Happiest time of your life?

Is it because you're not dead?

I'll let you know!

I don't agree. You might be able to scrape some fun out of life, perhaps even quite a lot, but that's not the same as happiness.

I cannot say that I am delirious with joy and happiness as every task is a struggle, but as Stansgran said, I am not dead and still living independently.

My husband died when he was 65. Am I really going to be happiest in my 70s? I doubt it.

DH is 70 next birthday and I'm NOT telling him it will be the happiest decade of his life as I wait on him hand and foot as it is!

Just tell him that it's going to be your happiest when you're 70, merlot, and ask him to wait on you.

I would be a lot more contented if I lived closer to the family and things would be better with fewer aches and pains. My 50s were a good decade - free of my ex, sons maturing and working, an enjoyable job, involvement in local politics, some really good holidays... I never had time for the empty nest syndrome.

As far as I can see I am no more happier now than I have ever been. I have always been a glass half full person and of course life has had its ups and downs, so unhappiness tends to be event led. I have just had a bad month because three close relatives died, two suddenly and one quite young, but that doesn't undermine my overall contentness with life.

The one underlying worry I do not have in retirement - and I do think this is important, is not having a secure income. I now have a state pension and I am fortunate to have an occupational problem, but when working DH and I at various times had to deal with redundancy, fear of redundancy and worrying about our mortgage payments if we were redundant, not just for us but for our children. Income may be down in retirement but I currently have no reason to doubt that it will not be there.

I think there is a sense of satisfaction if you have managed to reach your 70s in a good relationship, with your children settled and stable, grandchildren to love, your career behind you and health and strength to enjoy the freedoms that gives. Financial security underpins all that too.

I also think it is a time to ponder on the shortness of time remaining and the concerns about incipient health issues which may be showing their symptoms. Those things do have an effect on how happy one feels. I prefer the term contentment to happiness anyway as I see happiness as a thing one only experiences in flashes or moments of joy.

No. I was definitely happiest during the time all three of my children were at home. Exhausted, but happy.

Remember that feeling when the whole family were tucked up safe and warm and well fed, in their various beds for the night? Unbeatable.

Contentment isn't enough.

I agree with you gaga, we don't have a lot, but we have lived a very enjoyable life. . No, we have not seen the world, or even a fraction of it, haven't done anything which is outstanding, we seem to have spent the time bringing up a family, making friends along the way - most of which we have kept, and have settled in quite nicely thank you to a very low key retirement. Perhaps contentment has taken the place of happiness in our lives.

If contentment isn't enough, then I am rarely happy. It may be a question of semantics but to me happiness is a feeling that comes over me for relatively short periods of time when the concatenation of events is right.

My early morning walk on a day like today when the sun is shining through the avenue of trees that line part of my walk and the dappled shade and glorious colour makes my heart sing. Hearing a funny story about DGS, new to school this term. Eating lunch and realising that every vegetable and fruit came from the garden. All these will give me a burst of happiness, but mainly I am as I have been for most of my adult life, content with what I have, not money or riches but my family, near and far and my life as it is.

I shouldn't have said contentment is n't enough. It's fine in itself. Just not happiness. And I agree - happiness comes suddenly, and often in shortish bursts.

I thiink it's enough to feel a level of contentment at my age. Actual real happpiness seems out of reach these days. The only time I was truly happy was when my children were young. But it's o.k., I am mostly content now, following a period of huge discontent a while ago.

For many years in or about the 80s and 90s we used to regularly go to concerts, theatres, shows, exhibitions, films, country houses and museums. We also enjoyed many short break holidays, at home and abroad. We weren't very well off but we certainly enjoyed ourselves at reasonable cost without too much worry about security, or the hang-ups that seem to plague us these days. We must have had much more energy in those days - wish I had some now!

I find it hard to remember that I'm in my 70s, apart from looking in the mirror and trying to get up from kneeling. I still find myself thinking "What shall I do when I grow up". I'm lucky to have wonderful children, even if they are often too busy to see me and, after my husband died, met a wonderful man ten years my junior who insists that I grow old disgracefully.
On the debit side, my lovely cat died recently at the age of 19 and I do find myself wondering whether to get another one. It could well outlive me.

Perhaps many people would be happier if they stopped chasing happiness and realised the real deep deep happiness that comes from contentment.

I agree FlicketyB (is there a FlicketyA?). Its just not possible to be happy all the time. You`d be considered manic if you were. Being aware of a happy time as its happening is lovely, but its a feeling that's elusive and is often only observable in retrospect unfortunately. Content is good. My stern Scottish Grandmother once froze a poor nurse in her care home by grimly stating "It would be wrong to say I`m happy but I`m content"!

flicketyB that's exactly what DH says and I have to say I feel more contentment than happiness even though I am still a spring chicken at 61.

Not got there yet. That's something to look forward to then! (70's)

I am one of those lucky people who was born happy.

Second stanza from The Shepherd Boy's song by John Bunyan:

I am content with what I have,
Little be it or much,
And yet contentment still I crave,
Because thou savest such.

Few years to go yet but I don't think I will be happier in my 70's. How could that be without the one person you would like to spend your last years with? I was happiest in my 40's I think. The children were growing up, DH was healthy, we were comfortably off and settled in a lovely house and village and we had fun. After that it all started to go down hill.........