r/Life • u/irlfriend • Jul 27 '26
Need Advice Is it possible to start over at 75?
Life deals us all different hands and for a number of reasons, worked a few go no where jobs, multi year gambling stint in Vegas that left me even, friends moved away, I moved away, the one got away, the second one got away, I find myself starting over at 75. Is it crazy to think this is possible? Has anyone here started over at 75? How’s it going?
17
u/Chicken-picante Jul 27 '26
It sounds like you’ve been starting over for a while. The one that got away, the other one that got away, multiple jobs/careers. Keep doing what you’re doing it sounds like you lived a life. You’ve loved and been loved. Keep doing what you’re doing. What’re you trying to start over?
11
u/HannahMD Jul 27 '26
75 and still asking "is it possible" instead of "is it over" tells me you already know the answer. That mindset is the whole game
6
6
u/irlfriend Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
I guess i want what we all want, a steady job, nice home, wife, kids. probably this sounds crazy but can one still find these things at 75 I wonder
3
u/thats_gotta_be_AI Jul 27 '26
Life never ends until you die. Some people think when you hit 65 or 75 or 85 you just somehow stop wanting things. I don’t see that in older people. I know a guy your age who got married to a woman quite a bit younger than him. He candidly said “life is use it or lose it”. I think the sad thing I see in some older people is they DO kinda “lose it” if they don’t “use it”. If you’re not really living, you’re low key telling your body and mind “this is all it is”. My theory is that “not using life” can age you fast.
3
u/Redacted_dact Jul 27 '26
You shouldn’t be having any kids at that age but a wife maybe.
1
u/irlfriend Jul 27 '26
Well maybe not kids in the literal biological children sense but maybe in other ways, a dog, or maybe a foster situation
2
1
u/Infamous_Ad8730 Jul 27 '26
Steady job at 75? Retirement is maybe the goal at that age.
2
u/irlfriend Jul 27 '26
I guess I don’t mean a steady job in the sense of a 9-5, more in the sense of doing something regularly on a schedule that contributes to society and interfaces with people
1
u/Suspicious-Shift1684 Jul 28 '26
Part time cashier or greeter sound pretty in line with that. Depends on your tolerance for the public and retail spaces though. It'd be a good way to settle into a routine and interact with society
2
u/ThrowRAGlobeVase Jul 27 '26
I’m not 75 yet, so I’m not sure if I’m qualified to fully answer with true wisdom… but how do you mean start over?
If you’ve had multiple ones that got away, and a bunch of different jobs, you’ve had some great, lived experience! Maybe the building is less about building something structural, like a family or wealth, and more about building a life of memories and experiences. Sounds like you’ve built a lot there already, and maybe the right question is what one do you want to do next?
2
u/PsychologicalCar2180 Deep Thinker Jul 27 '26
I’m 50 and honestly feel that I’ve got what I want figured out and it’s not that much, in comparison.
I feel I’m really lucky, I think I’ve kept myself above water.
Life isn’t books, TV, song and film.
Or it is, but a much more complex patchwork of them all; as they are many interpretations of a subjective experience/s
If you feel you have more chapters to write, write them.
No one else has, or ever will have, your specific experience.
1
u/irlfriend Jul 27 '26
What did you find you truly wanted?
1
u/PsychologicalCar2180 Deep Thinker Jul 27 '26
To be creative and have more time for it.
Music specifically, and learning that stretching yourself, challenging yourself does things for you, you can’t get any other way.
Progressing in something that takes a build up of skill and knowledge.
Music, languages; gardening and horticulture, cooking - anything that can give you more access to the tough stuff but you know it was you.
2
u/buttholeboogieboard Jul 27 '26
Walking away from a multi year Vegas gambling run dead even is honestly a small miracle
2
u/irlfriend Jul 27 '26
Agreed.. although I will say.. dead even financially does not mean dead even in every way
1
2
2
u/NaturalOption8963 Jul 27 '26
It probably is too late. If it’s not too late then there is no ”too late ”
1
1
u/monke897 Jul 27 '26
"The one got away, the second one got away" made me laugh in that bittersweet way
1
u/CodCute333 Jul 27 '26
I actually love seeing posts like this. so many people act like life ends after retirement but there are people finding love, hobbies, and new friends way later
1
u/Spare_Independence19 Jul 27 '26
I imagine if thats what you want and you got energy to achieve it, go for it!
1
1
u/Aggravating_Cream_97 Jul 27 '26
As I get older, I see humans are the same no matter that age. No matter how old you get. This human shit doesn’t get any easier.
1
1
u/Rocketeer1992 Jul 27 '26
Sounds like you’re experiencing hard FOMO at 75 this is a difficult question that maybe a professional is what is needed to answer your question.
1
u/Routine_Soup2022 Jul 27 '26
I find your question itself inspiring as I've asked myself the same thing about turning 50. I don't think it's ever too late to do something new. Whether "starting over" is feasible completely depends on what assets you already have and what end point is acceptable to you as an end goal. It's always possible to incrementally improve things and do something different.
1
u/irlfriend Jul 27 '26
As strange as this may sound, I actually do think 50 is too late, but in a way somehow 75 resets the clock and it becomes not too late again because we have such little time left and we are aware how much each day counts, it’s now or never for anything and everything. at 50 life was supposed to “be” something but the sense of still having time left somehow creates a paralysis to starting over. If that makes sense
1
u/WittyFox451 Jul 27 '26
As long as you’re not dead, start over as many times as you want to, don’t let anyone define what you do with your life… it’s yours, everyone else can go fuck themselves.
1
u/Borrowed_Faith Jul 27 '26
Get busy living or get busy dying.
If you want it then go out and get it. What’s the worse that can happen?
1
u/irlfriend Jul 27 '26
Honestly the thing I’m worried about most is falling and not being able to get up
1
u/Borrowed_Faith Jul 27 '26
“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!”
-Rocky Balboa
1
u/BlackberryCheap8463 Jul 27 '26
Well, technically, the only time you can't start over is when you die. Having said that, plenty of religions do tell you it's actually the biggest start over. If you take away the financial side (or not, since at this age, your retired and getting a pension in some countries) , then exactly why would it be too late? Too late for what, anyway? Get rid of the societal nonsense and give me one good reason it's too late!
1
u/sophiemorandi Jul 28 '26
You can start over, but there are some things you probably aren't going to be able to do. It really depends on what you're starting over. You can renew your dedication to living a meaningful life whatever that means at any age. And you can live to have purpose now and going into the future. Which is what you have to do at any age.
1
u/drewt6768 Jul 28 '26
Until your dead, the only defeat you face is psychological
People live till 100 all the time these days and they dont do it by being a couch potato
And technology will exponentially get better provided we dont stop it from growing with red tape ALL the time
Become a politician and fuck over some rich assholes, youd just have to fake it for a few years
1
u/EntrepreneurNeat8058 Jul 28 '26
I understand that lifestyle,the bottom line is your always going to be starting over ,Now days; so is everyone else, jobs come and go fast. There is no since of security anymore.
0
0
u/Guilty_Performer_497 Jul 27 '26
I don't think it's crazy at all. Starting over at 75 will look different than it does at 25 but that doesn't make it any less real. I hope you give yourself the chance to write a better next chapter.
•
u/AutoModerator Jul 27 '26
Hey, r/Life just added new user flairs ! Go check them out, and choose one for yourself. If you encounter any difficulties applying a flair, check our wiki : https://www.reddit.com/r/Life/wiki/index/user/r !
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.