Does anyone feel old and useless with age?

I feel the same about not aging well with good health. I took care of myself also and was always there for my family and kids. But now they aren't around. It's like they don't want to be bothered or burdened with me and my health problems.

@sally12345 no judgment here, just wondering if your 2 sons live with you why aren't they helping out? Like I said no judgment. Just curious.

@amalfi1279 it’s sad. Some adults just feel entitled and that is the way it is. Sure , you can kick them out , but then what?

@amalfi1279
I respect your feelings, however, I have been "alone" since I was 4 years old. Now well in my 70's, I have come to understand that "being alone" and "loneliness" are not the same. I love living alone; and I am far from lonely. I gather with friends and neighbors when I CHOOSE, I chatter with strangers in stores when I CHOOSE. Most importantly, I sit in peace alone and enjoy the silence, the serenity of nature and so forth when I CHOOSE to.
Should you choose not to be alone may I suggest you look to your community, and this site. There are MANY organizations that need our help and wisdom.

@cathyphillips look him in the eye and say firmly: “some day you will be where I am now.” Then walk away. Make no response to any rude comebacks.

According to everything I've read about men in the United States, you are not even a little unusual. For whatever reason, most men have one or no good friends after age 35. Friendships are a lot of work, not as much work as maintaining family relationships, but they do take constant effort and time. I retired at 65 and a year later moved from the Twin Cities, Minnesota to a smaller town, 50 Mi South. Sadly, that small distance turned out to be an almost overwhelming obstacle for my friends in the cities and, 12 years ago, I had to start over making new relationships at 66.

I'm not an "ordinary guy" and it's a fairly rare person who finds me to be there cup of tea. I like pop music, but I'm not particularly fond of 60s and 70s music: I like newer stuff. I don't drink much, so bars are not interesting. And I am severely introverted. But I have worked hard to maintain friendships for the last 50 years, almost all of them are long range now. And I know I am lucky that my two daughters still tolerate me and my 3 grandkids are part of my life.

@twday67 you now have quality instead of quantity. If a friend can’t make the effort to visit even once a year, was he/she even your friend anyway …?

Its very sad to read the comments here from people in their 60’s who are “”old.” That is actually quite young. But for everyone, no matter what age, one’s life is what we make it. There are constant challenges, but there are usually ways to make the best of what exists. It helps to look outside oneself I think.

@twday67
I'm also extremely introverted and I have outlived all of the close friends I had. I don't drink much anymore either. I have a wide range of musical taste with the exception of disco and most rap. When I retired 6 years ago I found I had more work friends and acquaintances than real friends. At 73, I'm probably not going to make any real friends going forward but I have my wife and daughter.

@kjoed53
Ah, the scarcity of real friends! That's true of my life, too. I've several good friends, but I equate "real" with "intimate," and I no longer have any intimate friends. You know the sort I mean. The sort of friends––more often than not a spouse or life-partner––with whom you can share anything and everything. I've no one any longer in that category.

Setting aside intimate or real friends for a moment, when I consider those friends I regard as good or casual friends, they, too, are becoming fewer and fewer. And on top of that …

I had what I found to be a sad experience only the other day. I set aside time to make a few phone calls, calls to a few of my geographically distant friends, friends who were great pals in the past. I managed three such calls before I couldn't take any more. Each of the friends I called lives alone. Each was enthusiastic about talking (almost too much so), but all each of these dear friends from my past could talk about was themselves. None had been doing anything particularly interesting. About all they wanted to talk about was medical, or in some cases grocery shopping, or problems with their iPhones––and when I say "talk," they didn't seem at all interested in having a conversation, all it appeared they wanted to do was deliver a monologue or soliloquy, most of which was complain, complain, complain. Not once did I hear from any one of my long-ago friends a simple, "And how are you?" Had I heard those words even once, it would have made a world of difference. But I didn't. That's why I say the experience of calling was a terribly sad experience.

The lesson to me was: when I'm talking with a friend––or with anybody, for that matter––don't deliver a one-sided monologue; instead, converse: have a balanced back-and-forth conversation.

Onward and upward, Connecters!
Ray (@ray666)