The 80s, the Walker, and the Blink of an Eye

As WordPress continues to recycle old prompts, I pulled another prompt from The Coffee Monsterz Co to respond to today

What do you look forward to doing when you are older?

Maybe meeting my grandkids? Assuming I have any—and assuming I live long enough to meet them. Honestly, there isn’t a whole lot I’m “looking forward” to about getting older. Most of the things I enjoy now are the things I plan to keep doing until the wheels fall off.

I’ve mentioned before that my retirement plan isn’t even on the horizon yet [cite: 2026-02-03]. This became a central thought last night while watching two local tribute bands: The Mega 80’s and The Class of ’98. It’s 2026, and we are forty years removed from 1986. When I was in college, I don’t remember 50s tribute bands packing venues this way. Yet here we are, Gen X, refusing to age out of the bars and clubs.

I was stunned at the crowd. I saw women who reminded me of my mom, and one guy with a walker who stood for most of the show. It’s accepted that Gen X (born 1965–1980) is hitting that “north of 60” territory for some. At 51, I’m right in the middle. If you’d told my 20-year-old self I’d still be catching live shows at this age, I’d have said “no way.”

The Generation That Refuses to Age Out

But our generation ages well. Maybe it’s the way we dress, or maybe it’s just baked into our culture. My high school quarterback looks like a vampire who hasn’t aged a day since 18. I’m lucky enough that people are usually surprised when I tell them I’m 51.

The 80s was our “oldies decade,” much like the 60s were for my parents. And while some of those 80s movies are getting dated—I’m certainly more “woke” than I used to be and see the cultural insensitivity in some of that humor—the music and the “vibe” have staying power. Even my youngest, Kid 2, is nostalgic for it. He’s an “old soul”—part of his autism, perhaps—who talks about “back when I was a teenager” at age ten [cite: 2026-01-28].

The Shadow on the Timeline

Thinking about him makes me think about those grandkids. I think I’ll be a great grandparent. I’ll probably break down and cry the day I see my lineage continue. But there’s a shadow there: my father, both grandfathers, and my uncle all died before 70. At 51, I know 20 years can vanish in a blink.

Golden Years in My Own Element

So, what do I look forward to? I look forward to being the “old man” who is okay with his grandkids thinking he’s into “old man stuff.” I won’t be the guy trying to act 20 in a regular club; I’ll be the guy in his element at a nostalgia show.

I don’t need to reinvent myself for the future. I just need to keep moving forward, slowly, into those “extra innings”

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like 👍, comment, and subscribe below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media and check out my recent posts!

AI art created with Google Gemini

The article “The 80s, the Walker, and the Blink of an Eye” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob