What do you miss from an earlier stage of life?

14 comments

1. The lack of social media and smartphones. Just going over to a friends place and ring the doorbell. No need to plan ahead. Just go over to that girls house without texting first if it is okay.

   Everything is discussed before now on whatsapp or instagram. And spontaniouty is rude.

   Or just know you will find a few friends at that bar if you go there.

2. The days when me and my friends would play FIFA long into the night, usually during a house party, or after a party, or before a party lol.

3. Mid 30s with 2 kids. I just miss the freedom to do things without all the logistics behind finding childcare. We went to dinner with two other couples and we all have kids and it took 2 months for us all to find a day that we could all meet where we had babysitters. Even a day where I don’t work and just hang out and don’t have any responsibilities sounds nice. Don’t get me wrong though, I love the kids and they’re amazing, it just wears you down sometimes.

4. I wish I had more group orgies. I haven’t even had a threesome in my life, and my chances don’t look good now that I’m married.

5. I sure miss my 30″ waist…(though working to get back closer to that!). Didn’t realise at the time that I couldn’t just eat rubbish most days and that it wouldn’t eventually lead to weight gain (I used to be able to eat like a horse and still be super skinny).

   I have a feeling it was easier to make new friends in my 20s – there just seemed to be more opportunities overall. And the music was way, way better…

6. I miss being able to pull all nighters. Now I’m asleep by 10:30, doesn’t matter if I’m in bed or watching TV on the couch

7. I miss my kids being in those grade school years.

   I miss meeting new people because of mutual interests and friends rather than just occupying the same spaces.

   I miss the excitement of personal growth and newness of exploring new ideas and goals.

8. No bills. Or less bills 🥲

9. Being able to eat what ever I wanted and not put on weight.

10. The “community” feeling of HS/college. Such a bubble we lived in and it was glorious.

11. Honestly, not too much – mainly just having a big social circle of friends who were always up to something. Weeknights and weekends in high-school and college were almost always spent goofing around at a close knit group of friends house. Always had plans, always something to do and someone to see if I was feeling it.

    Little different now, a little lonely being an unmarried dude in his mid 30s, have a partner, and most of my friends are in the settle down phase. Interactions have changed, although in different forms and formats working around everyone’s priorities. Not a bad change of pace, as I’ve got solid time for my own pursuits and generally enjoy my alone time – but still, having that long list of folks to get out and kick it with after a long day or week is definitely something I miss.

    Prioritize your social connections folks – literally the best predictor of life satisfaction, health, and happiness longitudinally across so many lines of research.

12. Living in the rust belt before it got so rusty.

    I miss shopping at the Mall before it got abandoned and crime ridden, I miss driving around and seeing all the shops in my city before they all closed down and got boarded up. I miss the community when everyone had roots here but all left for better towns to live in.

13. I miss the availability of friends and the hanging out of random people and meeting up whenever to do whatever. Everything is too scheduled now.

    And I also miss Christmas and Holidays of my childhood. The early 20s when grandparents were alive and we’d have big parties with all the grandkids, parents, and grandparents.

    Now they’re smaller and my sister is the only one in the immediate family with kids, so it’s just very close family and the occasional Christmas party with the cousins and what not.

14. The energy I had in my late 20’s and early 30’s. Building a business, there were days I’d literally work around the clock, through the night, put in a full day, drive home and sleep, then be back at it. Weeks on end working 7 days a week.

    Now, I work about 60 hours a week, and on the weekend I could literally only leave bed to use the bathroom. Very little interest in food even. It feels so weird to have to force myself to do ANYTHING at all. I used to love hiking and other outdoor stuff…. Now, I rarely do anything. Work. TV. Sleep. Work…. Weekend comes I sleep, watch TV from bed, and suddenly it’s Monday morning and I have to make myself go to work.