Do you guys remember being 23? How was it like?
Posted by ShineFlimsy3077@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 149 comments
I’m 23, and I’m genuinely excited for my 40s and 50s. I can’t wait to become a bride, a mom, a wife, and to build a meaningful career. I really look forward to those milestones in life.
At the same time, I already feel so nostalgic about my younger years. It makes me wonder how I’ll remember being 23 someday.
RetroBerner@reddit
I got married 23 years ago, in 3 days. Time sure flies, now my son is older than I was when I first met my wife.
Boring-Gas-8903@reddit
45F here. 23 was the wildest and most fun year of my life. Not sure how I’m still alive after that.
CrumblinEmpire@reddit
We’re Gen X. We had already lived a least two lives by that age. 23 is magic, but be smart and don’t make dumb decisions. Listen to people older than you when it comes to money and careers.
CrumblinEmpire@reddit
And open a Roth IRA asap.
02C_here@reddit
It would have been better had I listened to my father and started investing 10% of everything I made, no excuses. I could have retired in the decades you are looking forward to.
Honeybee71@reddit
Yes I do. I was a Party animal with no care in the world lol
ceeece@reddit
It was kinda scary for me. Just fresh out of college. Got a job but it was in the city and unfamiliar. There was a lot of adjusting. I had a situation where a relationship didn't pan out and I was lost during that time too. Luckily I had a great group of friends and we did a lot together so I was never lonely and it helped with adjusting to adult life. Dating and prospects were awful even though I knew a bunch of people. It was just awkward because we were all so close. I much pref my 30's and 40's. And now 50's.
SnooRevelations2717@reddit
My daughter was born when I was 23. That's when I finally got my shit together and started trying to get ahead in life.
AwkwardTraffic199@reddit
"finally"? You are being hard on yourself. You were 23.
SnooRevelations2717@reddit
Nah. Failed out of college. Joined the military and almost got kicked out twice. Thanks to a Senior Chief Gattis who told me he saw potential in me that i didn't see in myself, that guy saved my career. Daughter was born shortly after and the planets aligned and I really started applying myself for the first time. My wife is ride or die so been married 30 years.
Commercial_Cherry527@reddit
I miss my optimism and care free attitude I had at 23.
At 23 I felt like I had all the time in the world. I put off traveling and other things because I figured I would do it when I was making more money. Don’t wait - do it now. I make more money now but not taking care of myself health wise has me in a position of limited mobility.
As others have said, don’t rush towards those goals. Enjoy the journey instead of focusing on the destination.
CK_CoffeeCat@reddit
ScarletCarsonRose@reddit
Married with two kids already in a home we bought on a nija loan. It was a wild time. That’s all I’ll say.
Affectionate-Map2583@reddit
23 was the start of a run of good years for me. I started what would become my career. A year later, I bought a house and adopted a puppy. A year after that, I met my future husband (who eventually became my XH, but we had 10 good years).
kat2211@reddit
23 for me (1990) was the very beginning of the best time of my life. I lived (and still do) in the Pacific NW and lived and breathed the local music scene. I was more myself then than I've ever been able to be in all the time since.
I turn 60 next year and it's only in the last few months that I've been able to create a life that is anywhere near as aligned with who I am as I was back then (although to be clear it looks very, very different).
I spent the many years in between trying to figure out what I'd actually known all along.
AwkwardTraffic199@reddit
I keep thinking about somehow opening a bar/lounge maybe with an inn, and making it a Gen X vibe, based on my gen X life. Music is HUGE. We were so lucky in that regard. I grew up in Toronto and there was live music all the time. And movies. We had great movies too.
Usual-Primary-8607@reddit
I was joining the Peace Corps.
onions-make-me-cry@reddit
I was pregnant and we'd just declared war in Iraq. I was a senior in college.
That baby will be turning 23 in a few months.
JJQuantum@reddit
I worked my ass off with 2 full time jobs to make ends meet, at times over 100 hours a week. When I wasn’t working I was hanging out with friends doing inexpensive things like playing disc golf or football, playing cards, drinking cheap beer (or wine coolers lol) as someone’s apartment, smoking weed occasionally and having as much sex with my gf as humanly possible, lol. I do remember the times fondly.
watchwatertilitboils@reddit
I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now
AwkwardTraffic199@reddit
This is now stuck in my head. lol.
Dangerous_Spirit7034@reddit
Bob Dylan? Interesting choice I thought for sure the first song I’d see here would be what’s my age again by blink 182
watchwatertilitboils@reddit
Yes Dylan, but originally The Byrds.
My Back Pages
This-Cartoonist9129@reddit
Tell, me - why do you want to be a ‘mom’? Biological clock? Society’s expectations? ‘Babies are cute’?
AwkwardTraffic199@reddit
Tell me- why wouldn't you want to be a mother? You hate humanity, don't love, and reject family?
This-Cartoonist9129@reddit
23 I was at sea
AwkwardTraffic199@reddit
Say that 10 times fast.
AwkwardTraffic199@reddit
I traveled for most of my twenties. My main job was leading Outward Bound courses, and then I did solo. adventure traveling, like biking from Singapore to Bangkok, and watching the sunrise over Mount Everest in Nepal. And I met the coolest people, many. of whom are on Facebook now, so it's easy to reach out if I'm going to be in their area. I would not feel as safe doing some of the traveling I did in my twenties, as a woman alone, sadly. I'm not "nostalgic" per se, but I'm so grateful that I got to do that, and meet really cool people from around the world, and see and experience life.
cleg74@reddit
I barely remember being 23. It was the mid 90s, Clinton was President, I had an entry level job, I went to lots of Happy Hours, the world felt peaceful and understandable.
Jb4ever77@reddit
Sigh!!! Reminiscing now.
Ok_Act4459@reddit
I’m mostly nostalgic about being 23 because of what the world was like then compared to now
MandyLee77@reddit
At 23 i was a mom to a 2 year old and then had another when i was 25 and then my third at 34. Personally i love life at almost 50 and definitely look back on my 20's as being awesome and memorable.
raqnroll@reddit
Journal, write things down. Photos don't count 100%. Your own handwriting - to be able to go back to the writings years later is a direct connection to who you were.
GenericStandard42@reddit
I miss my stamina.
At 23, I was finishing my final year of my bachelor's degree with a 40 credit schedule (summer and break classes included) and working full-time evenings and some weekends. I don't know how I did it. I wanted to wrap up ASAP and move from the geographic area where I was living.
I moved to DC, and started another chapter of my life.
rosesforthemonsters@reddit
23 was such a good year for me \~ I quit drinking and smoking that year and found out that I was pregnant right before Christmas.
Soggy-Imagination236@reddit
Don't rush. I'm so glad you're looking forward to your middle years, but enjoy the things and times you've spoken about.
Life moves, it is a day, then another... When you're 40 you'll wonder where they all went.
Look forward to a partner, children and making house.
But what if that isn't what's in store for you? It's a roller coaster.
The secret is to find the small things daily. The smell of freshly cut grass, the taste of your favorite coffee, the way the sunlight hits that ambitious web effort by your favorite little house spider.
It's these things that will keep you on earth while you stumble onto your path.
FugginOld@reddit
I remember being 23 and seemingly optimistic as hell. Now...I wouldn't bring a child into this world. The political and socioeconomic world climate is totally fucked and I see no improvement until I shuffle off this existence. Sorry.
Altoidman33@reddit
Nobody likes you when you're 23.
electrodog1999@reddit
I was 23 when this was released, great song.
Optimal-Ad-7074@reddit
I had ideas of the kind of relationship I wanted, but bride/wife/mom ... no. no plans at all to have kids.
I was in college, still adjusting to several big life changes from my teens, meeting people and playing a lot of cribbage with friends. life felt exciting and full of options, but also intimidating.
I didn't know myself very well at 23. so there was that.
BuckyD1000@reddit
"How was it like?"
Serious question: do kids use this inane phrasing on purpose, or do they actually think it's correct?
Imcrappinyounegative@reddit
It’s a month old account. Be wary this may be AI or bot.
silvermanedwino@reddit
Starting out. Dumb job. Not doing well in said job. Dating my idiotic ex-husband, thought I had to get married to fit in and be fulfilled. . Cute little apartment, though.
Life got so much better in my mid/late 30s.
bionic_cmdo@reddit
I still remember 23. I didn't go to college like most of my highschool classmates. So I was working part time and still living with my parents. Going to parties and enjoying doing random things. 23 was the time when you can become friends with someone that's a few years younger or older and it didn't feel weird, not like highschool.
Winter-eyed@reddit
I was a new mom. I was working and so was my husband. My mom had cancer and was fighting it and my parents were traveling and doing things they put off too long because of that. My in laws were alive and my FIL hadn’t been diagnosed with cancer yet. We saw his family weekly and mine when they were between trips. My sister in law babysat my son for us for ridiculously little mostly cause she loves babies and she’s got nothing else to do with her kids in middle and high school and her husband not wanting her to work.
It was actually an easier year of my 20s.
digawina@reddit
I was recovering from a brutal breakup, done with college, but still living with my mom because I was poor, working a crappy customer service job at a cell phone company, listening to people bitch about how ridiculous it was that their phone had to be powered on to receive calls. 23 sucked.
Vyralynne@reddit
23 was stressful, trying to get my career going, not making much money yet, so much student loan debt. I got married at 24 to my boyfriend of 7 years. You don't need to wait until 40s for marriage (but you can- never know when love will happen). 20s and 30s were a blur of setting up life- career building, kids, paying debt, buying house. Early 40s finally hit my stride. I paid off all my college loans, still happily married and kids are now 11 and 16 so I can relax a bit. Finally having fun getting tattoos and going to lots of rock concerts. I would hate to go back to 23 and go through all that again, I feel like I'm just getting to the fun part now. Husband and I are both solid in our careers and make decent money, building decent retirement nest eggs. You're entering the real grind years but it'll be worth it! Good luck!
marythegr8@reddit
This is accurate, but my goodness do I sometimes feel the have the best years of my life to a job and career that didn’t really matter (changed careers at 30).
Sufficient_Stop8381@reddit
I was married with a little kid. It sucked.
Firstcounselor@reddit
Being 23 was a super fun and exciting time of life. I remember being very curious about where I would be when I was as 40, 50. It occupied a lot of my thoughts. It was a time of discovery, exploration, and relationships. I was as dating a lot, nearly to the point of being exhaustion.
I married my beautiful, amazing wife, who I had know for about 6 years, at 25. Even then I knew I would love being married. Our first year was freaking awesome, and we were always confused when friends said their first years of marriage were so hard.
It’s clear that you are content with the life you’ve had so far. This is huge. Be careful with who you choose, and if you choose well, life will keep getting better. I miss those years, badly, but not because I am not happy today. I miss them because they were some of the happiest times of my life and have landed me where I am today.
Direct_Adagio_4022@reddit
Im a guy but I felt the same optimism and excitement. I remember being a little scared though. I was worried that the Baby Boomers in front of me would never get out of the way and let me earn and flourish in my career. Boy was i right too. But it turned out OK.
Tinaturtle79@reddit
23 was a big year for me. I moved to my current city with my boyfriend (now husband) — more than 20 years later we’re still here and built a nice simple life. I also met my friend group that year. We are super tight, have been through so much together, and are hoping to live in a compound of small homes in retirement.
Enjoy where you are now, time goes by so fast. And if you can swing it, start saving, your future self will thank you.
RCA2CE@reddit
It was 1990 for me. I was in the army, just saw Germany reunified (the berlin wall fell a few months earlier), I had just participated in the skirmish in Panama and then got sent to desert storm.
I pretty much was a god.
The future was not at all something I thought about, turns out that wasn't the smart move but it turned out ok.
La_Mano_Cornuta@reddit
Thank you for your service.
Pretend-Excuse-8368@reddit
I think I had a decent balance between career development and marriage building at 23 (college graduate and still a newlywed). I wish I would’ve taken more time to visit and talk with my grandmother who passed when I was 27. Those opportunities never return.
DrShankensteinMD@reddit
At 23 I was the most successful I had ever been in my pursuit of music, I was touring the country in two different bands, dating a girl in the video game industry, and had 3 jobs.
ZZoMBiEXIII@reddit
It was over 30 years ago for me. These days I am lucky if I remember where my socks are. When they're on my feet.
Kidding aside, I was married at 25, a dad by 26, divorced before 30. It was a turbulent time for me, but I always enjoyed the ride.
Poneke365@reddit
AI?
Grouchy-Vanilla-5511@reddit
No AI was trained by Gen X and Millenial writers and would use correct grammar….”WHAT was it like?”
Plastic-Sentence9429@reddit
23? Of course, it was only....oh damn.
meltedchocolatepants@reddit
I had been in an emotionally abusive gaslighting relationship at 22. (This was before the term was known/being used. I just didn't know why he made me feel crazy and doubting reality.)
At 23 I became suicidal, had a plan, realized my mom would never be the same person if I killed myself, so I went to the hospital. (Outpatient ) Realized that I couldn't remain in that emotional state nor could I kill myself so I did what I could to get better.
Becoming better actually happened when I started working at a battered women's shelter. At that point, I realized I was pretty good at helping people and I suddenly had a purpose to everything I went through. I made a career out of mental health for 25 years. I was laid off recently after our state cut funding for what I did and I'm taking a break from mental health now.
I have an idea of a new path I want to take in mental health eventually. It will just take a few years to get there.
I don't remember 23 fondly at all. It was sobbing from pain, feeling like who I was was gone forever, trying to keep myself safe, sleeping 16 hours per day. But it was a necessary and pivotal point in my life that shaped the direction I went for most of the rest of it.
blueblocker2000@reddit
Take care of your body, kid. You don't think things will hurt you at that age. Your body is running a tab on all the stupid stuff you don't that age. All the junk you feed it. All the physical injuries you walk off today will come to collect in your 40s and 50s.
Stigger32@reddit
Yep. It was fucking great.
PastPerfectGenX@reddit
With 23 I had a nervous breakdown. Live was good up to that point. Then I started to realise that you got to work for a living. So I changed my life, got a job, lost many so called friends and now, 23 years later I got a nother nervous breakdown, cause I got the feeling it didn‘t paid off. I hope for you that your life works out better.
meltedchocolatepants@reddit
I had been in an emotionally abusive gaslighting relationship at 22. (This was before the term was)known/being used. I just didn't know why he made me feel crazy and doubting reality.)
At 23 I became suicidal, had a plan, realized my mom would never be the same person if I killed myself, so I went to the hospital. (Outpatient ) Realized that I couldn't remain in that emotional state nor could I kill myself so I did what I could to get better.
Becoming better actually happened when I started working at a battered women's shelter. At that point, I realized I was pretty good at helping people and I suddenly had a purpose to everything I went through. I made a career out of mental health for 25 years. I was laid off recently after our state cut funding for what I did and I'm taking a break from mental health now.
I have an idea of a new path I want to take in mental health eventually. It will just take a few years to get there.
I hope your second breakdown results in a happier set of circumstances for you
Environmental-Egg893@reddit
23 was the year 2000 for me. I was partying it up and traveling with friends (we worked for the airlines)…good times
Ray_The_Engineer@reddit
23 was a milestone year for me; I finished engineering school, secured my first professional job and moved to Charlotte to get my own crappy little apartment. (no roommates!) I bought my first new car. It seemed like things were falling into place, and they were, in many ways. I was young and invincible.
IIRC, I had similar notions about how I was going to miss my friends from school, the life there, etc. It was indeed a change, and I think I may have gotten lonely here and there. But life moved on; in another 2 years I'd meet the woman I'd marry (still married 34 years later), and it's been a great life. And it's not over! Yeah, I'm one of those dorks that refuses to admit that he's getting old.
mr_vestan_pance@reddit
You’re 23 and feel nostalgic about your younger years? When I was 23 I was blasting forward, never looking back, it’s only now in my later years that I fondly reminisce about my youth and the crazy times, but I’m still looking forward 🫡
squirtloaf@reddit
I was a guitar tech touring with hair metal bands in the late eighties when I was 23.
Between the insane fun, travel, good pay and...other things, it is kind of hard to top.
Ornery_Salaryman@reddit
Enjoy your freedom now. You will never have more.
RedLily08@reddit
My 20's were the worst years of my life. I hated myself. I had no self esteem. My friends were more like enemies. I was drinking too much. I wasn't showing up to work. I was a mess. I didn't start getting my life together until I turned 27. I'm in my 40's now. I feel better because I understand what food to avoid and what is good for me. My husband is awesome. I cut all those toxic people out my life. I have a steady job that pays pretty good. I finally feel comfortable in my own skin
Smoking0311@reddit
23 was 29 years ago for me 1997 good times was still in the service with only several months to go .
StillC5sdad@reddit
My 20s are a hazy blur. I wasn't sober until I turned 30.
nonappies@reddit
Don’t wish away your youth. It may seem like 40 or 50 is romantic and/or comfortable but aging is no joke, especially for women. You’ll find out soon enough, because once you hit 30, life shifts into warp speed.
What do I remember about 23? This was a messy year for me. My mother died just as I turned 22 and I spent the next several years in a directionless cycle of dead-end jobs, partying, and fruitless relationships. Fell in with one con artist after the next until I ended up rock bottom broke. Things started to turn around for me at around 25. It was a tough slog trying to get that first proper job and to be paid properly for it.
I’m 55 now and while I would love my old body back, there’s no way I’d want to return to the chaotic 20s. But nevertheless, try and enjoy! You really hit your prime in your 30s but they are gone in a flash.
Historical_Project86@reddit
23 was a bit "meh" for me. I was in limbo really. I had just finished an MSc and was at home looking for work. I didn't find that work until I was 24, and that's when I started having a lot more fun. I had no idea of the future though. I think I really wanted to stay free of responsibility and continue to live like a student, which to a certain extent I did until I was 30.
I know I hate the whole "what would you have done differently?" trope, but I wouldn't have got sucked in to a career I really didn't care for. It was a fast track to independence though. Nostalgia is a bitch, I try to avoid it.
No-County7603@reddit
I was already a mother at 23 and pregnant with my second child. I loved every minute of it. Did absolutely nothing but raise my kids then I came alive in my 30's when they were older! Lived it up till about 49, now I'm tired boss! So tired. But I have no regrets, not one!
shortstop_princess@reddit
23 was awesome. I was in college in another state, meeting new people and having fun. Don't be too excited to grow up. I wish I could go back and relive my college days!
GwonWitcha@reddit
Stop. Slow down. Enjoy every moment. Do everything you can to drag your days out…because, the older you get the faster the years pass. Before you know it, you realize that your time is coming.
spider_speller@reddit
I was kind of a mess. I was still in college (had to stop and start multiple times so I could work full time and earn money for school), living with my then-boyfriend now-husband. That part was fine, but I was estranged from my family and had undiagnosed ptsd that was causing a lot of issues. On the surface I seemed fine, but I was definitely not.
zhabesha@reddit
I was poor af. Made $7.25/hr at a call center. I had the best time of my life. You didn’t need a lot of money to have a good time. Young and free of major responsibilities. Good group of friends. Cheap booze and dime bags.
thatsplatgal@reddit
I was a rock star! I graduated from engineering school with honors. Had my pick of the litter on jobs. Took a job in tech where I was one of a few women and moved to Texas where I knew no one to kick start my career. Was making $45k in 1997. Felt wealthy! lol. Met new and interesting people. Broke up with my college boyfriend to focus on building my life. I was fully independent!
Additional-Leg4696@reddit
I miss the energy I had at 23. Graduated college. Got my first non-retail job. Used to go out and see live music shows with friends.
Would have loved to have had more money at the time. There were weeks where I would have $4 to my name and live off of yogurt and ramen.
Dated all of the wrong guys on my twenties and my early 30's. Watched all my friends get married and have kids.
As I got older, I realized I sucked at dating. I got diagnosed with inattentive ADHD at 37, and that explained a lot of why I felt like I was never as "on track" as my peers.
I ended up getting married and having kids in my early 40's. Financially much better off now, but I miss the energy I had in my 20's and 30's. I get highly sentimental about things from the 90's. And, it feels like the early 2000's were just a few years ago, instead of 20.
Time starts to go by at a rapid pace the older you get. At each phase there are plusses and minuses.
golfingsince83@reddit
If I could be 23 again I’d do everything differently
Majik_Sheff@reddit
You'll be all of those things before you even realize how fast the years are going.
Enjoy the vibrancy and exuberance of youth. The crazy shit you do now will be the memories you cherish.
Also, don't take the cartilage in your knees and spine for granted.
Chancevexed@reddit
I remember 23. I was a little unmoored. I'd been hyper focused on getting educated and getting started on my career, and it wasn't what I was told it'd be like. I had to pivot but couldn't accept I'd wasted years getting an education that I wouldn't be using. So I wasted several more years trying to make it work. I eventually got settled into a career I did sorta like at 27.
When I was 27 I beat myself up for wasting 4 years because when you're young, 4 years is a long time (I could've got a whole other degree). Now at 50 I realise 4 years is a lunch break.
All that to say, if I could give any advice it's don't beat yourself up for any time you spend finding yourself. It's time well spent.
mostawesomemom@reddit
I had too much fun and became a single mom!
peekedtoosoon@reddit
In my mind I'm still 23, but at 56, my body tells me otherwise. Don't be in a rush to get older.
la_pan_ther_rose@reddit
I was a mess!
this_better_work@reddit
I was 23 when blink 182 what’s my age again was a hit song that tells you over and over that nobody likes you when you’re 23. Having said that, 23 is an awesome age. Live it up and enjoy your youth.
rivenshire@reddit
23 was an in between time for me, so I went to grad school, worked odd jobs, and helped start an interchurch young adults group where I ended up meeting my husband. At 28, I became a wife, shortly thereafter a mother, and then a homeschool mom for 15 years. Now I'm watching my grown children pursue their God given dreams 🙏🏻
leylaley76@reddit
Married on my 23rd birthday, lasted 11 years.
Blodeuyn13@reddit
I got married when I turned 23. It was a good year, but maybe one of the last truly good ones due to health issues. We're still married, 30 years now.
PahzTakesPhotos@reddit
I had my second child at 23.
My husband had been to war (Desert Shield/Storm), I had our son nine months to the day from the day he got home from the war. And the Army sent him off to school when I had gotten to the point where I couldn’t travel, so I stayed with my parents till I had the baby.
There are two and a half years between baby 1 and baby two. There are sixteen months between baby two and baby three. I spent a lot of time pregnant. I had lived in three places in the year I was 23 (Kansas, Wisconsin, Georgia).
We’re still married and our kids are in their thirties.
AliceMagicChef@reddit
Remember: romance and love are just one part of your life—don’t let them take over your whole focus.
happycj@reddit
I just honestly sat and did the math and thought about it … and can genuinely say I have no idea what 23 was like. Can’t remember it at all.
Nonametousehere1@reddit
Oh God...I was a mess! Left one retail job for a job at a local theater calling people for subscription renewals. Went clubbing with friends, did what I wanted, when I wanted. Also found out about three years after that I had undiagnosed ADHD my whole life.
Now I'm 45 and all I can say is: you may be excited to be a mom and married in your 40s and 50s but the truth is: it doesn't happen for everyone. You can wait for the right man but sometimes, there just isn't one. And that's okay,too.
erilaz7@reddit
That was a pretty big year for me. I was managing shifts at a record store, and in the fall I entered grad school. Since I now had some disposable income, it was the first year I was able to see a lot of live music, including Sweet Children (and two more times that year after they changed their name to Green Day), Operation Ivy, Gwar, The Proclaimers, Pixies, The Who, The Cure, and the reunited Jefferson Airplane. I was also able to move out of a crappy rooming-house in Frat Row and into a great one-bedroom apartment in a nice neighborhood. It was also the year of the Loma Prieta Earthquake (which I felt) and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Informal-Face-1922@reddit
That was the age I was when I met the woman I married. I should have stayed home that night…she’s my ex-wife now.
Boom_Gate_Lady@reddit
You will never look as good as you do now. Enjoy it.
lastbeat-331@reddit
Until I was mid-40s I felt like I was 22 in my mind. Now at 51, I feel 30ish 😆
Fair-Wishbone-1190@reddit
Same at 53. I feel like I have the mind of a 30 year old or even a 25-year-old when I see kids that age I feel like I can talk to them relatively okay but then I realize I'm the old man of the group here and I'm sure they're looking at me like who is this old guy? But I don't want to be the old guy, I want to be 23 again.
VolupVeVa@reddit
I got married and had my first baby. Everyone said we were nuts doing it so young. Just celebrated 29 years married though.
The days were long but the years were short. Try to cultivate mindfulness, presence and patience.
supershinythings@reddit
Oh yes, 23. That was the year I was attacked.
That year changed me forever.
Apprehensive_Put4319@reddit
Enjoy being the age you are. Different stages of life bring both new joys/challenges/heartbreaks. You only get one ride don’t spend too much time wishing it away. I loved my 20s you get to really live for yourself. Its the only time in your life that really happens. My life now at 52 is first and foremost taking care of my family, which is a great purpose and i love to do. But I have no regrets about how I lived before I had kids and responsibilities so it helps make this stage if life enjoyable. At 23-28 was enjoying social life and working toward building a career. The only part i am nostalgic for is how I looked and how energetic and optimistic I was - and the variety, frequency and excitement of many sexual partners. Cant really have that at 50. So just do you and the rest will come soon enough. Like the Kenny Chesney song goes: Don’t Blink
Enjoy the ride!
fortyyearsthendeath@reddit
Nobody likes you when you’re 23
Existing-Hawk5204@reddit
And you still act like you’re in freshman year
giob1966@reddit
I decided what to do with my life when I was 23. Now almost 60.
FL_Hot@reddit
As a male, I obviously can’t comment on becoming a mom. At 23, I graduated college, was working a dead end (but fun) retail job, and had no plan for my future. I am the definition of a late bloomer, and I harbored a lot of anger due to no direction, a poor dating life, and more. My late 20s were okay, 30s were pretty good for a while, 40s were weird then turned into a ton of fun, and now that I’m in my 50s, everything from 2020 on has sucked. My career has been okay for the most part, but AI can change it in a second.
Make good decisions and your life will be great. Release anger. Exhale. Walk away from a bad marriage. Exhale. Have fun. Inhale.
CitizenChatt@reddit
Now you got me humming Bush's Machinehead
FL_Hot@reddit
Right on!
Britpop_Shoegazer@reddit
My first year of medical school. I almost quit. Glad I didn't.
Jeremyvh@reddit
I was a complete dipshit at 23 had a ton of fun and made a good amount of mistakes. I'm 54 now but wouldn't change any of it, it builds on who you become later - try not to make stupid mistakes but take your time and enjoy being 20 whatever for as long as you can....you'll be a lot older a lot sooner then you think.
jIdiosyncratic@reddit
I was 23 thirty years ago. Completely remember. Can't remember a single time I looked forward to or was excited to be in my 40s or 50s. Probably because there are mirrors. 30 was pretty difficult. The things you are looking forward to you definitely should but not really the age part. It's hard to deal with how people view you differently. Men may have it easier I guess.
cookiesandpunch@reddit
You're about to be in and go to sooooooo many weddings
LithiuMart@reddit
I was 23 in 1995 and I loved my 20s. My wages paid for two things - rent and nights out.
My weekends consisted of meeting up with a group of friends in the pub at dinnertime then socialising & drinking for the rest of the day. We'd visit each others houses then throw on some CDs or music videos with a couple of boxes of beer from the off licence. On very rare occasions we'd visit the local nightclub after scoring some whizz and dance the night away.
The song Just The One by The Levellers sums up my Saturdays perfectly.
4158264146@reddit
Lots of drugs and alcohol, making some bad decisions. I try not to think about life before 2011.
iwritesinsnotcomedy@reddit
I’ll be 50 on 4/20…….Shorty before turning 23 in 1999, I moved 300 miles from my hometown to the town I continue to live in today.
Alanis Morissette’s Thank U turned to static and was the final song I heard on my local radio station before I drove into adulthood. The hinterland between child and adult is full of the sweet ignorance of strength that allows one to leave without much of a plan, let alone a job or a compass.
My fiancé bought us tickets to see Third Eye Blind and Tonic in DC for my 23 birthday. It was probably the first time we bought concert tickets on-line instead of directly from a Ticketmaster in the back of a mall department store.
That summer, we went to so many weddings as our friends from college started to get married. We did things backwards and already had two kids. I was excited to take my oldest son to see Star Wars: The Phantom Menace that May.
I remember that fall was hyped with the fear that all our computers would crash because of not being able to computer switching from 99/00. It was probably the first time I understood how deep conspiracy theories and fear mongering were rooted in our society. While I was a bit concerned something was going to happen, it was not enough to keep me locked in my house on New Year’s Eve.
Rather, my fiancé and I visited my hometown, went to the theatre we met at years before, and drank a bottle of champagne on the steps as the world went from 99 to 00.
Leicester68@reddit
Cautious_Rain2129@reddit
Don't wish time away.
Princess_Jade1974@reddit
I moved to the town I’m currently living in, a town I swore I would never live in, I turn 52 this year.
Fair-Wishbone-1190@reddit
At 23 all I cared about was having enough money to go to the bars every night. This was in 1996. When the youth were more preoccupied with drinking than I think the kids of today are. Now they vape or smoke weed much more than we did imo. I honestly never imagined being alive past 50, which sounded like eons away. But now I'm 53 and quit drinking 15 years ago. Thank God. because I've lost four friends from liver cirrhosis of alcohol and I didn't want to be a statistic. I can't imagine what it's like to be 23 in this world right now but I will say, don't waste your youth. It flies by so fast. That I can't even believe I'm talking about that I'm 53.
Her_name--is_Mallory@reddit
Listen to this person 👆
Quirky_Commission_56@reddit
When I was 23 I was simultaneously taking care of three generations of my family by myself. Which is one of the reasons my body is a wreck now because pushing three grown adults who’s combined weight was well over 500 pounds not including the wheelchairs up ramps all day murdered my knees and my back.
Just-Huckleberry-000@reddit
I was a working mom with 1 year old twins. I was exhausted.
Acrobatic-World-6563@reddit
Have fun!! That's also what your 20s are for.
Practical-Owl-9358@reddit
Tuvok and thd audacity of this….human.
Acrobatic-World-6563@reddit
And I am still best friends wit 3 best friends from high school
Acrobatic-World-6563@reddit
I will be 50 this year. When I was 23 I got married. Still married to the same Man. In your 20s you learn a lot, make a lot of mistakes. But, you will learn from them.
West_Shirt5503@reddit
23 the last time I saw 23 was in 1923,lol, geez 23 that was 33 years ago for me back then I was partying nearly every weekend ,I had no care in the world ,NYC nightlife back in the day was great
eatzen13-what@reddit
You do you. Look forward to those ages because they legit awesome. But, in the mean time, be the age you are. It’s great to look forward but not to the detriment of where you are at the moment. And never feel defeated when some ‘milestone’ you’re supposed to reach doesn’t happen in your timeline.
WandaTrusslerBeauty@reddit
You WILL feel nostalgic for the freedom and carefree time you have now. I often think about how grateful I am that I got to spend my early twenties really fucking off and wasting time and enjoying myself. I’m not sure how possible that is nowadays but my advice is to make stupid choices now, be a dumbass, have so much fun. You’ll not regret it as long as you don’t lose yourself in it.
At 46 my life is wonderful but relatively so quiet and sedate and routine. I am so much happier now than I was then, but I’m also so glad I let myself have so many experiences when I was young enough to bounce back unscathed (relatively.)
CanadianExiled@reddit
I got married at 23, so obviously I was an imbecile.
Caloso89@reddit
Same. Absolutely disastrous.
ViewfromMyOfcWindow@reddit
I got married at 18, so I was so fucking stupid 🫤 😂
oldg17@reddit
It was an incredible time and yes, I miss not caring about things as much. I hope you have an amazing life - I did and still do!
OreoSpeedwaggon@reddit
I remember being 23. I spent a lot of time with my family and also did a lot of traveling. I was super active and walked all over places like New York, moved cities and transferred into a new college, and I met the woman that would eventually become my wife. I closed out the year with her as my official girlfriend and watched the world welcome in the year 2000 while standing in the heart of Times Square.
In the years since, I've lost my mother, my brother, my cousin, my only remaining grandparent, my father-in-law, my dog, along with much of my mobility and stamina, broke my leg pretty severely, gained and lost a lot of weight, had Covid three times, been laid off from 9 different jobs, and traded in my youthful optimism for cynicism and hopelessness. I would give anything to go back to being 23 again.
skwigi@reddit
Ugh, what a scrunched up little knot of anxiety I was at 23. So glad that's not me anymore! Would be nice to be as physically healthy as I was then, but I'll take my current state if it means I get the vastly improved mental health.
kingrat1@reddit
Same here, topped by the fact I moved across the country with none of my previous support network from a small city to a huge one - and was so anxious and tied up in myself I missed what a huge opportunity I'd had dropped in my lap in moving to LA. with no strings, debts, etc.
BindieBoo@reddit
Young, dumb and pregnant. I had a lot of growing up to do.
SuburbaniteMermaid@reddit
I had just given birth to my first baby a couple weeks before my 23rd birthday. It was an amazing and challenging year.
Zadyria_Gelm@reddit
My Grammy told me, when I was a 12yo, to enjoy my age and life. She told me not to try and grow up too fast, those days would come but the days now would be gone. She said not to long for 18, or 21, or 30, because I would get there faster than I thought. I think you need this advice, as it was maybe the best I ever got from anyone.
Enjoy what you have now - youth, freedom, and less responsibility, a body that works. Travel. Explore. Forget "bucket lists" - I'm too old and physically broken to do the things I wanted to, but didn't.
I wanted to see the pyramids, the colosseum, the acropolis, and Pompeii with my own eyes. Now I have a broken body that won't walk, and a Special Needs adult (she's 23yo) who requires 24/7 care. Even if I could walk, I couldn't leave her.
No one plans to have a Special Needs child. Life will throw you curveballs. Live now. Later will come.
BradfordGalt@reddit
I wish I had the same BMI and hairline that I had at 23, but you couldn't pay me a billion dollars to go back to that age. I'm 100x a better, happier person now at age 50, than at age 23.
RedditWidow@reddit
I had a lot of responsibility and I was dirt poor. I'd been living on my own and supporting myself since I was 18, because I left my abusive family as soon as I could. I worked full time and went to college full time, without student loans, but I had very little money left after rent and tuition. I would wander around and collect trash, bottles and cans, because I could take it to a recycling facility and they'd pay cash for it. That's usually how I got gas money. If I found good junk, I'd sell it at the local flea market for extra money.
I shopped in thrift stores for things I needed, like clothes and a pot to cook in, and ate very cheap food. I dated a lot of jerks and married someone I thought I could trust at 23, after I graduated college, but I was totally screwed over. He cheated on me, messed up my credit and got in trouble for scamming the IRS, so I divorced him. Can't say I'm nostalgic for that time in my life, no.
OldLifeguard-00@reddit
23 was fun. 1999 - we were on the verge of the dot com boom, really it had started and stuff was just starting to form. Money was flowing so freely back then. Lots of money was also spent on the Y2K issue and we were pretty terrified of what 1/1/00 would bring.
For me personally, I had just graduated college, in my first real job and was slowly starting to hate it. Moved to a big city, was getting used to city life which was different than how I grew up. Made new friends, new experiences …
In retro, I wish I had traveled more. I had so much freedom and flexibility and wish I took advantage of it.
Cinisajoy2@reddit
Let's see 23. Was in a relationship that was going nowhere. We should have just stayed friends. Surprise with complications pregnancy. Among other things
Andovars_Ghost@reddit
When I turned 23, I had just pinned on 1st Lieutenant and felt like I finally had a clue. The roller-coaster was just starting and the next several years were chaotic but fun. I fortunately made some good financial decisions around this time too and it set me up for a lot less worry later on. It also gave me more options when I left the Air Force. Enjoy this time in your life but keep your head on a swivel and don’t forget to take care of future you!
ChapterOk4000@reddit
Oh I remember 23. I had just finished grad school, was teaching high school, and going out to the techno clubs most nights. In many ways it seems like yesterday. I'm 59 now, so a whole lot has happened since. I feel like that person and who I am today are in many ways the same person (obviously) but also so different.
Each decade in life is a gift, and the one thing I know is that at 23 I had no idea what would eventually happen in my life. It's been a great ride so far, and still is!
platypusandpibble@reddit
Gawd. My life was miserable at 23. (Not going to bore you with the details.) Now, looking back I can see how far I’ve come. That is satisfying.
Lopsided_Orange_2177@reddit
Yes, I remember being 23 very fondly. Im 45 now but I am very nostalgic for that time period. But I'm closer to retirement now, and that's what every person dreams of. Getting to be free and have money to have fun. I'm going to retire at 50. I never saw myself doing that at 23.