Too Little  and Maybe Too Late

    Walking up and down the aisles of the local grocery store can often be a learning experience. As I turned the corner and headed down the aisle in the pharmaceutical section, several folks had gathered as they looked over the display, trying to find the items they were looking for. Several appeared to be in the late 40s or early 50 year old range. Then I  heard it, the one comment that got my attention. “I wish someone had told me how hard it would be to grow old.” I paused for a moment, considering if I would respond or not, but opted to move on down the aisle and pick up the next item on my list. But the comment continued to haunt me for the next few minutes.

   By the time I got back to my car, I was punishing myself for not doing my job. And what was that job? That job is to share the best  learnings and lessons gained from growing older and passing them on to the next generations. But looking back as I sat in the front seat of my car, a car that for the most part could drive itself down the highway without my hands on the steering wheel, I thought about how the generation of baby boomers, of which I am part, had dropped the ball in passing on the lessons learned in life about growing older to the younger generation.  And what were some of those lessons we had learned?

   Maybe one of the best lessons could be to embrace change and adapt to new situations. Life today, and has for some time now, is constantly changing and we need to be flexible and open to new ideas and experiences. While we often feel safe and secure if we think about and remember past experiences and how we may have reacted or did not reacted to them, being able to face newer challenges and move forward is an important lesson to learn because the world is changing fast.

   Another lesson to learn is that of relationships and the importance of meaningful connections with others. Whether it be family members, folks at the office or the neighbor who lives next door. They can and sometimes will provide needed support or can enrich each of our daily lives.

   We are at a time in the developments around the world where health, both physical and mental, is taking on new and exciting learning opportunities. Many living in current societies will have the opportunity to live longer and healthier lives than those of previous generations. But they must learn to take care of themselves. Good health and well being does not come easy.  (My thought wanders back to the folks in the pharmacy aisle in the store.)

   One of the lessons that is vastly overlooked is acknowledging and appreciating the good things in our lives. Now sometimes that recognition is not something that we see right away and because of that delay we often forget to express our thanks or appreciation for something someone may have done for us. But gratitude and a gentle thank you now and then is always welcomed  and can be a key to building strong relations with others well as improving all of the aspects of one’s own personal life. Gratitude is something that can and needs to be shared and can add a lot of positives to a daily life, making you a more understanding and caring individual.

   There are all kinds of lessons and things we learn throughout life. But my thought here is not so much that we learn the lessons. The important piece is that what we learn needs to be passed on to future generations and right now I have some concern that we may have dropped the ball, so to speak.

   As boomers, our lifetime has been filled with many experiences that may have taught us many lessons about life and there will continue to be many  more. Our goal and the lessons we need to be teaching the new and younger generations, all with their own names for identification purposes is simple. How do we learn to cope with change because the world, its values and the ideas are rapidly changing and our current ability to embrace change and adapt to new situations has become a challenge. Hopefully, it is not to late and even though the boomer generation is becoming fewer in number each day, we still have a responsibility to teach what we have learned.

   Now as I buckle my seat and prepare to start the car, I cannot find my car  keys. But wait. All I need to do is put my foot on the brake pedal and push that little button on the dashboard and the engine starts. A classic case of embracing change? Maybe.