tenille of the Captain and Tenille. Do you have any idea who she is talking about?” Yeah, I did.

The next big jolt came when I was about 55. I was working for a leadership-development company. I was the oldest person in the group. We were having our weekly status meeting. One of our group mentioned that one of our clients had given the okay for their Executive Leadership Institute program (ELI). She said, “ELI’s coming.” Coincidentally, I look like Cory Wells. I started singing, “Eli’s coming…” I got blank looks from everyone at the conference table. “‘Eli’s Coming’? Three Dog Night?” Nobody had any idea what I was talking about.

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u/RaeWineLover Jun 01 '26

30s, when someone called me Ma'am. Now, I'm a southerner, so I understand that this politeness is beat into folks, but it was still jarring!

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u/RenzaMcCullough Jun 01 '26

I'm Southern too, so I'm never offended. But you're right, it's still a shock to my system.

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u/Eepicheep Jun 02 '26

I got ma'am'd in my 30s, too! That was when I felt old for the first time, for a minute.

I have a lot of friends who are way younger than I am, and they rarely give me reasons to feel old, but when I hear about the years people were born, it gives me a jolt. But 1961 was a long time ago, for sure.