These are some casual observations into what makes a lot of people become the stereotypical, "Karen" or "crotchety old man". There are varying degrees and nuances but life has a special way of kicking each of our asses. As if it were punishment or maybe even the western definition of karma.
Life knows exactly how to get on your nerves, all the way down to your last. It knows your breaking point and will push all of your buttons causing you to SNAP! Think road rage, clerk rage, server rage. Disappointed with the world rage. Exposure to too much TV news rage.
Change makes grumpy people unsettled. New owners, new management, new and improved yet somehow smaller and more expensive. From the service down to the products that used to work better, last longer, and cost less BEFORE the public offering, the merger or whatever other financial fuckery that ruins trusted brand names. Nothing seems to last anymore. Definitely cause for grumpy.
There's the universal ailments that just about everyone will begin to suffer as they age; worsening vision, hearing, taste and smell, smell being both function and odor (that old people "mothball" smell).
More frequent trips to the bathroom with ever increasing urgency. Worsening fatigue, joint pain and loss of coordination.
Hair loss, tooth loss, weight gain. Lose or plugged-every bowel movement starts to become an adventure.
More and more prescriptions with side effects. Heart pills make people angry.
Just trying to remember to put the pills in the 7 day reminder thing and then trying to remember if todays dose has been taken and what day is it anyway!? Don't forget which one is the suppository.
And where the hell are my magnifiers!? Can't see SHIT! Turning on lights that are already on because it's no longer bright enough - All of this will cause a body to become grumpy.
Then there's the things that really take a mental toll. Lost beauty and losing ones youth is pretty tough. Insecurity is a bitch. If you weren't depressed before add ten more years. It gets harder to be happy as life piles it on.
The ability or inability to forgive and forget is directly related and proportional to the grumpy state of mind. That's one of the harder traits of grumpy to have to deal with, it can make for some unpleasant get togethers when the same tired old hassles keep being brought back up.
The grumpy person clings on to past transgressions like it's their job whether actual or perceived. Violation of tradition and/or religious dogmas is another excuse for grumpy remarks, behavior usually associated with pious types. Self righteous grumps especially suck.
The older you get the more dead people you know. Pain and loss and the wondering why adds to grumpy.
Realizing the glory days are gone. Memories and trips down memory lane are one thing but getting a permanent address there is another ingredient for grumpy.
Slowing down as you get older and realizing you are the old motherfucker in everybody's way now, there's that karma thing for all the old people you scared in your youth blowing by them at 100mph, honking and cussing and flipping them off, "go back up north!"(it's a Florida thing).
The grumpy person doesn't always recall the err of his ways and acts all butt hurt and insulted now that it is happening to him. Grumpy makes hypocrites.
Still others are grumpy because life wasn't/isn't fair. Ha ha. Grow up, who said, "life is fair"? No one, mon frair.
Could've/should've/would've done that, been this, boned that, owned this but they got cheated or everybody else got the breaks, maybe real but more likely imagined as a lot of people just can't seem to see through the smoke they're blowing. Living in denial and bumping into reality triggers a grumpy response.
Missing out on too much sex in life and then losing the ability to have it makes a person grumpy. For some it's finally making enough money to get the hot people and being too old to enjoy it. Knowing it's the cash and not YOU causes grumpy.
Having to listen to well meaning people who can't seem to realize you've been there and done that more than a few times...(long sigh) It's hard to be patient with people when you're running out of time and that can add to a grumpy state of mind.
There's the hardcore grump who simply BLOWS UP and is very often the "I hate everybody!" type who ACTUALLY does hate everybody. After a lifetime people expect other people to change or become "mellow" but more often than not the change is for the worse and the hardcore RAGE and resentment builds making for an irretrievable and often very dangerous grump. More nuances.
My advice as someone who is aware of my proclivity to be grumpy; turn off the news it is not enlightening, in fact it is the opposite.
Remove the negative from your life and enjoy what little time you have left. Unless you have enough money to buy your own politicians, the world will sort itself out no matter how much you scream about things that you cannot change and that really don't matter in the long run.
Love is all that matters in the end which takes us back to the forgiveness/letting it go thing because life is tough for everybody and misdeeds and mistakes happen. Let it go.
And God bless the people who suffer the grumpy people in their lives and love and forgive us old grumpy people of our rough ways and for god sakes be careful who you call "dude". That term used to hold a different meaning for older boomers.
I remember my dad's generation (WW2) hated to be called "man". I call everybody "man". Women folk say, "I'm not a man" and my reply, "I know, man".
The judge in Virginia really hated to be called "man", hate to think what would've happened if I had called him "dude".
Sorry, I'm just rambling now.
Peace and Love! And smile, it makes you look less grumpy.
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