General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsToday I turn 70.
I do not feel 70, but here we are. Losing my Mom when she was 40, makes me grateful for the 30 extra years I have been granted.
I have seen alot in my life, the turbulent 60's, gas lines and no jobs in the 70's, high interest rates in the 80's, the election of an amazing Black President, a woman of color as our Vice President, and the horror of a racist moron trying to destroy our country.
The changes in technology has been mind blowing, growing up with a "party line" and encyclopedias, to now where my phone and the world is at my fingertips.
I hope my 70's are calm but I doubt it. Racists and sexist aholes have come out from under their rocks. The world seems more unsafe than ever in my lifetime, this includes living through the Cuban Missile Crisis as a child, seeing the fear my Mom tried to hide.
Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst.

Moostache
(10,454 posts)Hope you have a great day and many fond memories to come.
Irish_Dem
(68,459 posts)Your post is very well stated. I agree with all of it!
Celebrate your milestone birthday!
Enjoy what we have right now.
We don't know what the future holds for us.
Walleye
(39,752 posts)She was 70 and now Im 76 so I have six years on her. The past 30 years have brought a lot of advances in cancer treatment. She probably would have survived, these days. Of course RFK Junior wants to mess up all our cancer research. happy happy birthday, keep a good thought. There really are many good people left. Theyre just being beaten up right now.
BeerBarrelPolka
(1,525 posts)William769
(58,722 posts)


debm55
(44,378 posts)
SheltieLover
(66,752 posts)

Loryn
(1,022 posts)
58Sunliner
(5,647 posts)🍰🥂
a kennedy
(33,312 posts)



bif
(25,203 posts)Happy Birthday. I turned 70 Last October. I feel like I'm about 30. We'll get through this. Just like we got through Reagan and the Bush idiots. Hang in there!
deurbano
(2,965 posts)I feel much younger, too, but maybe I was just wrong about how 70 would feel? (I went back to finally finish my BA at Berkeley at 68, and now I'm planning to attend graduate school.)
Yes, we will get though this! (Not sure about the 401k...)
Solly Mack
(94,834 posts)Quiet Em
(1,807 posts)Here's hoping we eventually return to calmness for your 7th decade by ridding this country of the con and his cult.
SheltieLover
(66,752 posts)
Quiet Em
(1,807 posts)
NCgayguy
(42 posts)May You Be Healthy, Safe and Happy!
SheilaAnn
(10,366 posts)stillcool
(33,659 posts)Clouds Passing
(4,433 posts)Peacetrain
(23,885 posts)JMCKUSICK
(1,980 posts)I hope you have many more, especially the peaceful ones.
OMGWTF
(4,679 posts)Happy birthday and keep fighting the good fight!
Dulcinea
(8,254 posts)1WorldHope
(1,142 posts)SheltieLover
(66,752 posts)I hit 70 in July.
MaineNative
(41 posts)to you. Happy Birthday!
ILikePie92
(69 posts)Happy birthday!!! Congrats on a big milestone, 70!
twodogsbarking
(13,400 posts)Give peace a chance. Eat some Ice Cream.
Mustellus
(374 posts)... Out of warranty, like me. Happy Birthday.
MiHale
(11,542 posts)Join the club
🙌👍
LetMyPeopleVote
(161,888 posts)Jughead
(78 posts)My turn at 70 in September
redstatebluegirl
(12,659 posts)The alternative really sucks though!
LoisB
(10,182 posts)cate94
(2,952 posts)Hoping for better days to come!
greatauntoftriplets
(177,527 posts)

yardwork
(66,311 posts)I'm close to your age and am very sad that the country has come to this.
I believed that Harris would win the election and that the good reforms Biden put in motion would continue.
As bad as I thought Trump II would be, it's even worse.
Tough times to live through.
AllaN01Bear
(24,824 posts)


BBbats
(192 posts)I feel the same way.
Happy Birthday!
calimary
(85,955 posts)Maybe 70 is the new 50s.
SheltieLover
(66,752 posts)
I know what you mean about how fast tech has evolved.
I think about my parents' generation & I'm sure they felt the same way living through The Great Depression, the advent of cars, WW II, the highway system, etc., etc.

Sailingdiver
(228 posts)Colorado Liberal
(223 posts)Happy Birthday! I turned 63 today myself.
redstatebluegirl
(12,659 posts)H2O Man
(76,664 posts)BComplex
(9,383 posts)


2naSalit
(96,489 posts)




I'm 18 months behind you!
DinahMoeHum
(22,864 posts)Seriously, though, Happy Birthday!
Gak73
(19 posts)Right behind you in October.
So glad we had the childhood we had though.
surfered
(6,300 posts)Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(121,904 posts)I'm only 2 1/2 years behind you.
In spite of all the bullshit in the world one can still remain positive. One thing about getting older is you learn to count your blessings.
underpants
(190,043 posts)sarchasm
(1,261 posts)Right there with you bluegirl! Analog to digital. ... (71 in may.)
Keep up the good fight, and get in some of that good trouble.
BeneteauBum
(125 posts)Got there three years ago
and yes, we are living in scary times.
Peace ☮️
Warpy
(113,237 posts)along with a large dose of "How the fuck did this happen?" Age really does tend to creep up on you except when it starts to gallop. There's also a bit of satisfaction when we reflect on some of the rotten assholes we've managed to outlive, Limbaugh comes to mind immediately but there have been others.
So happy birthday. May you have many others in good health, going forward like the Energizer bunny, banging the left wing drum for many years until the batteries just quit and the exit is peaceful.
And my own feeling is that anyone over 70 should be able to eat any food or drug s/he desires. Period.
TuxedoKat
(3,827 posts)a very, very Happy Birthday to you and a wonderful year and wishes for many more!!!
SocialDemocrat61
(4,234 posts)malaise
(283,219 posts)
Buckeyeblue
(5,873 posts)Do you think technology has improved our lives?
redstatebluegirl
(12,659 posts)In other ways I think it keeps isolated from each other.
spooky3
(37,372 posts)thought crime
(160 posts)The retread tires had inner tubes, and sometimes they would wear through until I could see the tube. But off Id go! With Stevie Wonders Songs to the Key of Life playing crackling on the radio. Now I don't leave home without the cell phone fully charged.
But love is certainly still in need of love today.
Dock_Yard
(194 posts)... just as Election Day happened. I was so crestfallen and angry and mystified.
The first 26 years of my life, it seemed net progress towards a "more perfect union" every 4 years was largely assured, despite the criminality of Nixon/Watergate and plenty of more minor Nixon/Agnew gross-ness prior. Then came Reagan in 1980, which definitely swung the tide for the next (ongoing) 44 years. Yes, we have interrupted the "bad tide" for terms (Clinton X 2, Obama X 2, Biden X 1), but overall the negative societal trends and attitudes have become much more entrenched. We all know why and how, I won't get into that here ...
With my life-span split approaching 1/3rd of a "progressing" nation and 2/3rds of a "regressing" nation, I've decided to just the rest of my life how I want to, no matter how negative the trends are. I worry -- a lot -- for what my adult children will have to confront after I'm gone. I will continue to vote and protest, as we all should.
Eko
(9,098 posts)nolabear
(43,666 posts)Im a few months ahead of you. Seeing the things we believe in and have worked so hard for beaten bloody is dispiriting at best. But I plan to hang around out of pure cussedness and work as I can for my kids and grandkids (and everyone elses too!) future.
Happy Birthday! All in all its a time of strength and perspective.
Celerity
(49,430 posts)
Sanity Claws
(22,179 posts)It won't be long until I'm at the milestone too.
I'm hoping for the best too --- for you and all of us.
area51
(12,287 posts)Happy Birthday!
ProfessorGAC
(72,379 posts)Pretty close to that number myself.
Hope you're planning something fun.
Tree Lady
(12,362 posts)I know the feeling the years go by so fast especially as we age. I hope you have a wonderful day.
I am not far behind you, turn 69 soon.
CrispyQ
(39,504 posts)
I consider myself a winner in the human lottery in terms of when & where I was born, especially as a woman. Here's a BD card to cheer you up! Okay, I stole it but I love this map!
redstatebluegirl
(12,659 posts)MineralMan
(148,899 posts)Phoenix61
(18,283 posts)Duncanpup
(14,328 posts)HarryM
(355 posts)I am close to 70 myself. Less than 3 weeks away. We have been through a lot. As an activist for the past 55 years or so, it has been almost a full time second job to keep up with all the crap we normal folks have had to fight for. I get depressed when I think about all that we have worked for, only to get it wiped away by a schmuck from Asstoria, Queens. (my misspelling). It was a lot of work to get all the things for WE THE PEOPLE that we have worked for over our lifetime. I am not as energetic as I once was, but will fight until my last breath, to do whatever I am able to do. Granted, I am not in very great health, and cannot physically do what I once did, but I feel that things may get worse if we all don't step up and work hard for out rights, the environment, and against greed, future generations will suffer.
There are some young folks who have taken on the banners that we used to carry, and I look forward to the day when they take the leadership out of the hands of greed, and uncontrolled capitalists.
Godspeed. Stay healthy and happy.
FailureToCommunicate
(14,466 posts)







HeartsCanHope
(991 posts)And many, many more!
Fla Dem
(26,538 posts)As you can tell by my posting name, I too live in a red state. One of the most deplorable one. But for the 1st time in a long time I'm seeing Dems stepping up and pushing back. It's a steep hill to climb but we're climbing it.
Have a great birthday.
Kath2
(3,154 posts)66 here and these are terrifying times. Absolutely appalling. And, yes, the racists and sexists are out in force. Hang in there sister. We are in for long few years. Hopefully, his crimes will catch up with him and he will be impeached.
canetoad
(18,929 posts)Wishing you many more
SupportSanity
(1,387 posts)us!
Happy Birthday to ya
70 was so last year.
I was told its all downhill from here. Im still looking for the hill.
Im not all seventy.
My eyes are 80
My teeth are 60
My belly is 95 and way too old for exercise
My one hip says its too old and is asking for a replacement
My nose is 105 and should be smelling smells that are now only a memory
And my brain is a twenty year old trapped in an older mans body.
All in all, its as it should be.
Happy Birthday!
MIButterfly
(301 posts)I wish you many happy returns of the day!
I can relate to every word you wrote. It's been a heck of a ride these past 70 years. Some good times; some great times; some not so good times; some awful times; a lot of laughs and a lot of tears.
Sto lat! (meaning: 100 years; it's a traditional Polish song for best wishes and a long life.)
La Coliniere
(1,362 posts)Getting to 70 is quite an achievement!
beemerphill
(554 posts)I am 75 myself. I can remember talking to my grandmother. She went from a time when people used horse drawn carriages for transportation to seeing a man walk on the moon on live TV. We live interesting times, and I am glad that we do.
Evolve Dammit
(20,516 posts)
tmars505
(9 posts)just wait. One day you will wake up and realize you've never been this old before
c-rational
(3,017 posts)
livetohike
(23,387 posts)are having a wonderful day. I cant believe all that we have seen in our years (Ill be 73 in July).
love_katz
(2,999 posts)We're the same age. Welcome to your seventh decade of life.
Those of us who have lived this long have seen a lot of changes.
Sadly, we don't get to relax and enjoy our golden years.
We fought for social justice and environmental healing throughout our lives. We just have to Keep On Truckin', as Freewheeling Franklin used to say in the old Zap Comix.
Sigh .
Hotler
(13,007 posts)Emile
(34,152 posts)


IbogaProject
(4,284 posts)Xipe Totec
(44,318 posts)Saoirse9
(3,856 posts)I am right behind you. Turning 65 Sunday. Definitely a depressing time to be getting old.
Raine
(30,771 posts)mountain grammy
(27,719 posts)Ive been here 7 years.
Its a challenge but were still here!
CaptainTruth
(7,558 posts)Scrivener7
(55,424 posts)Hope the day was great, and the year ahead will be all you wish it to be.
lapucelle
(20,045 posts)




bdamomma
(68,055 posts)redstatebluegirl. Have faith, and FIGHT.
Welcome to the 70's club!!
sheshe2
(91,472 posts)





Katcat
(458 posts)From another 4/23 birthday girl!
redstatebluegirl
(12,659 posts)MustLoveBeagles
(13,171 posts)
Figarosmom
(5,288 posts)I'm right there with you. I hit 75. Never thought I'd see 50. But, man, when you think back at the developments in science, it's amazing. A Black President brought tears to my eyes, but then I knew the racists would rise to the surface and try to make us pay. I just hoped there were fewer of them.
But wow, we can talk to each other face to face from anywhere with our phones. I remember what a big deal a speaker phone was. And color TV.
William Gustafson
(444 posts)I agree with your sediments to the change we experienced.
From growing up on a small horse farm, where we got our first tv... Black and white monster that could heat the entire room from the vacuum tubes and picture tube heat.... there was the evolution of the TV's to now flat screens, we got to witness.
Our home was a few miles from my hometown, so as I grew older, I would hitchhike into town to hang with my friends, and had to be back home before the sun went down... We never worried that anyone would kidnap us, because most people were happy to give me a lift...
We had great music, great cars, great friends and great family's.... There wasn't one weekend a month where the family would get together, with Aunts and Uncles and all our cousins. We were close back then....
We, too... had a party line, but when my father worked for Bell Telelphone, we got a private line because he was on call all the time.... with five teenagers, the phone was always used. We had to remember our friends phone numbers by heart because phonebooks were scarce until the 60's.
In order to find our friends, we looked for bikes in front yards, and then later, look for cars in the driveways... there was always a lot of them either way.
Vietnam affected me because my oldest brother went there... thankfully, he came back. We worried everyday he was there. The protest on the TV... Kent State shootings by National Guard... I enlisted in 1974 into the USCG, one year before the war ended, and luckily, my draft number came up, but I was already signed up with the Guard... spent five years in the guard.
A lot of things have changed, and I have been able to keep up, but this last 8 years, what I have witnessed going on, and now with this administration doing everything they can to destroy what millions of people before us, created. It's astounding to watch everyday people believe that this group of Administration officials are actually making "Make America Great Again".
We lost Allys we have had for 80 years, turn our backs on the people that are being bombed by Russia, Destroying the economy and any retirement that people saved for - gone! Destroy the government, including 80,000 getting fired for the VA... It's all been done in just 90+ days...
I hope I get to live to see the end of all of this, so I can see the justice that will be required and "Build Back Better"
littlemissmartypants
(27,213 posts)




Meowmee
(8,693 posts)Yes we lived through or remember a lot of that too... what is happening since psycho is far worse and not even comparable imo. I had hoped to finally have some peace after the disasters caused to my family. But it seems it will only get worse.
I also have outlived my mother by a long time now. I don't want whatever is left marred by this insanity anymore.
AKwannabe
(6,730 posts)Party on!!
Straw Man
(6,860 posts)(I turned 71 in February, so I can say that. )
It's strange to have lived through things that young people now think of as ancient history: the assassinations of JFK, RFK, and MLK; the Vietnam War; the Kent State massacre; Watergate; the Iran hostage crisis; 9/11 ... Well, happy birthday, and many more!