Old people are the new underdogs
The knees. Th ee yesight. The inability to hear what you said le t al one remembe rit.
This aging thing is hard Nobo dy t o ldusw e ’d n eed. orthopedic shoe s,a “favorite” pharmacy o r th e help o fa1 6-year-o ldt o clip a grocery store coupon.
The world is already daunting and cruel enough, as illustrate d by Congressional bullying, th eK ate-spiracy theorists, mass shootings, wars and our inability to get a human o nth eo ther end o fthe phone.
B utf o r us olde rp eople, the added stress o fkn owing our expiration date is impending can make it overwhelming.
Our age make s us physically weake r,m ore vulnerable ,p erhaps more impatient, eve n as our emotional baggage gets h avier. eYoung
e r driv e rs whi z by on Interstate 355 in an apparent attempt to show off the ir d exterity and causing us to wonder why their cars don’t come with turn signals.
Younge r gr ocery shoppe rs g et annoye d wh en we stare dumbfounde dat the jars o fp eanut but even they can’t do the math on whether buying five jars to sav e 40 ce ntsisad eal.
We can’t read paper menus without phone flashlights. We can’t read online menus without zooming the te xt1 00%. And we no longer can eat a five-egg omele ty e td on’t want to take leftove rsh ome in a Styrofo amc ontainer that will outliv eo ur greatgreat grandchildren.
So, it takes us a minute t oo rder. We kno wy ou don’t have all day eve nifwe finally do.
We also kn o w it’s us, n o t you.
Are we confused ?You betcha .O ur g eneration went from framing souvenir concert ticke ts t o handing o ur c ellphone to some young cle rk b ehind a kiosk because th eB ruce Springsteen passes suddenly disappeare d fr om our “wallet” and the sho wis abo utt o begin.
Technology maybe makes lif ee asie rf o ry ou but it make sk eeping up harde rf o rus.
We grew up having faceto-face chats about everything from our late sth ealth repo rtt oe pisodes of “Law &O rder” to what side sto serve at Easter dinner. We he ld n ewspapers, clipped pape rc oupons and actually attende dr eal Tupperware parties — inp erson.
All this te xtm essaging with on efi nge r is exhausting. We still can’t te llifno response means you’re ina hurry o ry ou’re mad at us.
Boomers may be tough, having endure daf ew things during our day, but we’re also fragile.
Every singl eo n eo f us has l o st s o m eo n e d e ar . Ev e ry singl eo n eo f us has known trag e dy and s o rr o w Ev e ry
o. singleo n eof us kn ws our days are numbered.
And, yes, every singl eo n e o fusisabitsl ower than we use dt o be.
B uty o u kn ow what, in
our minds we’re still cool, we’re still relevant, we’re still capable.
We’re still the people who mainstreame dthe computer, gave you blue jeans Friday, made volunteering a thing, battle df or nonsmoking public buildings, g o t d o wn t Heads and P rinc oeTalking , and pr o m o t d pr sch oo l .
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B abyb mrsdidaltt o o mak life bette rf or everyone.e
Is it asking too much fo rth e world to be a little kinde rt o usasw e navigate QR code s,s oftware updates and life witho utc ertain
loved ones?
O ldasw e are ,w e still love conversation, card games and, yes, paper receipts.
Maybe we need a minute. Bette ry et, maybe we nee da movement.
Just like there was a movement 40 years ago to boo sts elf-esteem in children. Suddenly, everyone go tatr ophy. Sure ,it was ove rth e top but the campaign shed a discerning light on spanking, verbal abuse and the disciplining o fl earning disabilities — all things that made ab oomer childhood painful.
Boomers are also th people who bolsterede civil rights, women’s rights, veterans’ rights and measure st o protect victims o fd omestic violence. We she da compassionate light on special needs, poverty, th ee nvironment, marginalize dp opulations and acce ss t o college.
Not only that, we’re the people wh oe levated Star Wars, Doritos, TV, drivethrus, rock ’n’ roll, video games and Disney. You’re welcome.
We trie dt o make life better but, ye s,w e know there’s still lo tst o be done, starting with this epidemic of cruelty.
We’re passing the baton, young peopl e. B ut that doesn’t me anw e should be put o utt o pasture.
Youth may make you faster drivers, texters and shoppers, but life is n o ta race. Itisaj ourney. And thos eo fusn orth of 60 are nearing o ur d estinations.
We nee ds ome kindness to ge tth ere with dignity.
Becaus eo ne day, we’ll be gone and you’ll be right where we are now.