Showing posts with label demographics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label demographics. Show all posts

Friday, November 8, 2019

Posted on Wordpress

Alberta the Rockies :: a great read on travelling from Calgary to the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

via Alberta & the Rockies

The currency of clicks.

When I started online, 10 years ago, the small hum of a rumble beating the drums in the hip-filled early adopters of social media and, I’m guessing, earliest innovators and inventors of creating a hashtag conversation across the virtual universal tribe …

The pioneers of social media:

Those earliest members who learned from each other, supported everyone in the tribe,no boys club or girls locker room stuff.

#USguys on @Twitter
THE coolest gals & guys
who collective learned
the real value of social media
isnt measured by clicks

The support of having a tribe
encouraged many, to stretch beyond their dreams.

discovering their are no limits to using your imagination
trying something of value to you, something that clicks.

CLICKS are the ultimate value of what you bring forward, what stretches are you trying to climb?

Clicks are the greatest currency definitive value online

What do you bring forward that makes the world a better place, representative as Class President of those born in 1961: that was one of my earliest blog back before YUPPYdom, birthed after theINbeTWEENERS whom I attribute to be the true YUPPY demographic, my brethren are attracted to this psychographics oriented tribe who were the original HIPsters.

AWESOMEness!!  Right on ~ treat @LinkedIn as your promotional platform, brag about your personal achievements or professional ones — or even if it is about your children or dog or cat or horse or relative – tell stories in posts = REALLY smart to promote your company, especially if the post is shared BY THE CEO personally would carry a lot of weight and switch on the magnetic button he/she has in front of her.  To write on Linked In with posts, congratulating vendors, partners would be VERY smart.  You demonstrate that you have poise and polish in the C-suite.  

You also have a captive, target audience who can follow you, along with the trusted few you collaboratively connect with who will have articles with your name and your company’s name and float across the feed of your mutual followers, who congratulate or recognize their success.

Classier even more if you recognize a competitor – smooth operator metal detector magnet.

Have an ID on @Twitter +then link your LinkedIn to Twitter =every time you post something, share something it automatically tweets to Twitter. Neither Facebook nor Instagram have this setup with Linked In=why I default to Twitter>casting wide net gathering tribe that reflects vibe. optioneerjm.com 

My 2 cents weigh in & opinion

Bravo for McDonald’s for leading the way – preventing work romance, particularly when one involves a member of the leadership elite. Some consider that taking advantage of a subordinate. However, it has been going on for decades. Think Mad Men with millions of dollar at stake. What is incredible, is his goodbye package being so steep. Rewarding for bad behavior?

I saw similar turbulence at HP when it was on waves of CEO turnover changing directions every time, to Meg Whitman who is ever-present, engaged, talking and leading HP. Good thing, for HP, that she failed in an election attempt, and making her mark there.  Rubbing elbows with Trump is the only question I would have.

OCT 8 2019


Oct 7 2019

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Posted on Wordpress

A work I started: if a company can commercially make its mark, why can’t a women go to the moon? My guess, she’ll be a Millennial ~ get ur rockets thundering! Are we preparing now Canada?

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Sunday, September 30, 2018

Y U P P Y. O R. H I P S T E R ?

Look at the following images [original art by moi] and choose a) Yuppy or b) Hipster



























Trying to talk to your  Mellenial child has been a challenge:
incomprehensible language exchanges that end up frustration on both sides.  In fact, it could use its own Glossary, if not dictionary... to avoid confusion by either side or miscommunication that can escalate into squabbles.

I will attempt to help avoid unnecessary drama, compounded by stress of the “Holiday Season” [ in itself the word is meant to conjure the imagination recalling where the spirit nestles around you with a warmth only matched by blowing out your birthday candles bring] by offering my own perspective and advice or hints:

“Peace out” 


By the time I really got to numbers, demographics is my thing.  As a real Yuppy from the 80s, I doubt we were consciously trying to create a pop culture off the big wave off our elder siblings leaving a big wake.

Chongos 

I tried really hard to differentiate between “chongo” and “chatchies” [see: can’t even spell it].
Basically, they were the Junior High version of Yuppy or Hipster ... but there were still versions of 

Hoods or Greasers or Gangsters

That depends on what demographic you fall under.  However, could be more related by recognition and familiarity.  Otherwise considered influence >> that’s not the same word that moved from an adjective (description) to a noun (name or thing).

Today’s interpretation by Hipster Millennials of “influence” is considered an occupation [when you get paid] and, for some, more like a preoccupation [traps most conscious thoughts on one object or imagination].

Yuppy

You are a Yuppy if:

* you were born in the 1960s and hit your 20s in the 1980s [ the right age group]
* you were the original Hipsters [ you set a uniquely desirable style]
* you were told you could make change and be a game changer
* you were focussed on an education AND your career
* you believed that you were that Young Upperly Professional Personality and more
* you were the generation that created sayings like ME FIRST 
* you created the unique hairstyle “mullet” 
* you were raised by fear of authority, following rules, abiding the law and using your manners
* you were given a lot of freedom [be home by dark] 
* you understood what was expected of you: honesty, loyalty, going to school, using your manners, doing your chores and getting a job regardless of what it is 
* you are driven by the pursuit of money, prestige, recognition, award, reward and advancement 
* education was at the core of your knowledge while experience navigates to success, hard work was at the beginning and ending of all achievements 
* you shaved: period. [Regardless of age or gender]

Hipster 
* is proud of a beard
* the beard is symbolic and identifiable cultural fashion trend 
* your parents are likely Yuppies


To be continued..... 







Thursday, August 31, 2017

A lifetime love affair






Publishing indeed!  
I just adore magazines the same as the way I loved figure skating ... a quick bond and a lifetime love affair.  



August 2017 biggest accomplishment
As August 2017 comes crashing to an abrupt and disastrous halt.   I've taken in some quality movies and series, primarily from HBO. 





 Not surprising that HBO leads the pack (with Netflix nipping at their heels).  Not only was HBO an early disruption to network television, they also proved that there was a sophisticated, educated, and most likely upper income situated, who would flock to quality programs.

No, they didn't just become a reseller, they created content.  It is befitting that their great Game of Thrones is leading the buzz both online and in conversations, dinners, viewing events.




I had taken a sabbatical in life.  Withdrawing unto myself, with a deep reflection on the past.  Ironically, the highest KLOUT ranking than I'd had since KLOUT reinvented itself, causing a free fall of early adopter scores by at least 15 points.

Lucky for many, online marketers don't look at authenticity reinforcement like KLOUT or KRED scores.  That has something that has always puzzled me.  Particularly in Canada:  because these scores establish true influence, define audiences and decipher appeal of a profile.  Just log in with ideally your Twitter handle, then add your Facebook page, your PINTEREST boards and instaGRAMs etc. to connect everything together in one full swoop.

I received a personal email from one of my first real online connections, Mike Lehr, a couple of days ago and struggled with a response.



My greatest accomplishment
in August was achieving the highest mark on Solitaire from my computer.  Talk about mental shut down or just turning off my "give a damn meter" completely.

Granted, the highest mark in Klout Score for about 8 years is remarkable.  What is more amazing is I probably have spent a lot less time online.  

The beacon was there but my cloudy mood wasn't seeing it.  Sunglasses towards life.  Muted, darkened and cloaked in disguise.  Dwelling on the has beens, the should haves in the twilight of life.




Mike made mention of the tag leading him to the conclusion that I write a lot about those of us in our 50s and plus.  It is a fairly closed society I would admit, but not an exclusive one by any means.

Leading the helm being born in 1961:  when, according to either Boom, Bust & Echo or The Popcorn Report, it was the worst year thus far to have lived in.

I started reading about demographics in the early 80s .... I know, that time of YuppyDOM and YuppyHOOD - the stamp of coolness presented in the being you represented.




I admit to being a Yuppy of that era.  I admit to having puffed up bangs and during the week wearing a ladies suit attempting to clamber up the chain of career, not unlike the baby turtles climbing over each other to attempt to escape the pail in which they hatched from their shell.

I do write to so many of us that were born in the middle of bomb shelters and a United States invasion.  Nuclear war seemed eminent between the US and Russia.  The authors of those events, the greatest politicians the world had ever seen:  a storybook tale, among a loving family, loyal brotherhood, beautiful wife and charisma telling stories of hope, pride, and human-kindness to all people of all colors.

One of the few things that Mike said that made me think again:  whether my 50s have been a disappointment?  Uncanny, that love, friendship, life & family have been some of the best I've been lucky enough to have.   It has been the worst in my career in equal proportions.  That is a very frustrating circumstance to be in.  



You have the war stories, can regale heroic accomplishments, awards and rewards but somehow sucked into this hole that, like the turtles is hard to climb out of.

Depression and mental health issues must be alarming for anyone 50 or older.  Unlike your elder Baby Boomer siblings who have glided to the opposite spectrum of life:  Semi retired by 55, kids all university educated (without the debt load) because you were parented by those from the great depression era and had faced huge obstacles to get to the other side:  optimism, reward, recognition, service, loyalty, dedication, beliefs.

In similar fashion, and dipping into my fascination with numbers, I wonder how much financial foresight they had to have by when in order to fulfill many of us others wildest dreams.




Some of us got on a treadmill and forgot what gave us joy.  Too caught up on just making it through another day.  The pressures to not just keep up in the Yuppy attitude:  comparison and competition drive our segment.  Where our children have become entitled and tenacious.  Like Yuppies, Millennials know what is going on in their world:  the threats, the competition, the need for education, striving to get ahead in a very large age group.  

I'm lingering around the 1960s and older who are nipped at the edge of Baby Boomers who had all the best opportunities.  Waiting and learning, we had to observe, ask a lot of question, and act as a sponge, embracing lessons from others' failures, rapt with attention to their climb into iconic status:  Steve Jobs, Michael Jackson (watch it on HBO right now), who are admired and respected, after many years of disappointment, disillusion, accusations, failure.



Steve Jobs and Michael Jackson, the ones before us:  Baby Boomers, taught us valuable lessons and a common understanding:  the higher the achievement, the more likelihood of opposition, targeting, slander, dishonesty, suffering, monetary loss.  

Survival is key
Surviving is a critical characteristic we in our 50s share.  We've faced so many obstacles and had to start over more than once.  Or, had to rethink our own perspective and outlook.  Maybe change how we view the world, banishing bitterness to deep hole of the past.



Rebound, rejoice, rejuvinate
we have the energy to realize we still have a lot of youth in us along with knowledge accumulated by failure or lack of luck.  We've exercised our energy to levels that our technology dependent youngsters have become so reliant on, the likelihood of them being able to read a traditional clock, nondigital form, is rare.  We grew up with the basics, started with the basics, and able to conjure up some pretty cool answers to solving a lot of problems.



Once again, we're faced with much greater of forces of life:  no longer just war, struggle for power, and financial supremacy, today you have to worry about safety, violence, terror, corruption, like never before.

Conditioned as survivors
YUP! We Yuppies can set the tone, raise the bar, lead by example on life's greatest lessons.  In style, polished, educated, ethical and poised as our parents and grandparents instilled in us, not simply taught us.





Thursday, April 13, 2017

An empty nester ~ winning Lottery ~ Easter weekend kind

If either of us saw a picture of us right now, we may have decided against one of the best decisions of our life.

I knew that my conversation with my 82/year young mother would keep paying forward in my consciousnesses thoughts.  Interesting how she gave me a zinger that caught my attention big time!  She said that I seemed more caught up in the present, letting go of the past, and no longer fretting with what the future has in mind.

The Hunkster Hubster picked up some groceries, where we share the chores of putting together dinner.  A ritual of sorts for the empty nesting kind.  Except this is the Easter long weekend where we get to spend the whole weekend together.  That is not a big deal in our world.  Even though we both work full time, our hours are lopsided and inconsistent.  To have a four day weekend off at the same time is of the winning-Lottery kind.

For my husband to recognize it as a special occasion makes our goofy get-ups almost forgivable.  Certainly, for sure if no kids were to drop by.  Since that is highly unlikely these days, it is about making sun when the sun shines.

Like the bed pan I found at Goodwill yesterday for $12 at half-price because it was 50% Blue Tag day there.  I've been the luckiest on Blue Tag Day.  Maybe there is a system to group things together as they are being priced?  Now wouldn't that be amazing eh?

I've been reading a lot about Bitcoin from ages ago.  Wanting to extrapolate what the "experts" said back then:  optimistic or pessimistic or skeptical?  One may think that it would be an accurate portrayal of how things unfold online.  However, let's be realistic and recognize that anything that is held online is vulnerable.

Then again Carney (another secret crush, that is no longer a secret) says that it may actually work:  that Blockchain may work across financial and global boundaries.  That WOULD be revolutionary.

Yet even if Carney were to drive up in a Limousine towing a Guelia for me (you know that red commercial?  I'd insert here for a fee.

At some point as a blogger or writer you have to decide that what you write is worthwhile.  Putting the words out there with hopes that someone would really like what you're saying and *POOF* you're a Brand Ambassador!!  Perfecto.  Bellisimo Mon Ami!!

I've supported @SocialFave as it was a launchling and now picking up steam.  Its CEO, Philippe Trebault @MisterFavor and I became connected back when I started in 2010.  March 2010 as a matter of fact.  Linked In was my very first approach to social media.   This group of early adopters I met there are the most important kind.  Somehow, even as I am compelled to go to work to earn my keep, there are those that pop out in front of me when I'm online.  I'd have to say the few that immediately come to mind:

* Sandy Hubbard @sandyhubbard
* Joseph Ruiz @josephyruiz
* Dave Reynolds @therealdavereynolds

Those are the long-timers that were experimenting and discovering a really neat feature nestled among the nest of social media, which was just starting to take flight:  the #hashtag conversation.

We've now graduated to being able to carry on public conversations with remarkable people of every different, race, color and kind.  Joined by intellect, creative minds, gifted wordsmiths, artists, photographers.  Yet as the millions clamber on board, how many are really making money or doing it to pass the time?

I think the most superb thing about starting out 7 years ago, some names were really getting widespread recognition (think Sean Knight + JessicaN + a few more that are at the top in the media's mind ... like the CEO Benoit who became a mutual follower back then.




Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Make new friends, love the old




one is silver and the other GOLD
as I grow each older, the more appreciative I've become of so many wonderful experiences to be blessed with, never for a moment taking any of it for granted.

working one's self to the core 
doesn't do anyone favors (p.s. in Canadianese the American favors is favored by spell check, but we Canadians taught articulation in the late 60s and the early 70s were blessed with the very big gift of expression. ..... :: anywayyyyyyyyyyyyyys [an 80s term for those yuppies still out there, and the Millennial wannabes ::.... how things have evolved eh?

In the folds of being born of the 60s
like wallflowers to the Baby Boomers, we observed, we absorbed the best parts, we have held our composure, and now we are parents of the gift to our generation:  the gift of the Millennial Bloom.  

We're pretty lucky
even though if you paid attention to statistics and stereotypical behavior, those born in the 60s were pre-packaged to lean towards failure.  If you think stereo-typing is dangerous, especially to mental health, think of the resilience and tenacity of anyone you know, been lucky enough to have met, or heaven help you if you're an offspring.

A beacon of light
to the Millennials is their embrace of the 80s culture.  Is it because there is a soul connection of what those of us in our 20s in the 80s aligned with what our own Millennials are facing.

Where optimism can be restored
when you think of what great things, events, game-changers occurred in the 80s, introduced back then, every day now.  

Boxers who come out of the corner
jumping into the obstacle ahead, head of, crouched in readiness to take the offensive with hardly a sniffle and long before a drop of sweat.  That would define those who lived their 20s in the 80s.  

I graduated from college in the 80s
and it was a great platform to launch a career.  Not limited by the restrictive curriculum, more persevering to land beyond the world of conformity, censorship, polite manners, poise and abloom with everything is impossible, we may as well make the impossible possible.


I notice some really talented folks out there.  Some that mere names crossed paths with me.  What a crazy, crazy CRAZY time, when I think back to it.  With gurgling reflection caught and captured from my conversation with my mother this afternoon.

Being the parent of a Millennial
is a worrisome, full board, attentive preoccupation.  You revel is the brilliance shining from your child born, first in 1989, with the others to follow in the 90s.  

We're lucky so they are lucky
as well.  Like skipping stones across a glass-like lake or quietly lapping ocean shore.  We may have been born in inopportune times, faced some pretty insur-mountable odds.  What we share is that grasp of not expecting anything for free, without commitment, not always sacrifice [ often by choice ] understanding the basic rightful work ethic:  

* work hard
* work honestly
* work with integrity
* be known for your word without all the numerous
* be committed to quality
* whatever you do, do it with pride
* love who you do it with, who you're surrounded by
* do your best always, it always pays off in spades

A dog eat dog world 
began with the Baby Boomers with entitlement mastered by GenX.  Where those born of the 60s, grew in the 80s, parents of the Millennials >> skipped >> over the hay days and landed in the middle of the first recession since the 1929 stock market crash [ if you do not know anything about this historical event, pause this article and go find out about it .... as my commitment to you as a blogger, you read ] we had to survive.  Really not much opportunity to learn as funds dried up and kids had to go leave post-secondary because their was some sort of crisis in their lives, with their family, that took more important measure instead.

Learn from your elders
as much as you can.  No time will be wasted.  I can guarantee that!  Talking to my mother, with so many wise words shared.  I even said to her:  "I hope I remember all of this for when I write later".  The gift of her wisdom was shone brightly upon me, like a face of a flower blooming forward towards the sun.  

I was a sponge in the 80s
that was my greatest gift.  I only had a college diploma, not even a university degree.  It was enough to teach me discipline and that anything worthwhile doesn't come free, without commitment and stick-to-it-ness that is just emerging within the Millennial generation.  

Millennials have faced fear
reflected in their parents eyes.  A strong, tough upper lip, and a straight spine.  We weren't even considering weakness, with goals clearly defined in our line of vision.  

Dedication, optimism ~
contagiously positive attitudes were bestowed upon our offspring.  Whether they grasped those sprinkles of enlightenment and hung on to the best qualities we shared.

Nobody is perfect
and neither is anyone who defines themselves as a Yuppie.  [ Or admits in select company and trusted members ] Who wear it as an emblem of pride, saying "who cares?" if they still have enough hair left to grow a mullet, why not?

As the Millennials groan
and tsk tsk with embarrassment to their very influential peers.  What their peers think of them is more important than their parents, their boyfriend, or their employer slash / boss could ever dream.  A peer sets the benchmark and the height of the peddle stool they are awarded, acclaimed, worshiped or refrained.

Be still thine parental heart
it is just a mutation of your chromosomes, evolved and collided with nature and environment to form an independent being, an individual.  I know it is very hard.  Like a moth does to a butterfly without the loss of the moth, is the butterfly allowed to form.

Be glad, be proud and be boastful
toward anyone who'll listen.  Those are the ones you want to be around.  They can relate, or your words resonate with them.

Unlike my mom's words
this afternoon.  They were so wise, so enlightening ... almost as though I was leaving a cocoon.    While I'd been living these 55 years, I was enclosed in a small outlook, not looking far beyond to where flowers bloom and the sun's flower is warm with a gentle wind, with an iced tea at my elbow.  I'm careful I don't give it a nudge to topple it over as I tap, tap, tap with the rhythm of my 1979 typing class on an electric typewriter.  Graduating exceeding 120 clicks minutes  ::.... now WHAT was it called back in those days when we took our speed tests on a manual typewriter?  Hmmmm I think it was ... nope not characters per second, or any variation of the Times New Roman font that was the only letters to be had, to write a letter, draw up an agreement or a contract.  

Some of us grew up with carbon copy
yet how many know what that material is?  What it is like to try to avoid staining your fingers on the sticky substance on its back with a wrapping-paper thin or thinner-than-onion paper thin [ I'm sure Google can show you what either of those things are .... if not, Wikipedia for sure ].

This is a story for those 
who remember the glory of being a yuppie.  Bringing in the 80s as we all turned 20.  That is a pretty unique identifiable experience, a uniqueness we can own.  A significant contribution to our society came from our decade.  [ you may have to dig back to my other INBETWEENERs blog (before we evolved to be called "YUPPYDOM" ) mere weeks ago I wrote about those who graduated from the 1960s and became icons of our time.  Across borders, beliefs, colors, race or country, the class of the 1960s born are unique with much to boast about.

Keep steady on the present.
Slam the door or gently close the past.  Forget about the future because it isn't anything you can touch right now.  So you may as well be aware of the present and make every moment count!






where everything is impossible, 
we may as well make the 
impossible possible

~Jeannette Marshall


































Friday, December 16, 2016

The definition of insanity?

Illusional | Amy Cochrane | Flickr



So do you know this question::… 
what is the definition of insanity?


Have you ever heard the answer followed immediately thereafter?


Do you know the answer?


IT IS:  The definition of insanity:  doing things over and over again expecting different results.


To me, insanity has typically aligned with something else OR someone else.  



I’ve used the term fairly often as a sales managing coaching her reps.  I have been employed, up until now, in predominately male-dominated industries such as digital printing, document management, fleet management, office services, outsourcing, infrastructure project management.  To name a few too many I’m sure.  After all this time, until I placed fingers on a keyboard, alternating the right with a mouse, I discovered that the quote is attributed to Albert Einstein.  Huh!  I didn’t know that.  I do know that I seem to gravitate towards his quotes, more than any other singular person.  Followed closely by Mother Teresa:





Do you ever get to the level that you feel yourself physically tense up or completely let go and sob while you cry your eyes out?  You’re exceptionally lucky if you haven’t, or insane being so unrealistic or void of any reaction to anything.  Therein the definition resources sits “narcissism” nestled along with all the other deranged words like madness, lunacy and derangement.

Illusion Art by Rob Gonsalves illusion art …


Excuse me dictionary people.  I did take exception to “dementia” being thrown in, like any innocent victim thrown in with the lions.  I hardly think that a medical condition that surfaces with advanced aging can in any way say that the person is “insane”.  Forgetful, lost touch with reality, where everyone becomes a stranger.

What Is Dementia?

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dementia-symptoms-and-brain changes Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. Memory loss is an example. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia.
About Dementia
Symptoms
Causes 
Diagnosis
Treatments
Risk & Prevention

About dementia

Find out what how typical age-related memory loss compares to early signs of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
Learn the signs.

Dementia is not a specific disease. It’s an overall term that describes a wide range of symptomsassociated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases. Vascular dementia, which occurs after a stroke, is the second most common dementia type. But there are many other conditions that can cause symptoms of dementia, including some that are reversible, such as thyroid problems and vitamin deficiencies.
Dementia is often incorrectly referred to as “senility” or “senile dementia,” which reflects the formerly widespread but incorrect belief that serious mental decline is a normal part of aging.
Learn more: Common Types of DementiaWhat is Alzheimer’s?


Memory loss and other symptoms of dementia

Many people have memory loss issues — this does not mean they have Alzheimer’s or another dementia

There are many different causes of memory problems. If you or a loved one is experiencing troubling symptoms, visit a doctor to learn the reason. Some causes of dementia-like symptoms can be reversed.

Learn more: Visiting Your Doctor

While symptoms of dementia can vary greatly, at least two of the following core mental functions must be significantly impaired to be considered dementia:

  • Memory
  • Communication and language
  • Ability to focus and pay attention
  • Reasoning and judgment
  • Visual perception

People with dementia may have problems with short-term memory, keeping track of a purse or wallet, paying bills, planning and preparing meals, remembering appointments or traveling out of the neighborhood.
Many dementias are progressive, meaning symptoms start out slowly and gradually get worse. If you or a loved one is experiencing memory difficulties or other changes in thinking skills, don’t ignore them. See a doctor soon to determine the cause. Professional evaluation may detect a treatable condition. And even if symptoms suggest dementia, early diagnosis allows a person to get the maximum benefit from available treatments and provides an opportunity to volunteer for clinical trials or studies. It also provides time to plan for the future.
Learn more: 10 Warning SignsStages of Alzheimer’s 


Well that certainly throws curve balls at anyone over the age of 50, one can only imagine.  I think back to when I was in my 20s, if asked:  “what is your greatest fear?”  I may have answered:  fire or a tornadoe (living in the Province of southern Alberta, it isn’t something we often have to concern ourselves with, even though we have seen funnel clouds).


Once you hit your 50s you do a major inventory on your life.  Not anything like the mild TO DOs by the time you hit your 30s.  It is a massive awakening.  A self-reflection and a dreaded comparison.


Whatever the predictors are saying.  If they are saying that my generation (born in the 1960s) had a tougher life than my parents did.  They would be right.


If you look at building a graph on life benchmarks, there would be a really steady climb for baby boomers and war babies on a ladder of steps.


However, if you take the typical 1960s baby, there would be no steady, even flowed climb.  It would look more like something out of radical dips and arrows.


Nothing is predictable.  Yet we uphold the belief that our world will return to sanity once again.  There were so many things that one could take for granted at one time, that it seems so lucky when someone born in the era of optimism on the one hand destroyed by fear and pending possibility of war.   


Then you sail through the innocence in comparison of the times going through upheaval and major changes, that made such large registration on our radar.


We somehow hung on to our innocence during the corruption of the early 70s and disruptions caused by war.  In both scenarios, we were hardly old enough to typically have it in our sphere of influence yet we became intuitive to the moods of our elders, parents, teachers and any other authority figures we were polite, well mannered and respectful to.

About now, many of us into our 50s are wondering or writing or saying out loud:  “stop the insanity”.  Yet it continues to circle around us.  


We tend to be dissatisfied because of the infrequency of peaceful surroundings, vibes, events in our lives if I were to hazard to guess.  We seem to be more comfortable in chaos than in solitude or quietness.  


We strive for mindfulness, as in being only concerned with the present moment … and this moment … and this moment.  Failing miserably at avoiding the major pitfall of not looking at the future, never mind in the pit of continual worry about what tomorrow will bring.


A person can be warming their car up outside while they are putting the finishing touches on their thermos of dark roast french-pressed Italian coffee  and the telephone rings.  That isn’t really that unusual, just so different than when we were growing up.


People riding their 50s grew up at a time when there were minimal phones around.  I almost giggle when I recall, how great my parents were at installing our one central phone in the kitchen with an extra long cord so that we could sneak around the corner to have a “private conversation”.


My father, like many fathers, had a big important job and came home to a hot dinner with his family, who were waiting by the set table for his arrival home so we could eat (the peanut butter and jam sandwich when we got home at 3 o’clock didn’t seem to ever tide us over in satisfaction).  From that moment on, among dinner chatter with my 3 siblings and parents, the phone answering was always my dad.  


My dad would almost grin in pleasure when there was no answer.  He was happiest when he knew he had scared off any boys  calling for one of us girls.  If I wasn’t around and the phone was off its cradle, my sister Diana had a fondness for picking up the phone and taking the call as though it were me.  Where was I?  Waiting outside the door to the one bathroom in our house that six people shared for one of brothers to exit in a fume of normal bodily function that would seriously disarm and impair the next innocent victim of their own bladder.  We didn’t have bathroom fans.  


My dad would reign on the couch for the rest of the evening.  If we were allowed to go out past dark, when we returned home we were required to give our father a kiss on the cheek before retiring to bed.  He was able to swiftly take a whiff like a hound dog of our breath, on the ever-ready mode to pounce if we would (hardly) have been stupid enough to take a sip of alcohol on the way home or stumbling home from a party.  I can never reason, nor did I ever ask him (that, I do regret) HOW WILD was he growing up?  That time when he was growing up and young men were signing up to go to World War II.  He would have been too young, yet as soon as he turned 18, he did sign up.  I guess that was the influences he had.


We have to stop comparing our lives to our parents lives or how fortunate in some ways we seem to have had it than our own children do now.  


It wasn’t a question of affording to go to university as much as when.  There was no grand scheme of childhood education funds or anything much other than a good savings nest egg.


So why in our lives, in the age of 50 plus, are we striving so hard to have the same lives as our parents did when they were 50?  Possibly because we don’t nor can have the assumption that we will take our education and apply that good ole home loyalty to your employer mentality we were brought up with, to only have that loyalty reciprocated void without any guarantee that we won’t have a job for 30 or 40 years and receive a gold watch at your retirement party.


It wasn’t unusual in the infancy of my career even to attend a retirement get together to say farewell to the work well and best wishes to the mellow years to follow.  That seemed to be natural up until the end of the 90s it would seem.  Not that there aren’t any.  Its just that most of them are on movie sets and television shows.


So why do we long for that same peacefulness and steady flow that our parents enjoyed?  They would certainly point out effectively that they, too, had many challenges during their living years.  


It is time to stop the insanity and stand on our tippie toes and reach the farthest out to try to understand the tide we’re on, when it will slow down, or if we’ll ever make it to coasting.


This should be your statesman or woman years.  You’ve had your ups and downs and earned your stripes by now.  But we forget, that is not the sign of our times.  We have to stop trying to reach out, comparing ourselves to others or to whom we thought we would be by now and we have to avoid worrying about tomorrow.  Today and this minute is the only thing we can actively participate in and do anything about.  

Illusional | Amy Cochrane | Flickr





The reasoning would be that we are the only ones who are truly in control of our destiny.  If we fall into mental health issues, depression or are illusional that it will get different, a lottery win around the corner, is up to us.

in·san·i·ty
inˈsanədē/
noun
  1. the state of being seriously mentally ill; madness.
    “he suffered from bouts of insanity”
    synonyms: mental illness, madnessdementiaMore

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