Boomer means many things. It could be a baby boom or..an explosion.
As I just turned 69, I choose an explosion.
The NY race for Congress, pitted two seniors against each other. Being a senior is cool. Being irrelevant or too comfortable in your job, is not.
Some people a decade or two older than me know when it’s time to stop driving. Some do not. It’s a difficult thing. Take something you learned at 16 and put it away.
Now, I take pride in the fact I may be the smartest person in Arizona. I have always felt that, and I know it’s true!!
And while I strive to be relevant, I also know when it’s time to hand it over to those with the zeal, the passion, the commitment I still feel, who can spend the next 25-30 years to make it work.
I plan to haunt my friends till I am 99, but if not, someone has to pick up the baton.
It is not about standing down: it’s about standing tall and this goes for my friends of a different faith, ideologies, and yes, political convictions. We do not have to agree. We have to respect.
There isn’t much respect these days. We are a country deeply divided. Some families don’t speak to each other. That really sucks but I’m not singing Cumbaya, though it is a catchy tune. I’m not singing it because there are so few willing to sing along, on the left and right. We don’t give people a chance. I try, often succeed, but sometimes fail.
There are those with their heads in the sand, those with their heads in the clouds, and those with their heads up their ass. Both sides. I call them the ‘bubble people.’
Before I lose my train of thought, we learn what we learn from nurture, not nature. We push what we believe in and that is how our kids and grandkids turn out.
I believe my generation challenged what we heard and made up our own minds. We learned it by reading, not responding to Instagram and Tik Tok. We boomers lived on what we thought was right, not what was popular.
However, I am hopeful of a generation that cares about global warming as much as we cared about Dow Chemical. A generation that has friends of color and faith while many of them had friends like us. It was a different time but one we vowed to move forward.
Evolution is cool. Regression is not.
We are at a crossroads. We can decide the path. Robert Frost said: ‘Two roads converged on a path, and I, took the road less traveled by.’
We are better. We can all be better and this boomer is ready to pass the baton. I’m here to share my experience, my convictions, my fears, and my hopes.
Let’s boom. Let’s explode. Let’s change the world.
Evolution! I'm delighted to use the men's bathroom now w/o reservation!
Well said, my friend. I for one, will not go silently into that good night. I applaud your willingness to tackle the tough topics and find common ground.