Yesterday’s post on aging got a lot of reaction from friends, mostly of my vintage. Clearly, the readership here skews old-er. That’s fine, though it would be nice to have some younger folks so we can hear their reactions to some issues, get their views and learn from each other.
Our age quadrant is not out to stymie any behind us – in fact, most folks I talk to really want to pass whatever wisdom they have “down” so it can be learned or at least considered because everyone has to make his/her own decisions in life. We just need as much information as possible to do that. And, when you’re old-er, you have gathered more life experience than those younger. Do the math.
From a career point of view, I think most of us (well, I’ll speak for myself) want to adjust our role in our work lives and want and need younger folks to take over. Trust me, there is no, “I don’t want anyone looking better than I am so don’t try to jump ahead of me” feeling here. Quite the opposite in fact. I get frustrated when we don’t bring folks along instead of, as in some work environments, tossing them in the pool with no water wings at all. We all needed – and still need -- help to get through each day, professionally and personally.
So, since I think I hit a nerve yesterday (feel free to tell me I'm mis-reading that), I’m hoping to write more about aging from a layman’s point of view (and I hope to have many, many years to do that!). Kind of that talk-out-loud- as-issues–arise thing to get other peoples’ reactions. As you, I’ve learned over my lifetime that others are always going through, or have gone through, the same experiences as I have. And it often helps (in fact, can’t think of a time it doesn’t) to talk about it.
In a blatant attempt to get more page views – but also to try to generate some inter-generational discussion – if the feeling moves you, ask some younger folks to read some of these posts and see if we can interest them in joining a conversation. No one loses in that endeavor.
What will those issues be? Maybe the anxiety of leaving one city and moving to another in retirement and all the changes that brings about (selling property, choosing what to keep and what to toss, changing your contact info on EVERYTHING, switching where you vote, worrying about money. Changing ALL your doctors and hoping you find ones as competent as you have now. Finding a barber nearly as good -- both at cutting hair and serving as a psychologist as the one you have.)Maybe health issues or just the adjustment in accepting you are RETIRING (Lord!) and how it affects us. Maybe, what do I do in retirement? I mean, when I retire, I plan to be young enough that I still will want to do things beyond (try to) lower my handicap, read more books, gaze at my navel (who wants to spend a lot of time staring at an old-er man's belly?) and figure out ways to avoid mowing the lawn. Maybe learn to cook. Or enjoy working in the yard (which I don’t now). Volunteer work, but volunteer for what? What will those things be? We can all use ideas.
I still will post about politics and current events (sometimes the sarcasm just has to have a release) and precise language (the frustration has to come out) and grandchildren (now and again) so be prepared. But, let’s talk about getting old-er and what that means in this day and age.
Our age quadrant is not out to stymie any behind us – in fact, most folks I talk to really want to pass whatever wisdom they have “down” so it can be learned or at least considered because everyone has to make his/her own decisions in life. We just need as much information as possible to do that. And, when you’re old-er, you have gathered more life experience than those younger. Do the math.
From a career point of view, I think most of us (well, I’ll speak for myself) want to adjust our role in our work lives and want and need younger folks to take over. Trust me, there is no, “I don’t want anyone looking better than I am so don’t try to jump ahead of me” feeling here. Quite the opposite in fact. I get frustrated when we don’t bring folks along instead of, as in some work environments, tossing them in the pool with no water wings at all. We all needed – and still need -- help to get through each day, professionally and personally.
So, since I think I hit a nerve yesterday (feel free to tell me I'm mis-reading that), I’m hoping to write more about aging from a layman’s point of view (and I hope to have many, many years to do that!). Kind of that talk-out-loud- as-issues–arise thing to get other peoples’ reactions. As you, I’ve learned over my lifetime that others are always going through, or have gone through, the same experiences as I have. And it often helps (in fact, can’t think of a time it doesn’t) to talk about it.
In a blatant attempt to get more page views – but also to try to generate some inter-generational discussion – if the feeling moves you, ask some younger folks to read some of these posts and see if we can interest them in joining a conversation. No one loses in that endeavor.
What will those issues be? Maybe the anxiety of leaving one city and moving to another in retirement and all the changes that brings about (selling property, choosing what to keep and what to toss, changing your contact info on EVERYTHING, switching where you vote, worrying about money. Changing ALL your doctors and hoping you find ones as competent as you have now. Finding a barber nearly as good -- both at cutting hair and serving as a psychologist as the one you have.)Maybe health issues or just the adjustment in accepting you are RETIRING (Lord!) and how it affects us. Maybe, what do I do in retirement? I mean, when I retire, I plan to be young enough that I still will want to do things beyond (try to) lower my handicap, read more books, gaze at my navel (who wants to spend a lot of time staring at an old-er man's belly?) and figure out ways to avoid mowing the lawn. Maybe learn to cook. Or enjoy working in the yard (which I don’t now). Volunteer work, but volunteer for what? What will those things be? We can all use ideas.
I still will post about politics and current events (sometimes the sarcasm just has to have a release) and precise language (the frustration has to come out) and grandchildren (now and again) so be prepared. But, let’s talk about getting old-er and what that means in this day and age.
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