What It’s Like Being 80

At 21, Tony wanted to become a writer. He ended up being one, and a journalism lecturer, and a bond investment manager, on top of marrying twice and having 2 children, while also experiencing the shock and joys of being fired. (“I was let go by a publisher in a small company. He was interested in one of the women editors there and because I was friends with her, he fired me. Ironically, it was one of the most positive things that ever happened to me. He gave me 2 weeks severance pay. My wife had just given birth to our son the day before. I went to the hospital and told her what happened. That weekend I found an ad in the Chicago Tribune looking for a writer. It was Reuters. They hired me.”). We asked him what it is like being 80. 

Q: Hi Tony, thank you so much for being here with us. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and how old you are now?

A: I am 80 years young. Turned 80 on Jan 26. I retired from a major philanthropy in 2000 where I managed $900 million in bond investments for the prior 5 years. Before that, I wrote a newsletter for the Investment Department. Worked there 10 years total. Before that I was a journalist for Reuters News Service. Enjoyed a one year posting to London in 1977. Worked there 20 years. Previously I had edited men’s magazines for some years after graduating college with a degree in finance. I know that is a strange career track. 

Currently I write my blog Diet, Exercise and Living Past 100 (guysandgoodhealth.com) which I began 9 years ago. I ride my bike around 100 miles a week year ’round here in Chicago. I eat healthy and get a full night’s sleep. Go to Las Vegas 4 times a year with my girlfriend and play video poker.

What are your current daily and weekly routines like?

I try to get a good night’s sleep because that is a great reboot for the brain and body. Have written a number of posts on the value of a good night’s sleep. Ride my bike daily. Play video poker at the casino twice a week. It is a fun game that allows the player to choose the best cards to hold to make the strongest hand. I eat intelligently. My weight has been in the 155-160 lb range for 10 years. I walk a couple of miles a day, some with my pooch and otherwise every chance I get. Walking is a great weight-bearing exercise. 

How is your body different from what it was like at age 70?

I think it is healthier now than when I was working because I pay attention to healthy practices like sleeping well, eating intelligently and exercising regularly. When I was working I weighed in the 180’s and after I retired I got more careless about my weight and ballooned up to 225. I felt terrible and looked terrible with a big pot belly. I decided to straighten myself out.

What brings you joy these days?  

I enjoy writing my blog and I am active on social media. Big Wonder Woman fan. She was created in 1940, so I have been a fan since reading her comics in the ’40s as a kid. Belong to several Wonder Woman groups on Facebook. Have my own group on the Mewe social network. I like Pinterest. I have boards on video poker, Wonder Woman, puns, Alice in Wonderland, geometric pics and animal memes. My girlfriend and I go to the theatre and concerts as well as Las Vegas and the local riverboat. Lastly, I have a 25-year-old daughter who teaches kindergarten in Indianapolis. I also play backgammon on the web.

Which item, bought or received in the past year, has been most useful to you?

LOL My car. I drive a white Mini Cooper with black racing stripes on it. Hadn’t owned a car for 25 years, then saw The Italian Job movie and got a car crush on the MINI. Bought one in 2004 and now am driving my fifth one. It is a three-cylinder car with a manual transmission. I am one of the dinosaurs that still shifts gears with a clutch. Great fun car to drive.

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What were you like as a middle-aged adult and how have you changed since?

In middle age, I was still working. I was married to a much younger woman so I became a father at 55. Great experience raising a child at the age. Someone called it having your own grandchildren. I was managing money and involved in the market on a daily basis. I use the same money management principles in the casino today that I did when I managed money professionally. Limit your losses; let your profits run. The biggest thing, then, and now, is discipline.

Can you list 3 things you realised or learned only after age 80 that you didn’t know before? 

Well, technically, I can’t. I have only been 80 for a couple of weeks. I can tell you what I have learned since retiring at 60. I don’t rush so I live with minimal stress. I know how important it is to exercise daily. One of the traps in retirement is to think “I don’t have to work any more.” Wrong you still need to work to keep you body healthy. That is a full time 7 day a week commitment. I have learned the danger of a sedentary lifestyle. I have written in the blog that a sedentary lifestyle is more dangerous than smoking. Because you don’t realise how you are damaging your body. 

Which 3 people or things in your life are most important to you right now? 

My girlfriend, my daughter and my dog.

Is status important beyond age 80? What about wealth, knowledge acquisition, romance, birthdays and friendships? 

Status is not at all important now. But, when I was just beginning in my first marriage and early career, that kind of stuff meant something. Wealth is a relative term. I retired 20 years ago, but I live a simple life, bike riding, web surfing, walking my dog. I also gamble regularly, but I have strict l limits on how much I risk, so that is not an expensive pastime. I think wealth is relative, though, mostly anyone with more money than you is ‘wealthy.’ You need to define it specifically for an accurate answer. Knowledge acquisition is very important. I still take courses from The Great Courses. I started when I retired. Just bought 2 this month. Romance will always be important. Birthdays are a joke, of course, now they just tell me how much closer to being dead I am. The number 80 sounds like hell. But, thankfully, I don’t feel 80. Friendships count for a lot. I also have a lot of acquaintances from walking my dog.

What regrets do you have?

I can’t think of any regrets. 

What do you think those not yet 80 should be doing while they still can?

Regarding folks under 80, I write my blog for them. No matter what your age you should be taking care of your body and eating intelligently. I feel strongly about that, because for many years, I didn’t and it was a foolish mistake. Exercise is particularly important because it keeps our bodies (which are organic machines) in tip top shape. But also, it helps the brain in lots of ways. I took care of an aunt who was dying of Alzheimer’s and watched her decline. It scared the life out of me. That’s why I care so much about keeping the body active.

Is there anybody you presently look up to, who you would like to learn from?

As a football fan, I look up to Tom Brady for his all around excellence and the way he keeps his body together. Likewise, Bill Bellichick for his superb coaching ability. I think I face life the way they do. 

Lastly, do you think about death? And if so, what do you think of it? 

I don’t think about death. There doesn’t seem to be anything in that. I have a will and a planned estate, but other than that, I am enjoying my being here now. 

Tony presently rides his bike every day and produces for his blog, guysandgoodhealth.com. “I put out jokes every Friday—weekend funnies.” You can follow him on his adventures there or ask him to impart wisdom to you using the comment box below. He also runs a Wonder Woman fan group on MeWe here.

If you would like to share your thoughts on being the age you are, do let us know here. Or read what it’s like to be a different age here. 

You may also be interested in:
What It’s Like Being Older Than 70
What It’s Like Being Older Than 60

Photographs courtesy and copyright of Tony. Interviewer: Sy
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