Aging is a funny and unpredictable thing.
While many children dread the thought of growing up, others can't wait to become grown-ups, and not be beholden to school and homework, and living in their own house, under their own rules.
Of course, there are several things about growing up and getting older that we don't take into account as kids.
First and foremost, the physical change our bodies endure.
Or worse yet, just how early in life our physical limitations hit us.
Redditor cardanolovelace was curious to learn about the ways people's bodies change after turning 40 that no one was prepared for, leading them to ask:
"Redditors over the age of 40, what's a physical change that you were not expecting?"
Didn't see that coming...
"Honestly, my eyesight tapped out overnight."
"One year I was fine, the next I was holding menus at full arm length like a grandpa."- StashBang
Not A Typo...
"The crepey skin on the top of my hands."- Lychanthropejumprope
Don't Sweat It...
"The sweating."
"Perimenopause is no joke."
"I've never been one to sweat a lot."
"Now I sweat just driving down the road."
"WTF?"- 321four5
Sweating Saturday Night Live GIF by HULU Giphy
Time Heals Everything
"Recovery time - for anything."
"was expecting a change, not a fall off of a cliff."
"Hangovers last longer, waking up takes longer, exercise makes me sore for longer, injuries heal really slowly."- allineedisthischair
Keep That Body Moving
"How stiff I can get after not moving for a while."- hernondo
And Some People Worry About Losing Hair...
"Growing hair in places I have never had hair before."
"I thought I was done after puberty, but nope."
"Started growing hair in a couple of new places around 39-40 years old."- _aCloud_
Beauty And The Beast Disney GIF Giphy
Thiner Isn't Always Better...
"As a woman I expected unwanted hair to start popping up in random places."
"What I didn’t expect was the hair on my head to get so thin."- jbarinsd
Patience Is A Virtue... But Not Everything Is Worth Your Time
"Mental is the biggest thing."
"Way less tolerant of bull sh*t."- J_does_it
You Are What You Eat... For Better Or Worse...
"Feels like as soon as I hit 40, a switch was flipped and now acid reflux is a regular problem."
"Also it gets harder and harder to keep the weight off that I lost a decade or so ago."- 0rganicMach1ne
schitts creek comedy GIF by CBC Giphy
Ring Ring Ring...
"Tinnitus."
"I never heard about it until it was too late to do anything."- 2EscapedCapybaras
Talk About Bad Timing
"I was drunk peeing outside this past weekend and must have locked my knees too long."
"When I finally finished and went to turn around my damn right knee gave out."
"Went straight to the ground."
"That has literally never happened before."- Komabeard
Only The Beginning...
"Everything related to Perimenopause."
"It’s a stage in life no one really talks about, and the list of symptoms is about a mile long."- MrsSamT82
period pms GIF Giphy
As We Get Older, So Do They...
"The constant low energy yet restlessness when trying to sleep."
"Also I wasn't expecting how fast my parents' health would deteriorate."- Spiritual-Promise402
Next Time You Think About Skipping The Gym
"How much harder it is to lose weight."
"I’m fine now, but it was definitely harder to shed."- EddieEssen88
The Cherry On Top
"Cherry angiomas."- Accurate_Birthday278
"I’m 42."
"I’m noticing them all over! Derm said it was normal but damn they came out of nowhere."- TeslasAndComicbooks
Time creeps up on us faster than we expect, and try as we might to avoid it, we can't help but see and feel ourselves aging.
However, it's important to remember, like a bottle of wine or a work of art, the older things get, the more their value increases.
Making it all the more important to value the time we have on earth with each passing year.
