What does maturity mean to you?

Gemme · 01-09-2011, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kobi

A group of us, aged 50’s-65ish, went for a little retreat this weekend.
One of the discussions we had was about getting older and what it
meant to us – not in terms of age but the way we choose to live.

Two groups seemed to emerge.

1. the adventurers – like to take on new challenges, grab for the gusto,
like to take risks often.
2. the mellowers – preferring a more sedate existence, like the tried
and true, like to ease into things, take relatively few risks.

Of course each group had plenty to say about the other.
The adventurers felt the mellowers had given up on living and
settled into life. The mellowers felt the adventurers needed to
stop trying to recapture their youth and grow up.

There is a lot of wiggle room here, but would you see yourself
as an adventurer or a mellower or some other category you get
to name?

The topic isn't quite what I imagined from the thread title, but it here goes anyway (even though I TOTALLY had a fantastic response ready about maturity).

Like June, I like there to be a measure of stability in the things that I do. The more certain I am that things will NOT change or shift on me, the more adventuresome I can be free to be.

little_ms_sunshyne · 01-09-2011, 07:58 PM

This one is a hard one for me to answer:

Can I be a combination?????

I like stability. Stability in my career and home life. FOR SURE!

BUT...

When it comes to matters of the heart I can be an Adventurer
Love is a many-splendored thing, love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love!
lol YUP PAINFULLY HOPELESS ROMANTIC!!!!

BUT then.....I become a thinker about it all!

Perhaps my randomness also makes me an adventurer. Some nights I just get in my car and drive 2 to 3 hours to the nearest beach all alone just to sit out, smell the water, and look at the stars (not to mention listen to great music with the windows down).

Can I vote SPLIT PERSONALITY??? lol

Nightshade · 01-09-2011, 08:58 PM

Both and neither. And like one of the posters above, I can't quite figure out what these points have to do with maturity.

As for the two choices, I'm an introverted homebody who's bliss lies in creating a home and feeding, fulfilling and nurturing my loved ones.

I've also been known to fly across the country to meet someone I've fallen in love with over the internet.

I take huge risks that most people wouldn't even consider (none of which have to do with sharks or sherpas), but probably lead one of the most boring daily lived you will ever encounter.

So I guess my answer is... um... yes?

Gráinne · 01-10-2011, 12:19 AM

A "settler" in the fact that I need a home to come back to, enough money in the bank to meet my bills and needs, and a career that as far as I know, won't go pfft.

An "adventurer", in that I want to see the world! I want to take classes in anything I please, jump out of airplanes, surf, and climb a mountain. I want to learn to belly dance. I want to take the Trans-Sib across Russia. You know, everything and anything.

Turtle · 01-10-2011, 02:00 AM

Yes to both.
Certainly, we love gettin cozy on the couch, the motorcycle days are over, and truth-be-told- our knees get achy when a storm is coming in.....

And no, I'm not jumping out of airplanes, but in the last few years I'm trying "new" things - I got a real helicopter lesson for a birthday (LOVED IT!!!), I'm singing in a group IN PUBLIC, I've had a role in a play - those are adventures for me.

"Maturity" can be a loaded word, but I've been enjoying some sweetness to aging - some of that "...and the wisdom to know the difference" thing, some being comfortable with being competent, some not getting cranked up like I used to.....tis a good thing. It's been enjoyable trying new things because I'm not so worried about how it'll turn out

Rockinonahigh · 01-10-2011, 02:43 AM

At this point in my life I finaly have the stablity in my job,home and family wich gives me the ablity to do the things I wanted to do before but couldnt because of being a responsable single parrent,my mothers care taker for a long time as well as going to college to expand my life and ablity to work in a meaningfull job.Maturity is (to me) being there when u r needed,doing the right thing even when I knew I had to put things aside till later,keeping the house bills paid,food in the cubbard,the manythings that a family needs to keep going.I sometimes wanted to blink and make some one else take this responasblity for while so I could take a deep breath,have 5 minits to myself.This didnt happen so I just kept on holding the world as we knew it together as best I could.Now im takeing that deep breath,the more than 5 minits for myself..now im going thrue a late early adult hood I should have had before.Makeing new friends,learning better ways to live life,realiseing that its ok for me to just live life and enjoy the friendship and geting to know real people.one of the best things I have learned is,I dont have to battle my way thrue things and can be part of life not being on the outside looking in.

01-10-2011, 12:19 AM	#4
Gráinne Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Neither, nada, out of the box Preferred Pronoun?: My name always works Relationship Status: Happy whatever happens Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Little Rock Posts: 1,864 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 2,117 Thanked 7,386 Times in 1,457 Posts Rep Power: 21474852	A "settler" in the fact that I need a home to come back to, enough money in the bank to meet my bills and needs, and a career that as far as I know, won't go pfft. An "adventurer", in that I want to see the world! I want to take classes in anything I please, jump out of airplanes, surf, and climb a mountain. I want to learn to belly dance. I want to take the Trans-Sib across Russia. You know, everything and anything. __________________ The odds of going to the store for a loaf of bread and coming out with only a loaf of bread are three billion to one. ~Erma Bombeck

01-10-2011, 02:00 AM	#5
Turtle Senior Member How Do You Identify?: A mixity Preferred Pronoun?: whatever Relationship Status: chillin Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: in a really really cute little place Posts: 2,144 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 2,442 Thanked 4,529 Times in 1,220 Posts Rep Power: 21474854	Great topic, Kobi Yes to both. Certainly, we love gettin cozy on the couch, the motorcycle days are over, and truth-be-told- our knees get achy when a storm is coming in..... And no, I'm not jumping out of airplanes, but in the last few years I'm trying "new" things - I got a real helicopter lesson for a birthday (LOVED IT!!!), I'm singing in a group IN PUBLIC, I've had a role in a play - those are adventures for me. "Maturity" can be a loaded word, but I've been enjoying some sweetness to aging - some of that "...and the wisdom to know the difference" thing, some being comfortable with being competent, some not getting cranked up like I used to.....tis a good thing. It's been enjoyable trying new things because I'm not so worried about how it'll turn out

01-09-2011, 07:58 PM	#2
little_ms_sunshyne Senior Member How Do You Identify?: . Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: . Posts: 3,312 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 13,339 Thanked 12,241 Times in 2,541 Posts Rep Power: 21474854	This one is a hard one for me to answer: Can I be a combination????? I like stability. Stability in my career and home life. FOR SURE! BUT... When it comes to matters of the heart I can be an Adventurer Love is a many-splendored thing, love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love! lol YUP PAINFULLY HOPELESS ROMANTIC!!!! BUT then.....I become a thinker about it all! Perhaps my randomness also makes me an adventurer. Some nights I just get in my car and drive 2 to 3 hours to the nearest beach all alone just to sit out, smell the water, and look at the stars (not to mention listen to great music with the windows down). Can I vote SPLIT PERSONALITY??? lol

01-09-2011, 08:58 PM	#3
Nightshade Member How Do You Identify?: Stonefemme Preferred Pronoun?: her/she Relationship Status: . Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: here Posts: 125 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 503 Thanked 236 Times in 84 Posts Rep Power: 42018	Both and neither. And like one of the posters above, I can't quite figure out what these points have to do with maturity. As for the two choices, I'm an introverted homebody who's bliss lies in creating a home and feeding, fulfilling and nurturing my loved ones. I've also been known to fly across the country to meet someone I've fallen in love with over the internet. I take huge risks that most people wouldn't even consider (none of which have to do with sharks or sherpas), but probably lead one of the most boring daily lived you will ever encounter. So I guess my answer is... um... yes?

01-10-2011, 02:43 AM	#6
Rockinonahigh Senior Member How Do You Identify?: stone butch Preferred Pronoun?: makes no diffrence,I know who I am. Relationship Status: single,maybe looking if the right person comes along. Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: shreveport,Louisiana Posts: 4,907 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 4,682 Thanked 14,933 Times in 3,938 Posts Rep Power: 21474856	At this point in my life I finaly have the stablity in my job,home and family wich gives me the ablity to do the things I wanted to do before but couldnt because of being a responsable single parrent,my mothers care taker for a long time as well as going to college to expand my life and ablity to work in a meaningfull job.Maturity is (to me) being there when u r needed,doing the right thing even when I knew I had to put things aside till later,keeping the house bills paid,food in the cubbard,the manythings that a family needs to keep going.I sometimes wanted to blink and make some one else take this responasblity for while so I could take a deep breath,have 5 minits to myself.This didnt happen so I just kept on holding the world as we knew it together as best I could.Now im takeing that deep breath,the more than 5 minits for myself..now im going thrue a late early adult hood I should have had before.Makeing new friends,learning better ways to live life,realiseing that its ok for me to just live life and enjoy the friendship and geting to know real people.one of the best things I have learned is,I dont have to battle my way thrue things and can be part of life not being on the outside looking in.