> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://rough-edges.ghost.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Older I Get, the More I Understand Why Old Men Sit Outside and Stare at Shit - URL: https://rough-edges.ghost.io/the-older-i-get-more-i-understand-why/ - Published: 2026-10-22T16:16:35.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-26T06:20:18.000Z - Description: When I was a kid, I used to think old men were some strange motherfuckers. You'd drive down some back road and there'd be some old bastard sitting in a lawn chair in front of his house. Just sitting there. Not doing a goddamn thing. - Author: Joe Durst - Tags: Joe's Observations, #blogger-archive, #Import 2026-10-26 03:50 When I was a kid, I used to think old men were some strange motherfuckers. You'd drive down some back road and there'd be some old bastard sitting in a lawn chair in front of his house. Just sitting there. Not doing a goddamn thing. Sometimes he'd have a cup of coffee. Sometimes a cigarette. Sometimes he'd just be sitting there in his underwear, looking like he hadn't given a shit about anybody's opinion since 1973. And he'd be staring at absolutely nothing. I'd wonder what the hell he was looking at. There wasn't a damn thing going on. No cars coming. No people walking by. Nothing but a couple trees and maybe a bird picking around in the dirt. I'd think, Jesus Christ, somebody get that man a hobby. Well, I'm getting older now. And I owe every one of those old bastards an apology. Because I'm starting to understand exactly what the fuck they were doing. They were enjoying not having to deal with anybody's bullshit. And I'm beginning to think they had life figured out better than the rest of us. ## I AIN'T GOTTA BE DOING SHIT See, when you're young, you think you've gotta be doing something every damn minute. Gotta work. Gotta make money. Gotta go somewhere. Gotta accomplish something. Even on your day off, some asshole wants to know what you've got planned. "Got any big plans for the weekend, Joe?" Yeah. I'm planning on not doing a goddamn thing. "Well, you ought to get out and do something!" Why? I just spent five days dealing with people who couldn't find their own assholes with both hands and a flashlight. Why the fuck would I want to go out looking for more of them? I'm perfectly happy right here. And that's something I never understood when I was younger. There's a certain kind of peace that comes from sitting outside and knowing you don't owe anybody a damn thing for the next twenty minutes. ## THEN THERE'S THIS GODDAMN SQUIRREL I was sitting on my back porch the other morning drinking coffee. No phone. No television. No music. Just me and a chair. And I was having a pretty damn good time. Then this squirrel comes running across the yard carrying something in his mouth. I don't know what the hell it was. Looked like a nut, but it might've been a piece of somebody's garbage. Anyway, this little son of a bitch runs up a tree, comes halfway back down, changes his mind, runs across the yard, climbs another tree, then disappears behind the shed. I sat there watching the whole damn thing. Probably five minutes. And when he disappeared, I actually caught myself wondering where the fuck he went. That's when it hit me. Jesus Christ. I've become one of those old men. I'm sitting outside drinking coffee and keeping tabs on a goddamn squirrel. Twenty years ago, I would've been out chasing women, drinking beer, or doing something stupid that was probably gonna cost me money. Now I'm sitting here wondering if that squirrel's coming back. And the fucked-up part? I was perfectly happy. ## I'VE STARTED INSPECTING SHIT TOO I've also noticed I'm starting to do something else old men do. I inspect shit that ain't none of my business. I'll be sitting outside and notice the neighbor's fence leaning a little. Now, I ain't getting up to fix it. Fuck that. It's his fence. But I'll study that son of a bitch for a good ten minutes. "That ain't gonna last." Then I'll take another drink of coffee. Might even shake my head a little. And that's it. I've done my part. I've identified the problem. I've assessed the situation. I've issued my professional opinion to absolutely nobody. My work here is finished. That's another thing about old men. They'll predict the failure of damn near anything. "That tree's gonna fall." "That roof ain't got another winter in it." "That boy's gonna tear the transmission out of that truck." And they'll say it with the confidence of a man who's personally spoken to God about the matter. No explanation. No further discussion. Just a statement. Then right back to staring at shit. And you know what? Half the time they're right. ## MOST BULLSHIT AIN'T WORTH GETTING UP FOR I think the reason old men get so good at sitting around doing nothing is because they've spent their whole lives doing everything. They've worked their asses off. Paid bills. Raised kids. Fixed things that broke. Fixed the same goddamn things again because somebody didn't listen the first time. They've dealt with bosses, customers, neighbors, relatives, and every other pain in the ass God saw fit to put on this earth. And eventually they reach a point where they realize something. Most of the bullshit ain't worth getting out of the chair for. Somebody's mad about something on Facebook? Fuck 'em. Somebody thinks you ought to be doing something productive? Fuck 'em too. Somebody wants to tell you what they think about the economy, the president, or how you're supposed to live your life? Jesus Christ. Go find somebody else. I'm watching a bird. And that bird hasn't asked me for a goddamn thing all morning. That's another thing I've come to appreciate about animals. A squirrel doesn't give a shit what you do for a living. A bird doesn't want to tell you about his divorce. And a deer walking through the yard isn't gonna ask if you can come over Saturday and help him move a refrigerator. They just mind their own damn business. People ought to try it sometime. ## THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DOING NOTHING AND ENJOYING YOURSELF Now, I ain't saying I'm ready to spend the rest of my life sitting on the porch scratching my balls and yelling at passing cars. I've still got plenty of work to do. But I'm starting to understand why some old fellas get downright pissed off when somebody interrupts them doing absolutely nothing. Because they ain't doing nothing. They're enjoying themselves. There's a difference. And after enough years of getting up before daylight, working until you're worn the fuck out, coming home to another pile of shit that needs your attention, and waking up the next morning to do it all over again, you start appreciating the little things. A decent cup of coffee. A comfortable chair. A little sunshine. Nobody hollering your name from inside the house. And maybe a squirrel acting like he's got a warrant out for his arrest. That's a pretty damn good morning as far as I'm concerned. So if you ever drive past my place and see me sitting out there staring across the yard, don't stop and ask if everything's alright. Everything's fine. I ain't lonely. I ain't depressed. I ain't having some kind of midlife crisis. I'm just sitting here minding my own goddamn business. You ought to try it. And while you're at it, take a look at that gutter on the house across the road. That son of a bitch is about to fall off. I've been watching it for three weeks. — Joe Durst ENJOY READING MY SHIT? BUY ME A DAMN BEER. I like writing this shit for y'all, but it takes time. If you got a laugh out of it and feel like throwing a couple bucks in my beer fund, I'd appreciate it. If not, hell, that's alright too. Glad you stopped by. [BUY JOE A BEER →](https://ko-fi.com/joedurst?ref=rough-edges.ghost.io) [JoeDurst.com](https://www.joedurst.com/?ref=rough-edges.ghost.io)