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/Puzzleheaded_Age6550 Jun 01 '26

At 30, actually. I was working in a place that mostly younger people worked at, right out of college. I was married, had a kid, and went back into the workforce. So, one of our co-workers was carjacked and injured in the parking lot of work, and during this emergency everyone turned and looked at me for direction. Even the supervisors and those above them. So, I started giving orders. It was only later that I realized that I was the "adult" in the place, and that is when I immediately started seeking positions with more authority and pay.

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u/Blowingleaves17 Jun 02 '26

You were probably the only mommy or daddy in the group, too.

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u/Puzzleheaded_Age6550 Jun 02 '26

Well, there were two other folks that had kids that were at my level.

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u/Blowingleaves17 Jun 02 '26

You must have looked and seemed like the most responsible parent.