Signs you are happily middle aged!

[NoEffingWay]

I am slowwly coming to the realisation that I am never happier when I’m sat under my heated blanket, in a clean house with all the washing done, or drying on the heated airer (dehumidifier happiness is another add on to this tale!).

I reached a new level of personal nirvana yesterday when I made an apple crumble from scratch after an unnecessary trip to Sainsbury’s where I pootled about buying stuff, after rearranging the linen cupboard.

Younger me would have been out until 3am and have been nursing a hangover whilst eating crisps on a knackered sofa, with weeks of washing not done.

Anyone else had a personality transplant in their late 30’s/early 40’s?

Don't worry, when your old you'll be able to do it again...................you just need to keep practising🍾🥂

I give you cross stitch. That is all.

You might be right, but I just can’t imagine this happening at 40! PILs are mid-late 50s and even they’re not like this! They fly to Europe spontaneously for 3 nights (we’re in the US) to go to an opera and eat out at one of their favourite restaurants. They take the boat out at 7am in summer, or get up early to drive Upstate and ski for the day in winter. Bags of energy and an unwavering zest for life, I hope I’m exactly like them in 20 years’ time 🥰

I love everything you said OP and I also had hedonistic teen / young adult years.

I'm slightly older than you but I love my sofa, a period drama, and doing laundry and baking on weekends with an audio book on. It honestly makes me so happy.

I haven't drunk wine yet this year and I've been having couple of squares of dark choc in the evenings instead and I'm quite enjoying that.

I do have a senior role in the city though, DH, two teens, elderly parents and a full social life though so the above is just crumbs of comfort and solace when I can manage them!

I dont know what age middle age is tbh.
But i think i must have been born middle aged, as ive never been in to night life, crowds of mates, must have latest things and brand tags, glad rags or hand bags ect.

I love dime lights romantic books and films, little walks and sowing and fairy garden ornaments, and living alone in peace.

@Crushed23this is coupled with me having a hobby that involves me climbing 3-4 times a week, travelling up and down the country and a busy job. It’s not a boring life, but I’ve allowed myself to enjoy a quieter off duty existence to feel balanced, if that makes sense?

I too love mountain climbing and do it often. But why is peak happiness having done laundry or baked something? Does that really top the exhilaration of climbing a mountain? If it does, I’ll order a baking kit right now!

@Crushed23I’m more of an indoor boulderer! I think it’s that my life runs at about a million miles per hour, so doing things that are slower paced in their nature makes me slow down. The appliances (a bit like the mop from a PP) including the heated airer (!) just work well, make life easier and give me time back to enjoy the pleasures of sitting under a warm blanket, drinking tea and reading books.

Do you seriously use your annual leave on tidying the house?

I’ve officially stepped into a parallel universe. 🙃

I'm in this group TBH.

I absolutely adore middle age but I'm really enjoying it because I'm just going out loads more to be honest to the cinema to the theatre to gigs to festivals traveling...

But then I have always been driven to do stuff so I've not really changed personality as such. It was just during the child rearing years I had to put my children first and now I'm able to put myself first again

It is a lot more difficult I have to admit to find middle-aged people to do fun things with because so many of them are happy just to sit in and watch the telly.

I'm thinking perhaps I'll do that in my 80s.....

Ohh @IdrisElbow- link for the mop?!!

I still love going out but also love cosy afternoons reading a book, with a glass of wine & a candle!

I do now get a lot of pleasure from freshly changed bedding & keeping on top of my washing and ironing, when previously I couldn’t have cared less!

That you are more than happy to spend your weekends in on the sofa with a cuppa and some unhealthy snacks rather than going out on the town then nursing a hangover - then laughing at your 18 year old who is nursing said hang over 😂

I'm probably older than most of you.... for my whole life, my favourite place has been on the sofa, or in bed, with a book. But I really can't give a wotsit about whether the house is clean - housework bores me intensely, so I try not to do it! And I've never done any gardening at all....I don't think I've changed much in 40+ years of adult life 😂

An enjoyable Saturday night for me and also H involves making something lovely from my simply cook kits, a good bottle of wine ( well around the £13 level) and a couple of back to back episodes of Wallander in Swedish on viaplay ( subtitled)

I've kept my former interest (love new music, for instance), and added a few more sedate ones. I don't care what anyone thinks about the newer interests I've developed.

@Nickelouch same here at 64 although I would in that I like cooking more these days too - not baking but meal making

Yeah, I'm happily middle-aged. I still love going out, but I don't usually drink, because it makes me feel like shit the next day. A good meal, good friends, good conversation - all fabulous! But I'm very happy pottering about at home too, gardening, reading, snuggling with the cat, cooking a nice meal for my family, all bring me a lot of joy and satisfaction.

We are 66 and still go to gigs, love new music, eat out quite a bit and enjoy a day drinking
But I love being home by 7 watching Netflix

I went to three weddings last year and wasn’t able to have a cup of tea at any of them. Who serves a cream tea with no tea.

Letting my (adult, earning FAR more than me) children decide where we go to eat when we're out, celebrating far more than I should when an arrangement is cancelled and I don't need to get dressed or go out, and being very very very boring to all and sundry about my tiny little running wins (I can see their eyes glaze over when I happen to mention (repeatedly) that I got an eight miler in on Saturday.

Personally I am loving it - although I'm probably edging more towards the elderly than middle aged, and am fighting off the urge to read women's magazines and cut out recipes.

I too enjoy nothing more than a quiet weekend at home getting on top of things. Then I feel ready for the week. I’m doing some building work later in the year and am very excited about all the storage I’ll have and how to organise it. At nearly 50 and divorced I should be out dating, but I tried it and really CBA.

Younger me would often go to a party on a Friday night and not return home till Sunday afternoon. I remember it as good times but it wouldn’t feel like good times now.

Finding comfy clothing then buying it in all the different colours 😦

I am early 50s so older but a few years ago suddenly became fascinated by birds / puffins then started to love gardening. Now garden 3 times a week when the weather is up to it and always once a week. Love watching our squirrel and birds in the garden and seeing the bulbs appear. Currently creating 3 garden paths. Some more solar dandelions arrived today.

Looking forward to going to the posh garden centre with your mum, and both of you buying an item of clothing 😁