Less time or patience for people whom I don’t really care for. I used to just go along with the crowd of people doing an activity, whether i liked the people or activity or not. I was the cheerleader for every event. Now I just have no patience if I don’t love what they want to do. I’m no longer tolerant of crappy behavior (choosing and rechoosing tables at a restaurant; whining about celery or apples in dishes when it’s Thanksgiving and everyone in the Continental US there will be celery and apples in the food; and antisocial behavior in general. Ain’t no one got time for that any more. That’s for sure).
That all these years I thought I was a fiscal conservative, but I’m actually a fiscal liberal. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but I find myself agreeing with Jack Krugman, and wondering what has happened to me!
I’m also realizing that even though I can fake it pretty well, I am an introvert. I avoid much social contact, and sometimes though I feel like I’ve enjoyed it, I am exhausted afterwards.
The good is I have a lot more patience then I did when I was younger. The bad side of that patience is putting up with things I shouldn’t put up with, and that has fed into something I swore I never would do when I was younger, that when I got older I wouldn’t look back with regret at the paths that might have been…but as I have gotten older, I have.
**What have you discovered about yourself, good or bad, as you’ve aged? **
I discovered a few years ago that I no longer had significant amounts of hair on my head. At that point I started buzzing what was left of it.
I have also discovered that I am getting older.
On the Good side, I’ve discovered I have more energy than I did when I was almost anemic from menstruation. Menopause has been a great thing for me.
I am jealous @TatinG.
I’ve realized that I’ve done a lot of the things that my younger , so sure of right and wrong, self said it’d never do. The upside is that I’ve become less judgmental and more forgiving/understanding than I used to be. Out of necessity of course!
I’ve become more adventurous and aware of what I want to do. I’m much less passive and do not hesitate to express my feelings (which I learned were not a good/bad thing; they just are…). I have no tolerance for drama and chaos and can spot it a mile away.
@SouthFloridaMom9 it sounds like you may be dehydrated. My legs ache when I haven’t had enough water.
Bad: it’s clear to me at this point I’m never going to be perfect, or even close to it.
Good: I figured out (finally) it’s not necessary to be perfect, or even close to it.
I am really enjoying old age so far.
Or is it that others around you have become more right-leaning, while you stayed just where you were?
I found that I do have my own interests and opinions. That I do have a life separate from my children.
And although I love my children, my life does not revolve around them.
Edited to say that they are adults, out of college and launched. If you had asked me when they were about to go to college, I would have never thought that my life would not revolve around them.
I’ve found that I don’t like aging. 
Seriously, I’ve been surprised by how much the decline in my looks has affected me. And how that decline seemed to kick in all at once at age 50.
I’ve discovered that I’m really, really smart.
I’ve also discovered why all those years I didn’t think I was smart. My sister has always been a perfect student I have no idea how she did it, but she graduated from Stanford with a 3.98 GPA. At my recent HS reunion, I realized that all of my HS friends were doctors, or lawyers, or PhD academics, or other incredibly smart, accomplished people. I ran with a really smart crowd.
I’ve disclovered that I have the patience of a saint…
And that I like to be by myself.
That although I CAN work effectively in groups, I much prefer divvying up responsibilities and working by myself. I find it much more efficient and less irritating.
I don’t suffer fools well.
I prefer being a doer rather than being the public-facing frontman.
My expectations of others are often too high.
I’m good to have around in a crisis or emergency because I can think on my feet and take charge.
I dislike bullying behavior and when I witness it I am very protective of others in a way that might be construed as bullying the bully. Otherwise, I’m fairly passive by nature.
I guess all of those things can be good or bad depending on the circumstances and one’s perspective, but such is the yin-yang of life.
nottelling: I grew up with very glamorous grandmothers and great aunts, so old age was always kind of aspirational to me.
They also became exotic world travelers as widows. And they had beautiful homes and all the books one could imagine. From a very young age, old age looked pretty good to me.
They were all very healthy into their 90s. That certainly helped. One aunt lived a very elegant and glamorous life until 103. Lucky woman.
I find myself depressed because I have turned into a huge fat pig but I have no energy or motivation to do anything about it.
On the good side, I have discovered that the career I picked for myself over 30 years is one that I still enjoy and find intellectually stimulating and rewarding.
Three years ago today, I became the matriarch of my paternal family and that’s kind of interesting.
I have more patience for most things but, sadly, a lot less patience for my H.
@doschicos: I think we might have been twins separated at birth! 
@doschicos and @cameo43, maybe triplets separated at birth.
I discovered that I still remember (or can quickly refresh in my head) the stuff that I took in college 3 decades ago. It comes very handy. I became more patient and do not sweat the small stuff as much as I used to.