Some of you will have seen the report out that humans have apparently hit our 'natural limit' and we're unlikely to reach an age over 115 (plenty enough for me!) but the truth is, isn't life 'done' by then? Obviously it depends so much on your quality of life - an unwell 50 year old vs a sprightly 80 year old for instance but generally speaking, I can't think I'd want to last much past my 90th, perhaps 95th birthday?
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How long would you like to live?
(40 Posts)Until I lose the will to live.
which is related to the amount of time I spend on this forum
If I was fit enough physically and mentally to look after myself then I'd live to see my great grandchildren. So at least another 20-30 yrs but that would only make me 80-90, still in my prime
wot Anya says.
My mum-in-law is 100. She lives alone, keeps the house tidy and cooks her own meals at the weekends. On the down side, she is housebound most of the time.
She really feels she's lived long enough. Her heart is giving out and she gets very breathless at times. She also suffers a lot of back pain. She was very sprightly until about 5 years ago.
Incredibly, her friend has just died - she was 106! However, she has been in a nursing home for 10 years and suffering severe dementia for the past 3.
I would like to live into my 80's to see my DGS reach his teens, at least - I came late to becoming a grandparent. I had severe health problems last year - and nearly died so to me, now, every birthday is a bonus.
So many of my friends popped off, some quite unexpectedly, in their 60's. Make every day count!!
My mother died at 63 so I have never expected to live much longer than that, hence never planned for it. I will be 70 in a few weeks time, and although I live a relatively active life, and belong to/help with various organisations, because I have moved around quite a bit I am no longer close to loved ones or long term friends. There are times when I feel that the effort it takes to stay active is not worth it, and have to force myself to do things so as not to let others down. I look forward to days when I can stay in and not get dressed, or at least wear jogging bottoms and fleece tops, and not bother with make up! I could easily give up everything, sit at home and read/watch tv, and eat bread and cheese and occasional other things, knowing that in doing so I would go down hill fast. I am content with "three score years and ten" and if I were to be diagnosed with something life threatening I don't think I would bother to fight it. I am not depressed, I have had a life, and I think I have been lucky to have lived in the second half of the last century. The future holds a lot of promise, but also a lot of suffering as the world adjusts to new realities. I will be happy to go when the time comes, and look forward to the next stage of existence, which I firmly believe in.
Until I can no longer stand in a river with a fly rod in my hand (which may be sooner rather than later) . The women in our family are not known for making old bones, and like starbird I will also be 70 in a few weeks time so I am looking to buck the trend. Having said that I have never had a year when I have felt so unfit with injuries and health problems, so who knows? I would quite like to be hanging about when my GS reaches his majority. He is nearly ten.
I will be 70 at the end of the year but my grandchildren are very young, I would love to live to see them become adults which would would mean I would have to live to be 90!
My dh husband died at nearly 68 and the children's grandmother on the other side died at a similar age so I often feel guilty at still being alive and enjoying being a grandparent.
My mother lived until she was 90 years and six months old so I hope and sometimes pray I will last that long.
Well my mother died at 79 and, as I am taking rather more care of my health than she did, I hope to manage a bit longer than that. My father smoked himself to death at 65 so I'm five years ahead of him already. What I really want to do is enjoy the time I have left instead of moaning about everything like my in laws did.
If I live to near the ages of my parents I will be satisfied. My mother died age 89 and my dad made it to 92. I would love to be active to the end like my great aunt who spent her last day gardening.
Provided I can still look after myself and I am not suffering from dementia I am happy to carry on.
I'm still waiting for my life to start, let alone finish!
My OH says he is living until 100, so I might give up some time before that
I too am 70 this year and like Falconbird my grandchildren are only 5 and 3, so I would like to see them grow up. Mr M is 79 this year fit as a fiddle and full of beans, his family except for his grandmother did not make old bones so he has always taken care of himself.
I was thinking 95, but I have a suspicion that if I was 95 and feeling ok, I would not want to go then!
So past 106!
My family have pretty healthy lifestyles yet don't make old bones - my paternal grandma was very much the exception that proved the rule, living to her mid-90s and fit and well till the fall that killed her. So yes, I'd like to be like her. I'd love to see a great-grandchild or two! It seems more likely though that I won't get my money's worth out of that annuity My parents were both 73 when they died suddenly, and they both lived healthier lives than I do. My other three grandparents died in their 60s.
My mother died at 101 and 8months. I would say that for her that was about a year too long. She loved her 100th birthday and looked forward to her next but after that in a few weeks her best friend and her last SiL who were in the same residential home as her died and the heart went out of her. So I would like to live as long as I enjoyed life and had friends and family to share it with.
Some of my favorite "Carpe Diem" quotations
Too often too late comes too soon. ~Dr. SunWolf, 2015 tweet, professorsunwolf.com
Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. ~Charles Richards
Live every day as if it were going to be your last; for one day you're sure to be right. ~Harry "Breaker" Harbord Moran (this is my favorite)
Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive. ~Elbert Hubbard
As you grow older, you'll find the only things you regret are the things you didn't do. ~Zachary Scott
We cannot waste time. We can only waste ourselves. ~George M. Adams
If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting? ~Stephen Levine
When it comes time to die, make sure all you got to do is die. ~Attributed to Jim Elliot
Old age doesn't run in my family but I have got through cancer and pneumonia in the last few years so would like to make it into my 80s....provided my mind hasn't gone. I don't want to be a burden to anyone. 115? Oh no thank you.
Charleygirl says it all really.
I'm 64 and really can't judge how long I'd like to live. I'm enjoying retirement and still waiting for 2 DS to leave home so I can downsize and start a new life. I'd like to see my 2 DGD grow up and see whether I have any more DGC. I guess another 20 years would be good if my health is reasonable. As I only gave up smoking 5 years ago and my mother died at 58, there's a risk there.
I would like to think, for as long as I have my health, However my brother gave up the will to live after his wife died and was happy to die and join her.
Depending on how you look at it, my future looks hopeful. DF was one of 11, all but three lived to their late 80s. Two, including DF, made it into their 90s and a third was only months away from his 90th birthday when he was killed in a road accident. Only one had dementia. The one survivor is 89, lives alone, is still driving and in excellent health, mentally and physically. My mother and her sister made it into their late 80s, although both had some (physical) health problems
So, at 73, with no health problems and on no medication, I am hopeful I will live a long time and in good health. My oldest grandchild is only 9, so it would be nice to see her and her brother through university and starting out in life. Although, as a family who for generations have married and had children late, I have no expectation of living to see any great grandchildren.
Odd, isn't it, what genes we are dealt? When my first grandson was born three years ago, he had a full complement of four great-grandparents plus a step great-grandma on his mum's side, even though she is the older of his parents. None at all on our side. The irony, and upside, is that we are all very healthy (till we drop down dead in our 60s and early 70s, that is ). My mother was one of nine, none of whom lived past their mid 70s. I'm hoping to buck the trend!
Everyone is so positive about this. Unlike most posters so far, I would like to choose when to die, and this is regardless of the state of my health. If DH goes first, I doubt if I will want to carry on without him. We chose not to have children, so we have no grandchildren. I wouldn't 'leave' whilst my Mum is alive as it would break her heart. I do have other family and although we live in different parts of the country we are close. I just wish it was acceptable for a person to say they want to call it a day. I've thought this for many years, but I have only talked about it with a few people.
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