Getting older comes with its share of aches and wrinkles. But when we asked Axios Seattle readers what actually gets better with age, one answer came through loud and clear: perspective

Why it matters: Many readers said aging has brought unexpected gifts — from caring less about what others think to slowing down and appreciating the little things.

💚 Caring less what other people think

• Andrea B. said aging has helped her embrace imperfections: "I give myself so much more grace for 'imperfections' that I realize were never imperfect at all."
• "I no longer have angst over what other people think about me," Niamh N. said. "At the same time, I do care very much about how others are faring in these challenging times."
• "Being just fine with saying 'No,'" Darcy H. wrote.

🎯 Focusing on what matters

• "The realization that the only thing I have any control over is inside my own hula hoop," John H. wrote.
• At 76, Tom A. said one of the best parts of aging is "not having to explore, think or worry about what is 'trending.'"

🌄 Slowing down

• Jan D.'s advice was simple: "Stop and smell the flowers! And look up at the Mountain!"
• Susie M., who's nearly 81, said getting older has given her time to notice the birds at her feeder, deer wandering through the yard and "this brilliant, brutal, brief life we have."

😊 Choosing joy

• "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do!" Mamie A. wrote. "Then do cool stuff!"
• Don R. offered perhaps the simplest advice of all: "Keep busy and involved, but don't do anything that doesn't bring you joy. You've earned that."

America has a missing-middle problem — and this one is demographic.

Why it matters: The shrinking 45-64 population could leave fewer experienced adults to run institutions, mentor younger workers and care for the fast-growing population behind them.

By the numbers: The U.S. population ages 45-64 fell by 2.68 million from April 1, 2020, to July 1, 2025, according to new Census Bureau data.

• The South was the only region where the 45-64 population grew — barely — adding 18,749 people, or 0.1%.

State of play: Meanwhile, the 65-and-older population grew 16.2% nationally.

Zoom in: The 45-64 group isn't disappearing so much as aging up. Younger boomers are moving into retirement age, while older Gen Xers are filling in behind them.

The impact

🤖 Waymo has begun testing its new baby-blue Ojai robotaxi in Seattle, expanding the fleet ahead of its planned driverless ride-hailing launch. (GeekWire)

🧸 Magic Mouse Toys, a Pioneer Square fixture for nearly 50 years, has abruptly closed with no explanation. (KING 5)

💼 Salesforce is laying off 59 employees in Washington this fall as part of a broader workforce reduction. (MyNorthwest)

🛒 A Seattle proposal would prohibit large grocery chains from using personal data to tailor prices for individual shoppers. (KUOW)

Searches for gray hair salons and services have surged on Yelp, according to data shared with Axios.

Why it matters: America is getting older, and more people are embracing their grays rather than hiding them.

By the numbers: Yelp searches for salons offering gray blending — a coloring technique that uses highlights to incorporate gray strands — jumped 905% in 2025 from a year earlier.

What they're saying: Many people now want to "showcase" their grays, Valdez tells Axios.

• That's a big change. "It used to be like, 'Oh, you got one gray. Let's cover it."

Zoom in: Many of her clients are millennials and Gen Z with "just a little bit" of gray, so she uses highlights to brighten the strands around their face.

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Washington just began paying out long-term care benefits through WA Cares, testing one approach to one of America's biggest aging challenges.

Why it matters: An estimated 70% of Americans who reach age 65 will eventually need long-term care, but most aren't financially prepared.

What they're saying: "If the U.S. health care system is dysfunctional, then the long-term care situation is a complete and utter disaster," Penn medical ethics professor Zeke Emanuel and WA Cares Fund Director Ben Veghte wrote in a recent opinion piece.

• "With only the very poor or very rich having any way of paying for long-term care, that leaves the families of the broad middle class struggling," they added.

Between the lines: Long-term care isn't hospital treatment. It's help with daily tasks like bathing, dressing, feeding and managing medications.

By the numbers: The average 65-year-old will incur roughly $130,000 in long-term care costs.

• Only about 3% of Americans over 50 have long-term care insurance.

How it works: Washington workers who are enrolled in WA Cares pay 0.58% of each paycheck into the fund and can later qualify for up to $36,500 in lifetime long-term care benefits.

Reality check: That won't cover a full year of many types of care, but it's more public long-term care support than residents receive in any other state.

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