Act your Age some say. Maybe not to my face but I can tell what they are thinking. I guess the gray hair and the beard garners some respect. Or, being just shy of AARP qualifications quiets the audible verbal explicative. I just dont know. I was born February 5, 1946 and entered the age of the Baby Boomer. No one knew at the time that we would be the largest population group to enter the millennium. We knew that we were now being faced with new policies and procedures because of the size of our group. Our class was the largest to graduate throughout my academic career. The USA has never experienced a population explosion such as this. We were the of Age of Aquarius, the water bearer, bringing new life to the world. We were the flower children and the Beatniks. We were rebellious and free loving spirits. We wanted to change the world and I guess we succeeded but not without consequences. We aged and with this beautiful aging our bodies have aged quicker than our mind will accept. Yes, we still rebel, but now instead of against the establishment (which in many cases we represent) it is against our own temple; ourselves. We can not tolerate the fact that we have difficulty doing the things that we could easily do before. Even though the Boomers have better health than any other generation before, the shear size magnitude of the group poses health related issues. Newer, larger and more technologically modern facilities must be built. This Boomer group is a gold mine to business who wants to supply goods and services for the profit potential. This is capitalism at its finest. Yes, we look good for our chronological age and we work hard trying to stay looking beautiful and being charming. We never knew how hard it could be to stay as healthy as our mind thinks we are. I have health issues mainly from the abuse that my younger body experienced. This usually means that with passing the half century mark in my life, I may think like a 25 year old but my body knows that it is twice that age. The easiest things that I could do 10 years ago are excruciatingly painful now. When I want to play with my grandchildren, pick them up and carry them I am faced with days of pain following. This is physical and mental pain; I want to play with them but I know that I will pay the price. I hope that my love for them will transcend and that they will appreciate Pop-Pop being with them and loving them. Act your Age Well, how can we do that? Our minds still feel that we are much younger than our bodies have been here on earth. We want to do the things that we remember we could do and many times we forget that our bodies just can't take that any more. One of the ways that we can experience youthfulness is by enjoying the thing that we can do. There may be talents that we had that we never allowed ourselves to explore. These talents have laid dormant. These talents can be a source of an untapped renaissance for the over 50 population. These gifts and talents will make us feel healthy, happier and stronger than ever before. I have completed by fourth quarter goals. Writing was one of the things that I have discovered while re-inventing myself after reaching 50. Setting goals and using my voice were some of the other gifts that I discovered. These are the things that get me going everyday. They charge me up and give me the enthusiasm to keep going. This eclectic list of Dreams and Goals has become my avocation to a lifetime of pleasure. The Boomers must learn to do things differently now but it does not mean that is must become sedentary. We are in the greatest time of our lives. We can make the next 50 years better than the first 50. Hopefully, any disability (I hate that word) that presents itself will only be a door opening to a new and fruitful endeavor. This is why I created my web site: www.90DayGoals.com Register or my FR*EE newsletter on site. |
