Not feeling old but everyone treating you that way.
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A newer fixed question in The Guardian's rotating Q&A pool.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 February 2026 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 61 →Not being able to fend for myself and being a burden to others.
I’m actually looking forward to getting older.
Nothing. I love getting old – I love the freedom it allows you.
More from Matthew Kelly
View profile →Friendly, opinionated, hilarious.
My parents, because I rather slipped from their standards on more than one occasion. And when they got older, I wish I’d been kinder and more tolerant with them.
Removal of fear and anxiety.
Not being able to work.
Fifty per cent of the books on my shelf, so much so that I gave them away.
Insurance – it’s such a scam.
More on time & hindsight
- When were you happiest? 577 answers
- What is the most important lesson life has taught you? 137 answers
- What advice would you give your twenty-year-old self, and what should they ignore? 77 answers
- What is the best advice you have ever received? 28 answers
- If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere, what would it say and why? 23 answers
- What is something you were told by a parent, teacher, or mentor that you still repeat to yourself? 22 answers
Also answered this
Milton Jones, George H. W. Bush, Peter Sarsgaard, Juliet Stevenson, Marina Abramović, Terry Pratchett
Search the directory for somebody in particular.
Explore further
- All time & hindsight questions
- The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject