When you hit the age of 40, do you reminisce alot on your life?

Question

I'm 41 and go back to my childhood days, thinking about my deceased parents who were so good to me, my siblings, friends etc..

Answer 1

Most people will probably say they don't particularly spend a lot of time reminiscing; but I think most people do it here or there from time to time, no matter how old there.

I have a theory, though, that as we get farther away from early memories we may like to bring them out, go over them again, and make sure they don't get dusty in order to make sure we don't lose them.

If you figure that as each decade passes another decade-load of experiences/feelings/memories has been added to our memory and incorporated into our thinking. I imagine how our heads can become so full of decades of memories that maybe as we sense more recent living's pushing the older living's memories to the background it is our instinct to bring them forward again and put them back into the "important to remember" "mental file" rather than allowing them to go to the back of the "file cabinet" and maybe be lost.

The way it has worked for me is I may have an hour or so of thinking up all my elementary-school classmates and where they sat just to make sure I still remember (even though there's no possible use for such a memory) or trying to remember which family lived in which house in my childhood neighborhood - and then I don't think about it again.

I would think there's even the chance that the fuller our lives are, and the more we have to think about, the more necessary it may be to dust off the old stuff once in a while.

I haven't noticed reminiscing on a regular basis. What I've noticed is having "bouts" of reminiscing for reasonably short periods of time and only occasionally.

In general, though, I don't spend much time reminiscing. I do think, though, that it may be far less of an emotional thing than people realize and may instead be a function of our intellects' assuring us good preservation of older memories.

There can be a melancholy associated with reminiscing, but I don't think people should interpret that as being the cause of the reminiscing. It think, instead, it is the result of it.

Nature probably hasn't designed us to live and gain experiences and wisdom and then just lose the first half of our lives over time (which would mean that a 40-year-old wouldn't have that benefit of living and wisdom that come with living a few decades. I think it would make sense that Nature designed us in a way that assures we will preserve our memories/feelings in order that we not lose the substance of our lives and return to the "less substance" of youth without experience.

Answer 2

Its funny in my forties i was too busy divorcing a wife of 23 years and being single and carefree again and acting a kid . skating alone Portland waterfront in roller blades and then climbing mountains and traveling god the traveling.. and swore never to be married again.Then something happened after about 6 years met a woman ,like a genetic copy of me in everyday even favored me..From the other side of the world..We had both sworn off marriage and well ended up getting married.. i said genetic copy well in looks department way better looking lol.. I found myself settled again to a family life now instead of two children i had five and instead of one grandchild had three..then I started in my early 50's looking back for really the first time in my life..I just posted a question on here simular to what you have .Wondering why it took so long for me to look back.I have almost forgotten my youth but its slowly starting to really come back to me like movies.. just so odd it took so long.Maybe we are all removed from the past for some long and somehow catching up with things and beginning to go back looking for things that we actually did in our lives .its time now to write your memories down to pass down.We don't find them that important but I realize now I would give anything if I had asked my family to before they departed this earth..They were great stories but unfortunately i can barely remember mine.. I suppose its normal as you get older to think back

Answer 3

They sure do. Depends on whether your past was positive or negative as to what you should think about though. That's the glass being half empty or half full concept. If you have happy memories, enjoy them. And ask yourself if there is any reason you need to reassure yourself you can be happy now. Are you at a crossroads? If not and you are still happy, ENJOY!!! @8-)

Answer 4

Great question...I actually asked something like this myself a couple weeks ago. To answer ur question, well, not necessarily 40, i'm in my early 30's and i'm literally obsessing with my past...my childhood years, my family, everything...

Answer 5

I here you
been doing a lot of that
maybe that's why they say age 40 is such a critical point in a person's life

Answer 6

just occasionally. Iam too busy living my life now and appreciating what I have and how far I have come in life. Who ever said that your teens are the best years of your life must have been smoking crack! My life has gotten better and far more interesting with each year!

Answer 7

No. Save it till you're 50. That's when you may have the big crisis, NOT before 50 but right on the nose.

Answer 8

once in a while, but not obsessed with it.