Looking back on it, it’s amazing this country survived the year 1968.
Looking back on it, it’s no surprise the scars from that year still cut across the psyche of many people who lived through it.
Tom Brokaw’s documentary “1968” aired on The History Channel this past weekend. For those who somehow forgot the turbulence of that year, the television special brought back the divisiveness and volatility of those 12 months.
Consider the major events that happened in 1968. In just a single year.
In January, the North Vietnamese launched a major attack against U.S. forces. The Tet Offensive reached the walls of the American Embassy in Saigon.
In March, President Lyndon Johnson stunned the country by announcing he would not seek re-election.
In April, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was shot to death on the balcony of a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.
In June, Democratic presidential candidate Robert Kennedy was assassinated as he walked through the kitchen of a Los Angeles hotel, just hours after winning the California primary.
In August, Richard Nixon, who had lost the 1960 presidential election and the 1962 California governor’s race, was nominated as the Republican Party’s presidential candidate. A few weeks later, riots erupted outside the Democratic convention in Chicago as that party nominated Vice President Hubert Humphrey as its candidate.
In November, middle-class voters rebelled against the anti-war movement and what they considered the excesses of America's youth. The so-called “Silent Majority” elected Nixon by less than 1 percent of the vote.
In December, the crew of Apollo 8 made history when they circled the moon and returned home. It was the first time any human had seen the Earth from the moon’s perspective.
The year 1968 was a culmination of years of festering unrest. It exploded as the civil rights movement, the anti-war demonstrations, the women’s rights campaign and the Baby Boomer generation’s desire to be free and different all climaxed.
The revolution could be seen in all aspects of society, not just in politics. On television, the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and Laugh-In were breaking new ground. The musical “Hair” brought drugs and sex to the spotlight of Broadway. At the theaters, “Rosemary’s Baby” and “2001” provoked thought and controversy. Rock music reached a pinnacle as The Beatles “Hey Jude” and Iron Butterfly’s “In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida” led a parade of popular tunes. And at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave the Black Power salute while accepting their gold and bronze medals.
The year, however, centered on the Vietnam War. In 1968, 500,000 American soldiers were engaged in that conflict in Southeast Asia. That year, 16,500 U.S. troops would be killed in that foreign land. More than 16,000 soldiers dead. In one year.
The assassinations of King and Kennedy jolted an already reeling nation. Bitterness and anger surfaced in virtually every community.
I was just entering ninth grade that fall. I remember feeling the world was coming to an end. What could possibly happen next? How could we go on?
Fortunately, perhaps for almost everybody, that year was not repeated. Things slowly calmed down. By the time President Nixon resigned in 1974, a lot of the steam had dissipated from the engines that drove the forces of 1968.
A lot of things did come from that year. The military draft eventually ended. Pop culture permanently changed. Social programs such as day-care facilities and recycling centers sprung up. And certainly women and minorities have more rights now than they did then.
But even 40 years later, there are reverberations. There are still lingering feelings over the Vietnam War. The reckless use of drugs is now taking its toll on some Baby Boomers’ health. The shock of seeing political leaders gunned down still echoes in the back of many people’s minds.
I’m not sure our country has completely recovered from 1968. The Baby Boom generation bore the brunt of that violent and chaotic year.
Perhaps it’s time to put that year behind us, so we can look ahead to the years we have left.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
"Boomerang" At The Office
Baby Boomers are back.
After years of a youth movement in the employment market, it appears old is “in” as employers rethink their strategy of who to keep on the job and who to let go.
The numbers alone are forcing the issue and it’s the Baby Boom generation that is driving the equation. For starters, more than 40 million Baby Boomers are now past the age of 50. Every day, 8,000 Boomers turn 60.
We’re also an educated and motivated group that is not retiring at the same age our parents did. The Census Bureau estimates 70 percent of men and 58 percent of women between the ages of 55 and 64 are still working.
Part of the reason is money. The average lifespan in the United States has increased by 30 years since 1900. That’s a lot of extra post-career time. In fact, a century ago, the average retirement lasted two years. Now, it’s 20 years.
In addition, Baby Boomers are not the type to sit on the porch and rock away their golden years. A lot of us are learning retirement is overrated. Many Boomers enjoy their jobs and a lot of them get their identity from their work.
Add to this mix the divergent populations between generations.
The number of 55- to 64-year-olds in this country is expected to increase by 11 million by 2025. The number of people ages 25 to 54 will rise by only 5 million.
The math is obvious. There simply aren’t enough younger employees to fill the shoes of retiring older workers. It’s a trend the General Accounting Office says is creating a “skills gap” in the workplace.
Executives have noticed. They can see that if Baby Boomers retired in bulk the next decade, there would be gaping holes in their employee ranks.
So, how are companies enticing us to stick around a little longer? There are several popular alternatives, none of which involve paying older workers significantly more money.
Experts say Baby Boomers are looking for flexibility in their jobs. That can include part-time hours, seasonal work or telecommuting.
Boomers are also looking for something meaningful and perhaps even something different in their jobs. A new aspect to their profession or perhaps a new career altogether.
Now, this isn’t true in all industries. The hi-tech sector still feels youth is king as does the media industry.
Nonetheless, enough companies are eyeing their seasoned employees as their short-term saviors to give our generation a definite advantage in the coming years.
Yes, it appears the ball has bounced back into the Baby Boomers’ court. Company executives, it seems, need to show an interest in their older employees and treat them as if they’re valuable.
So, Baby Boomers look around. Decide what you’d like to do the next 10 to 15 years. Depending on your situation, you might just be in a position to negotiate.
For, the new power color at work might not yellow purple. It could be gray.
After years of a youth movement in the employment market, it appears old is “in” as employers rethink their strategy of who to keep on the job and who to let go.
The numbers alone are forcing the issue and it’s the Baby Boom generation that is driving the equation. For starters, more than 40 million Baby Boomers are now past the age of 50. Every day, 8,000 Boomers turn 60.
We’re also an educated and motivated group that is not retiring at the same age our parents did. The Census Bureau estimates 70 percent of men and 58 percent of women between the ages of 55 and 64 are still working.
Part of the reason is money. The average lifespan in the United States has increased by 30 years since 1900. That’s a lot of extra post-career time. In fact, a century ago, the average retirement lasted two years. Now, it’s 20 years.
In addition, Baby Boomers are not the type to sit on the porch and rock away their golden years. A lot of us are learning retirement is overrated. Many Boomers enjoy their jobs and a lot of them get their identity from their work.
Add to this mix the divergent populations between generations.
The number of 55- to 64-year-olds in this country is expected to increase by 11 million by 2025. The number of people ages 25 to 54 will rise by only 5 million.
The math is obvious. There simply aren’t enough younger employees to fill the shoes of retiring older workers. It’s a trend the General Accounting Office says is creating a “skills gap” in the workplace.
Executives have noticed. They can see that if Baby Boomers retired in bulk the next decade, there would be gaping holes in their employee ranks.
So, how are companies enticing us to stick around a little longer? There are several popular alternatives, none of which involve paying older workers significantly more money.
Experts say Baby Boomers are looking for flexibility in their jobs. That can include part-time hours, seasonal work or telecommuting.
Boomers are also looking for something meaningful and perhaps even something different in their jobs. A new aspect to their profession or perhaps a new career altogether.
Now, this isn’t true in all industries. The hi-tech sector still feels youth is king as does the media industry.
Nonetheless, enough companies are eyeing their seasoned employees as their short-term saviors to give our generation a definite advantage in the coming years.
Yes, it appears the ball has bounced back into the Baby Boomers’ court. Company executives, it seems, need to show an interest in their older employees and treat them as if they’re valuable.
So, Baby Boomers look around. Decide what you’d like to do the next 10 to 15 years. Depending on your situation, you might just be in a position to negotiate.
For, the new power color at work might not yellow purple. It could be gray.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
All In The Family
Thanksgiving today is a time to focus on family, food and football. It wasn’t always that way.
Originally, Thanksgiving was a harvest festival, a time to give thanks for that year’s bounty of crops.
The Pilgrims gathered in Plymouth, Massachusetts, for their first Thanksgiving in 1621. A year earlier, a cold, dreadful winter had killed half the members of their colony. That following fall, however, the colonists had a robust corn harvest and they celebrated with a three-day festival in which they cooked ducks, geese and turkeys.
The tradition of Thanksgiving spread throughout the states over the next century and a half. In 1789, President George Washington declared Nov. 26 to be Thanksgiving Day. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln designated the final Thursday in November as “a day of thanksgiving and praise.” Finally, in 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt set Thanksgiving Day as the fourth Thursday in November. His reason? To give the nation’s merchants one extra week of holiday shopping season.
Over the decades, Thanksgiving has evolved into not only a day to give thanks but one to celebrate family. Relatives gather on this day. The smell of roast turkey wafts from the kitchen. The football gets tossed in the back yard. It’s a healthy, heartwarming tradition.
On Thanksgiving Day 2007, this might also be a good time to assess the status of family in the United States. I’m afraid the picture isn’t necessarily a rosy one.
The web site, “divorcemagazine.com,” has produced some poignant statistics compiled from the U.S. Census Bureau and other government agencies. It does report the divorce rate in the United States dropped to 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2005, the lowest since 1970. However, that low rate appears to be a consequence of fewer people getting married.
The on-line magazine reports 59 percent of the U.S. population is married, down from 62 percent in 1990 and 72 percent in 1970. Only 52 percent of marriages make it to their 15th anniversary. The magazine also reports 10 percent of the population is now divorced, up from 8 percent in 1990 and 6 percent in 1980.
Perhaps more startling, only 63 percent of children in the United States now grow up with both biological parents. That’s the lowest rate in the Western world. What happens to the kids who aren’t raised under the traditional household? The magazine reports that fatherless homes account for 85 percent of kids with behavioral problems, 71 percent of high school dropouts and 85 percent of youths who are behind bars.
Obviously, this is no small problem. It is a plague that is infecting virtually every segment of our society.
However, the situation is not irreversible. Baby Boomers can certainly help alter this course, if they are willing to step up. We’ve done a lot of good things in our lifetime, but unfortunately marriage isn’t one of them. Our generation’s divorce rate is around 33 percent, twice our parents’ generation. We are a prime reason almost half the marriages in our country end up in divorce.
It’s time to make amends. Strengthening the family circle can be our generation’s shining achievements.
There are many ways to accomplish this. First, for those still raising families, put time and effort into this responsibility. Help your children with their homework. Attend their after-school or weekend events. Make sure the family has dinner together. All sitting at the same table at the same time, with the television turned off. Ask them how their day went. What they learned.
Nothing should be higher on your priority list than your spouse and your children. Give them attention, give them love, give them roots, then give them wings. Children who are raised properly make better citizens, pure and simple.
Once you’ve sent your offspring into the world, your job is not done. Even when your children get married and have children of their own, you are still their parents. They still need your guidance, probably as much as young adults as they did when they were teen-agers.
If at all possible, live close to your children as well as other relatives. Re-create extended families, like in the colonial days. Establish a loving, supportive village for your sons, daughters, nieces, nephews and grandchildren.
There’s no time to waste on this goal. Let’s use this Thanksgiving to recommit ourselves to the idea of family. Do what you can to bolster the bonds within your circle.
This Thanksgiving and every fourth Thursday of November.
Originally, Thanksgiving was a harvest festival, a time to give thanks for that year’s bounty of crops.
The Pilgrims gathered in Plymouth, Massachusetts, for their first Thanksgiving in 1621. A year earlier, a cold, dreadful winter had killed half the members of their colony. That following fall, however, the colonists had a robust corn harvest and they celebrated with a three-day festival in which they cooked ducks, geese and turkeys.
The tradition of Thanksgiving spread throughout the states over the next century and a half. In 1789, President George Washington declared Nov. 26 to be Thanksgiving Day. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln designated the final Thursday in November as “a day of thanksgiving and praise.” Finally, in 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt set Thanksgiving Day as the fourth Thursday in November. His reason? To give the nation’s merchants one extra week of holiday shopping season.
Over the decades, Thanksgiving has evolved into not only a day to give thanks but one to celebrate family. Relatives gather on this day. The smell of roast turkey wafts from the kitchen. The football gets tossed in the back yard. It’s a healthy, heartwarming tradition.
On Thanksgiving Day 2007, this might also be a good time to assess the status of family in the United States. I’m afraid the picture isn’t necessarily a rosy one.
The web site, “divorcemagazine.com,” has produced some poignant statistics compiled from the U.S. Census Bureau and other government agencies. It does report the divorce rate in the United States dropped to 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2005, the lowest since 1970. However, that low rate appears to be a consequence of fewer people getting married.
The on-line magazine reports 59 percent of the U.S. population is married, down from 62 percent in 1990 and 72 percent in 1970. Only 52 percent of marriages make it to their 15th anniversary. The magazine also reports 10 percent of the population is now divorced, up from 8 percent in 1990 and 6 percent in 1980.
Perhaps more startling, only 63 percent of children in the United States now grow up with both biological parents. That’s the lowest rate in the Western world. What happens to the kids who aren’t raised under the traditional household? The magazine reports that fatherless homes account for 85 percent of kids with behavioral problems, 71 percent of high school dropouts and 85 percent of youths who are behind bars.
Obviously, this is no small problem. It is a plague that is infecting virtually every segment of our society.
However, the situation is not irreversible. Baby Boomers can certainly help alter this course, if they are willing to step up. We’ve done a lot of good things in our lifetime, but unfortunately marriage isn’t one of them. Our generation’s divorce rate is around 33 percent, twice our parents’ generation. We are a prime reason almost half the marriages in our country end up in divorce.
It’s time to make amends. Strengthening the family circle can be our generation’s shining achievements.
There are many ways to accomplish this. First, for those still raising families, put time and effort into this responsibility. Help your children with their homework. Attend their after-school or weekend events. Make sure the family has dinner together. All sitting at the same table at the same time, with the television turned off. Ask them how their day went. What they learned.
Nothing should be higher on your priority list than your spouse and your children. Give them attention, give them love, give them roots, then give them wings. Children who are raised properly make better citizens, pure and simple.
Once you’ve sent your offspring into the world, your job is not done. Even when your children get married and have children of their own, you are still their parents. They still need your guidance, probably as much as young adults as they did when they were teen-agers.
If at all possible, live close to your children as well as other relatives. Re-create extended families, like in the colonial days. Establish a loving, supportive village for your sons, daughters, nieces, nephews and grandchildren.
There’s no time to waste on this goal. Let’s use this Thanksgiving to recommit ourselves to the idea of family. Do what you can to bolster the bonds within your circle.
This Thanksgiving and every fourth Thursday of November.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Let's Move On
What we now know as Veterans Day began on Nov. 11, 1918. That’s when Allied countries and Germany signed an armistice to end World War One.
In 1926, Congress designated November 11th as “Armistice Day.” The date became an official federal holiday in 1938.
In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed legislation that changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day. It’s a day when we honor all our country’s veterans. Those who served in war and those who didn’t. Those who died on the battlefield and those who survived.
As Veterans Day 2007 fades into the past, perhaps this is a time where our nation – and in particular Baby Boomers – can do all veterans a favor and put the Vietnam War behind us.
The war has fractured our generation for 40 years now. And not without reason. This was no small combat mission.
Our country was involved in Vietnam for more than a decade beginning with President John Kennedy’s initial wave of advisors sent to that southeast Asian country in the early 1960s. President Lyndon Johnson escalated our involvement in the mid-1960s. President Richard Nixon unleashed bombing raids in the late 1960s and early 1970s before eventually signing a peace treaty in 1973.
At its height, 540,000 Americans were engaged in that war. More than 58,000 of them died. Most were Baby Boomers in their late teens and early 20s.
Unlike today, there was a military draft, which meant virtually any young man could be called upon to risk his life in Southeast Asia.
Television fanned the flames even furthur. The war was covered on the nightly news. During the 1960s, virtually every home in the United States witnessed the war on their t-v screen. In full view were bodies lying in fields and flag-draped caskets rolling out of the cargo compartments of planes.
There was one final, fiery ingredient. Before 1972, the voting age in the United States was 21. That meant every 18-year-old, 19-year-old and 20-year-old being drafted didn’t have the right to choose the leaders who were sending them to war. It was 1960s equivalent of taxation without representation.
The war was a lightning bolt that cracked our nation into sectors. On one side were those who supported the war. On the other were those who opposed it. The generation that fought in World War Two couldn’t understand the younger generation’s reluctance to fight in a war against Communism in a foreign land. Many Baby Boomers were outraged we’d be asked to sacrifice our lives in a conflict that didn’t directly affect our nation.
The war also split our generation. It divided those who went overseas to fight against those of us who remained at home. The soldiers who wearily returned from battle were, in many instances, treated as traitors who were aiding and abetting our leaders instead of young men and women who were simply a cog in a large war machine.
The rift didn’t end with the conclusion of the war. It has lingered for the 35 years since the peace accord. Former soldiers still feel bitter about the way they were treated after risking their lives. Those against the war still feel it was an unjust crusade that needlessly killed tens of thousands of their generation.
The Vietnam War has surfaced in the past four presidential campaigns. Bill Clinton’s avoidance of the draft was brought up both in 1992 and 1996. Al Gore’s service in Vietnam and George W. Bush’s stint in the Air National Guard were campaign issues in 2000. John Kerry’s duties on boat patrol in the Mekong Delta were a crucial part of the 2004 election.
The war still haunts people on an individual basis. Vietnam veterans complain about flashbacks and guilt from their tours. It’s estimated 25 percent of the nation’s homeless are war veterans, the majority of them from the Vietnam era.
This is not a minor problem either. There are 8 million Vietnam veterans in this country. That’s about a third of the military veterans still alive.
So, as the book closes on Veterans Day 2007, it might be a good time to put an end to four decades of divisiveness. Enough is enough. Let’s lose the anger.
The younger generations are tired of hearing us talk about Vietnam and the ongoing dialogue about the war is preventing Baby Boomers from healing the scars from that period and putting the issue behind us once and for all.
The people who fought in Vietnam did what they thought was the right thing. The people who protested against it did what they thought was proper. End of story.
We shouldn’t necessarily forget, but we can certainly forgive.
In 1926, Congress designated November 11th as “Armistice Day.” The date became an official federal holiday in 1938.
In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed legislation that changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day. It’s a day when we honor all our country’s veterans. Those who served in war and those who didn’t. Those who died on the battlefield and those who survived.
As Veterans Day 2007 fades into the past, perhaps this is a time where our nation – and in particular Baby Boomers – can do all veterans a favor and put the Vietnam War behind us.
The war has fractured our generation for 40 years now. And not without reason. This was no small combat mission.
Our country was involved in Vietnam for more than a decade beginning with President John Kennedy’s initial wave of advisors sent to that southeast Asian country in the early 1960s. President Lyndon Johnson escalated our involvement in the mid-1960s. President Richard Nixon unleashed bombing raids in the late 1960s and early 1970s before eventually signing a peace treaty in 1973.
At its height, 540,000 Americans were engaged in that war. More than 58,000 of them died. Most were Baby Boomers in their late teens and early 20s.
Unlike today, there was a military draft, which meant virtually any young man could be called upon to risk his life in Southeast Asia.
Television fanned the flames even furthur. The war was covered on the nightly news. During the 1960s, virtually every home in the United States witnessed the war on their t-v screen. In full view were bodies lying in fields and flag-draped caskets rolling out of the cargo compartments of planes.
There was one final, fiery ingredient. Before 1972, the voting age in the United States was 21. That meant every 18-year-old, 19-year-old and 20-year-old being drafted didn’t have the right to choose the leaders who were sending them to war. It was 1960s equivalent of taxation without representation.
The war was a lightning bolt that cracked our nation into sectors. On one side were those who supported the war. On the other were those who opposed it. The generation that fought in World War Two couldn’t understand the younger generation’s reluctance to fight in a war against Communism in a foreign land. Many Baby Boomers were outraged we’d be asked to sacrifice our lives in a conflict that didn’t directly affect our nation.
The war also split our generation. It divided those who went overseas to fight against those of us who remained at home. The soldiers who wearily returned from battle were, in many instances, treated as traitors who were aiding and abetting our leaders instead of young men and women who were simply a cog in a large war machine.
The rift didn’t end with the conclusion of the war. It has lingered for the 35 years since the peace accord. Former soldiers still feel bitter about the way they were treated after risking their lives. Those against the war still feel it was an unjust crusade that needlessly killed tens of thousands of their generation.
The Vietnam War has surfaced in the past four presidential campaigns. Bill Clinton’s avoidance of the draft was brought up both in 1992 and 1996. Al Gore’s service in Vietnam and George W. Bush’s stint in the Air National Guard were campaign issues in 2000. John Kerry’s duties on boat patrol in the Mekong Delta were a crucial part of the 2004 election.
The war still haunts people on an individual basis. Vietnam veterans complain about flashbacks and guilt from their tours. It’s estimated 25 percent of the nation’s homeless are war veterans, the majority of them from the Vietnam era.
This is not a minor problem either. There are 8 million Vietnam veterans in this country. That’s about a third of the military veterans still alive.
So, as the book closes on Veterans Day 2007, it might be a good time to put an end to four decades of divisiveness. Enough is enough. Let’s lose the anger.
The younger generations are tired of hearing us talk about Vietnam and the ongoing dialogue about the war is preventing Baby Boomers from healing the scars from that period and putting the issue behind us once and for all.
The people who fought in Vietnam did what they thought was the right thing. The people who protested against it did what they thought was proper. End of story.
We shouldn’t necessarily forget, but we can certainly forgive.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Shape It Up
The scale at the fitness center doesn’t lie.
I stepped on it this week as I do the first Monday of every month. Thirty days ago, I weighed in at 208 pounds, the lowest I’ve been in at least a decade.
Today, after four and a half weeks of working out pretty hard and denying myself beer, candy and most carbohydrates, I was hoping for a reward.
I took off my shoes and placed my feet on the pad. I pushed the large bar to 200, then nudged the smaller bar to the right. It slid past 205… 206… 207… before settling once again at 208.
A stalemate. A “push” in Black Jack. A lot ventured. Nothing gained. But nothing lost either.
Keep in mind, I’m 6-foot-3, so for the age of 53, my 208 isn’t bad. In fact, I’m in decent shape for a grandfather. Probably the best condition I’ve been in since I was in my late 30s.
However, that lack of downward movement on the scale was a prominent reminder of the challenge of losing weight as one gets older. Baby Boomers are finding this out in a heavy way.
The youngest of the Baby Boomers is now 43. The oldest is 61. More than half of us have seen 50 come and go. And we are not in good shape.
A study early this year concluded Baby Boomers are in worse physical condition than their parents were at the same age. Quite a shock to the generation that was weaned on President Kennedy’s Council on Physical Fitness.
Unfortunately, it’s not just us. Our entire country is suffering from a health crisis. It’s estimated 127 million Americans are overweight. That adds up to 64 percent of adults over the age of 20. Those statistics have prompted the American Medical Association to list obesity as the “second leading cause of preventable death” in the United States.
It’s not just the grown-ups, either. Today’s children are heavier and more lethargic than any generation in our nation’s history. The American Academy of Pediatrics says childhood obesity is “a serious health concern” that has “reached epidemic proportions.” It’s estimated 15 percent of America’s children are overweight. The percentage of toddlers and preschoolers in that category has doubled since 1980. The percentage of schoolchildren who are overweight has tripled the past 25 years. That has led some experts to predict the children of the early 21st century will be the first generation in recorded history to have a shorter average lifespan than their parents.
Baby Boomers, we need to lead a charge here. Let’s get off the couch, stop “supersizing” our lunch meals and hit the track and the trail. We need to improve our physical conditioning, not only for ourselves but as a healthy example for the rest of the country. It’s a worthy cause, but it is not an easy task.
The body starts to deteriorate when most people hit their mid-30s. That downhill trend rapidly picks up speed when a person passes the half-century mark. In case you haven’t noticed, your metabolism suffers a serious slowdown after the age of 45. And it doesn’t stop there.
As people get older, they suffer a serious decline in their muscles. Humans can lose up to a half-pound of muscle mass every year after age 30.
In addition, a person’s bone density recedes as they get older. That leads to brittle bones and explains why older people break hips so much easier than younger folks.
The growth hormone in your body also declines as your pituitary gland gradually produces less of this important substance. That lack of chemical contributes significantly to the aging process. The growth hormone, in essence, is a fountain of youth.
“You lose the slack you had when you were younger when you could eat like a fool and do whatever the heck you wanted,” says Dr. Tighe O’Hanrahan, my personal physican. “You become less tolerant to those things. Your body becomes to a greater extent a delicate balance.”
All these risk factors, however, do not spell doom for the aging Baby Boomers. It simply means as you get older, you have to work harder and be more disciplined to stay in shape.
Let’s begin with exercise, an important component to good health. For those with limited mobility, walking is a perfectly fine way to work out. It’s relaxing, it pumps oxygen through your system and it works some of the main muscles of your body.
Stretching is another terrific way to stay in good physical condition. As muscle mass declines, it’s important to keep the body limber and flexible.
For those who can do more, strength training is a key ingredient to a good exercise routine. For people over 50, lifting weights is probably the best exercise you can do. It provides some aerobic work, but, more importantly, it strengths the deteriorating muscles.
Aerobic exercise is fundamental for the body as well as the mind, for those physically able to do it. Boomers should choose activities they enjoy as well as ones their bodies will tolerate.
Running burns up the most calories in the shortest amount of time. It’s also easy to do. Running, however, is a weight-bearing exercise that leads to injury more quickly than other activities.
Bicycling has less impact on the body and is beneficial to the knees. It’s relaxing and you can sight-see while you do it. However, biking can take a significantly longer time to burn up calories.
Swimming is an excellent total body workout for Baby Boomers. It uses all the muscles and the body suffers no impact. It is highly aerobic but does not burn a lot of fat because your body is held up by the water as you exercise.
Triathlons are a good mix for Baby Boomers. They combine running, bicycling and swimming into an exercise regiment. The variation reduces boredom and helps prevent injuries because different muscles are used on different days. In fact, the average age of triathlon participants in the United States is 52.
Good health doesn’t stop there, however. Nutrition is another key component. Being overweight is a primary contributor to diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure as well as heart problems.
Experts recommend people over 50 eat fewer carbohydrates and fat as well as try to avoid white sugar as much as possible. Eating fast food, pizza and candy is harder on your body as you age. Smoking and drinking alcohol are perhaps the most harmful habits of all.
Kaiser Permanente dietician Nicole Britvan says older people should increase their intake of fruits and vegetables, eating as many as seven to nine servings a day. Eating more fish, turkey and chicken is recommended. When you eat red meat, pick leaner cuts such as sirloin and rib-eye steaks. Add fiber to your diet, especially in the form of whole grains.
Serving sizes are also important. No matter what you eat, don’t overdo it. A half-cup is a good amount for most foods.
Fitness will play an important role in how much we will be able to do the next 10,000 days. If we plan to take on our society’s pressing issues the next 30 years, we need to have the stamina to do it. We’ll need to be sharp, vibrant.
I’ve been working at for three years now. I’ve lost 30 pounds in that time. But it’s been a slow, tough battle. And the lower my weight becomes, the harder it is to shed pounds. So, holding my own for 30 days is actually a pretty good accomplishment.
More importantly, I feel stronger and more lively.
That’s not only good for your body but for your mind and your self-esteem as well.
Getting back in shape is an excellent late-in-life goal for Baby Boomers. Not only for us, but as an example for the rest of the country, too.
I stepped on it this week as I do the first Monday of every month. Thirty days ago, I weighed in at 208 pounds, the lowest I’ve been in at least a decade.
Today, after four and a half weeks of working out pretty hard and denying myself beer, candy and most carbohydrates, I was hoping for a reward.
I took off my shoes and placed my feet on the pad. I pushed the large bar to 200, then nudged the smaller bar to the right. It slid past 205… 206… 207… before settling once again at 208.
A stalemate. A “push” in Black Jack. A lot ventured. Nothing gained. But nothing lost either.
Keep in mind, I’m 6-foot-3, so for the age of 53, my 208 isn’t bad. In fact, I’m in decent shape for a grandfather. Probably the best condition I’ve been in since I was in my late 30s.
However, that lack of downward movement on the scale was a prominent reminder of the challenge of losing weight as one gets older. Baby Boomers are finding this out in a heavy way.
The youngest of the Baby Boomers is now 43. The oldest is 61. More than half of us have seen 50 come and go. And we are not in good shape.
A study early this year concluded Baby Boomers are in worse physical condition than their parents were at the same age. Quite a shock to the generation that was weaned on President Kennedy’s Council on Physical Fitness.
Unfortunately, it’s not just us. Our entire country is suffering from a health crisis. It’s estimated 127 million Americans are overweight. That adds up to 64 percent of adults over the age of 20. Those statistics have prompted the American Medical Association to list obesity as the “second leading cause of preventable death” in the United States.
It’s not just the grown-ups, either. Today’s children are heavier and more lethargic than any generation in our nation’s history. The American Academy of Pediatrics says childhood obesity is “a serious health concern” that has “reached epidemic proportions.” It’s estimated 15 percent of America’s children are overweight. The percentage of toddlers and preschoolers in that category has doubled since 1980. The percentage of schoolchildren who are overweight has tripled the past 25 years. That has led some experts to predict the children of the early 21st century will be the first generation in recorded history to have a shorter average lifespan than their parents.
Baby Boomers, we need to lead a charge here. Let’s get off the couch, stop “supersizing” our lunch meals and hit the track and the trail. We need to improve our physical conditioning, not only for ourselves but as a healthy example for the rest of the country. It’s a worthy cause, but it is not an easy task.
The body starts to deteriorate when most people hit their mid-30s. That downhill trend rapidly picks up speed when a person passes the half-century mark. In case you haven’t noticed, your metabolism suffers a serious slowdown after the age of 45. And it doesn’t stop there.
As people get older, they suffer a serious decline in their muscles. Humans can lose up to a half-pound of muscle mass every year after age 30.
In addition, a person’s bone density recedes as they get older. That leads to brittle bones and explains why older people break hips so much easier than younger folks.
The growth hormone in your body also declines as your pituitary gland gradually produces less of this important substance. That lack of chemical contributes significantly to the aging process. The growth hormone, in essence, is a fountain of youth.
“You lose the slack you had when you were younger when you could eat like a fool and do whatever the heck you wanted,” says Dr. Tighe O’Hanrahan, my personal physican. “You become less tolerant to those things. Your body becomes to a greater extent a delicate balance.”
All these risk factors, however, do not spell doom for the aging Baby Boomers. It simply means as you get older, you have to work harder and be more disciplined to stay in shape.
Let’s begin with exercise, an important component to good health. For those with limited mobility, walking is a perfectly fine way to work out. It’s relaxing, it pumps oxygen through your system and it works some of the main muscles of your body.
Stretching is another terrific way to stay in good physical condition. As muscle mass declines, it’s important to keep the body limber and flexible.
For those who can do more, strength training is a key ingredient to a good exercise routine. For people over 50, lifting weights is probably the best exercise you can do. It provides some aerobic work, but, more importantly, it strengths the deteriorating muscles.
Aerobic exercise is fundamental for the body as well as the mind, for those physically able to do it. Boomers should choose activities they enjoy as well as ones their bodies will tolerate.
Running burns up the most calories in the shortest amount of time. It’s also easy to do. Running, however, is a weight-bearing exercise that leads to injury more quickly than other activities.
Bicycling has less impact on the body and is beneficial to the knees. It’s relaxing and you can sight-see while you do it. However, biking can take a significantly longer time to burn up calories.
Swimming is an excellent total body workout for Baby Boomers. It uses all the muscles and the body suffers no impact. It is highly aerobic but does not burn a lot of fat because your body is held up by the water as you exercise.
Triathlons are a good mix for Baby Boomers. They combine running, bicycling and swimming into an exercise regiment. The variation reduces boredom and helps prevent injuries because different muscles are used on different days. In fact, the average age of triathlon participants in the United States is 52.
Good health doesn’t stop there, however. Nutrition is another key component. Being overweight is a primary contributor to diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure as well as heart problems.
Experts recommend people over 50 eat fewer carbohydrates and fat as well as try to avoid white sugar as much as possible. Eating fast food, pizza and candy is harder on your body as you age. Smoking and drinking alcohol are perhaps the most harmful habits of all.
Kaiser Permanente dietician Nicole Britvan says older people should increase their intake of fruits and vegetables, eating as many as seven to nine servings a day. Eating more fish, turkey and chicken is recommended. When you eat red meat, pick leaner cuts such as sirloin and rib-eye steaks. Add fiber to your diet, especially in the form of whole grains.
Serving sizes are also important. No matter what you eat, don’t overdo it. A half-cup is a good amount for most foods.
Fitness will play an important role in how much we will be able to do the next 10,000 days. If we plan to take on our society’s pressing issues the next 30 years, we need to have the stamina to do it. We’ll need to be sharp, vibrant.
I’ve been working at for three years now. I’ve lost 30 pounds in that time. But it’s been a slow, tough battle. And the lower my weight becomes, the harder it is to shed pounds. So, holding my own for 30 days is actually a pretty good accomplishment.
More importantly, I feel stronger and more lively.
That’s not only good for your body but for your mind and your self-esteem as well.
Getting back in shape is an excellent late-in-life goal for Baby Boomers. Not only for us, but as an example for the rest of the country, too.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
To Grandmother's House
It is a four and a half hour journey by car.
A pleasant drive from my house through California’s Central Coast region. Through the farm fields of Salinas, the river basin of King City and the rolling hills of Paso Robles. A serene stretch of territory depicted in numerous novels by John Steinbeck.
The 250-mile trip ends in the small town of Nipomo, the final community in San Luis Obispo County before you cross into Santa Barbara County. What so special about Nipomo? What compels me to drive there several times a year?
It’s the town where my grandmother lives.
This past week, I made an annual pilgrimage to her home. I do so around November 1 of every year. That is the date she and I share a birthday. This year, she turned 94 the same day I hit 53.
The trip to Gram’s house isn’t always convenient. Sometimes I have to squeeze it into my two-day weekend. But I always do it. Why? There are a number of reasons.
For starters, I am celebrating the fact I still have a grandparent who is alive. Not many people my age are so lucky.
There are also practical reasons. I like to check in and see how she’s doing. Among other things, I rode in her car for her morning voyage to McDonald’s to make sure her driving abilities are still OK. I’m happy to report they are. In fact, she drives a little too fast.
Her health, I’m also happy to report, seems fine. I actually think she’s better this fall than she was a year ago. Her memory is solid. Her mind is sharp. And her hearing is better than mine. I hope I’m in as good a shape when I’m 74, much less 94.
I checked around her house to make sure everything is running smoothly. The sprinkler system still works. There are no leaks from the roof into her attic. The new kitchen floor is laid down nicely. And, there is no shortage of photographs of her 9 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.
However, the main reason I travel to Nipomo is to simply absorb my grandmother – her personality, her wit, her humor, her perspective. It’s something any younger person should do and it’s something I encourage all members of my generation to make a habit.
Baby Boomers haven’t always embraced the folks who raised them. In our heyday, we encouraged the attitude in our society toward youth that is still prevalent today. We called ourselves the “younger generation.” We said don’t trust anyone over 30. We bucked the system and ignored our elders.
Perhaps it is time we put an end to this practice. Reverse the trend in our culture where youth is king and older folks are viewed as people who should be quiet and stay out of the way.
Although we have a lot we can teach the generations younger than us, there is still a lot Baby Boomers can learn from the people a generation or two ahead of them. These are people who lived through the Great Depression as well as fought and won in World War Two. Many of them are still around and most of them will still give us their time and wisdom, if only we ask.
Boomers should take advantage of this opportunity. Tap into that vast reservoir of knowledge. Pick those experienced brains before this generation disappears.
Take a few moments. Turn off the cell phone. Blacken the computer screen. Sit down in a chair, face to face with that person in their 70s, 80s or 90s. Ask them what they’ve seen. What they’ve gleaned over the years. What they think of the world today. Answer them with a “yes, sir” or “yes, ma’am.”
If nothing else, Boomers might learn how they should approach life when they become the most senior people in this country. When they replace their parents’ generation at the front of life’s constantly moving train. What it feels like to be the oldest person in the room. What it means to be a societal elder.
This behavior can also set a standard for how middle-aged people should treat the folks older than them. How to show respect for grandparents and great-grandparents. Give the younger portion of our population a primer on how we would like to be treated when our final years have descended on us.
All you have to do is make that drive to grandmother’s house, sit down, be quiet for a moment and listen.
A pleasant drive from my house through California’s Central Coast region. Through the farm fields of Salinas, the river basin of King City and the rolling hills of Paso Robles. A serene stretch of territory depicted in numerous novels by John Steinbeck.
The 250-mile trip ends in the small town of Nipomo, the final community in San Luis Obispo County before you cross into Santa Barbara County. What so special about Nipomo? What compels me to drive there several times a year?
It’s the town where my grandmother lives.
This past week, I made an annual pilgrimage to her home. I do so around November 1 of every year. That is the date she and I share a birthday. This year, she turned 94 the same day I hit 53.
The trip to Gram’s house isn’t always convenient. Sometimes I have to squeeze it into my two-day weekend. But I always do it. Why? There are a number of reasons.
For starters, I am celebrating the fact I still have a grandparent who is alive. Not many people my age are so lucky.
There are also practical reasons. I like to check in and see how she’s doing. Among other things, I rode in her car for her morning voyage to McDonald’s to make sure her driving abilities are still OK. I’m happy to report they are. In fact, she drives a little too fast.
Her health, I’m also happy to report, seems fine. I actually think she’s better this fall than she was a year ago. Her memory is solid. Her mind is sharp. And her hearing is better than mine. I hope I’m in as good a shape when I’m 74, much less 94.
I checked around her house to make sure everything is running smoothly. The sprinkler system still works. There are no leaks from the roof into her attic. The new kitchen floor is laid down nicely. And, there is no shortage of photographs of her 9 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.
However, the main reason I travel to Nipomo is to simply absorb my grandmother – her personality, her wit, her humor, her perspective. It’s something any younger person should do and it’s something I encourage all members of my generation to make a habit.
Baby Boomers haven’t always embraced the folks who raised them. In our heyday, we encouraged the attitude in our society toward youth that is still prevalent today. We called ourselves the “younger generation.” We said don’t trust anyone over 30. We bucked the system and ignored our elders.
Perhaps it is time we put an end to this practice. Reverse the trend in our culture where youth is king and older folks are viewed as people who should be quiet and stay out of the way.
Although we have a lot we can teach the generations younger than us, there is still a lot Baby Boomers can learn from the people a generation or two ahead of them. These are people who lived through the Great Depression as well as fought and won in World War Two. Many of them are still around and most of them will still give us their time and wisdom, if only we ask.
Boomers should take advantage of this opportunity. Tap into that vast reservoir of knowledge. Pick those experienced brains before this generation disappears.
Take a few moments. Turn off the cell phone. Blacken the computer screen. Sit down in a chair, face to face with that person in their 70s, 80s or 90s. Ask them what they’ve seen. What they’ve gleaned over the years. What they think of the world today. Answer them with a “yes, sir” or “yes, ma’am.”
If nothing else, Boomers might learn how they should approach life when they become the most senior people in this country. When they replace their parents’ generation at the front of life’s constantly moving train. What it feels like to be the oldest person in the room. What it means to be a societal elder.
This behavior can also set a standard for how middle-aged people should treat the folks older than them. How to show respect for grandparents and great-grandparents. Give the younger portion of our population a primer on how we would like to be treated when our final years have descended on us.
All you have to do is make that drive to grandmother’s house, sit down, be quiet for a moment and listen.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Leading By Example
Do you know how many people who can give blood actually do?
Would you believe… 5 percent.
Do you know how often people in the United States need blood?
It’s estimated… every 2 seconds.
Those are the figures I ran across on Monday when I donated at the blood center located a mile and a half from my home.
Given those statistics, it’s no surprise there is a chronic blood shortage in our country and elsewhere in the world.
Donating blood is something I have done for years. Every four months or so, the folks at the center call me and ask me to come in. I’m always happy to do it and since my days off are Mondays and Tuesdays, it’s easy for me to do so.
On this particular day, workers at the center told me the red blood cells I gave would help two adult trauma victims or six infants in need. All for just an hour of my time.
The blood donation reminded me of the civic duties that are relatively effortless to perform but seem to be getting shoved to the side in our busy society.
It’s something I’d like to see our country return to and something I think Baby Boomers could help re-establish.
Many of us have some extra time now, especially those of us who have raised our children and those of us are either semi-retired or retired. In addition, there seems to be a desire percolating through our generation to return to our activism roots of the 1960s.
I suggest we act upon these inclinations. It would be refreshing to once again think less about ourselves and more about our society as a whole. And there are enough of us, so with concerted effort, we can steer the nation in that same direction. Simply by leading by example.
Giving blood is a good start. A flood of Baby Boomers heading to the blood centers would not only boost the sagging supply of that precious liquid; it also would set a precedent for the younger generations to follow.
However, let’s not stop there. We can ignite a movement of community betterment in many ways. We can do this on an individual level, on a daily basis, in some small yet effective ways.
*Return to citizenship. How quickly many of us have forgotten this lofty goal. It was a cornerstone of the youth movement of the 1960s. Let’s return to this mind set. Adopt a wider perspective, one with long-term sensibilities. A good first step is for Baby Boomers to start showing up at the polls again. Voting is the ultimate act of citizenship and we’ve done, at best, a mediocre job of it. Joining a neighborhood or volunteer effort wouldn't hurt either.
*Mentoring. We can all use advice and guidance, no matter what our age. But it seems the younger people in our society are almost crying out for it. This is a scary world to live in. Take the time to help someone from another generation through the twists, turns and bumps of life.
*Be well-mannered. There are an array of ways to exhibit this benevolent behavior. Perhaps the most important method is to address people politely, no matter how they are talking to you. It’s amazing how the quality of an exchange can change if one person adopts a cordial demeanor. Our conversations can morph from confrontational to civil. It wouldn't hurt to smile while we're practicing politeness. That seems to be a lost art in our civilization.
The list goes on and on. Taking care of the environment. Spending time with our elderly parents. Not littering. Picking up trash left by someone else. Opening the door for another person.
These suggestions might seem simplistic, maybe even naïve. But if we, as the largest generation in our country, adopt them, it could start a wave of humanism across our land.
A trip to the blood center might be the best way to start this journey. Help someone you don’t know and will never meet.
Help change our “me” society into a “we” society.
Would you believe… 5 percent.
Do you know how often people in the United States need blood?
It’s estimated… every 2 seconds.
Those are the figures I ran across on Monday when I donated at the blood center located a mile and a half from my home.
Given those statistics, it’s no surprise there is a chronic blood shortage in our country and elsewhere in the world.
Donating blood is something I have done for years. Every four months or so, the folks at the center call me and ask me to come in. I’m always happy to do it and since my days off are Mondays and Tuesdays, it’s easy for me to do so.
On this particular day, workers at the center told me the red blood cells I gave would help two adult trauma victims or six infants in need. All for just an hour of my time.
The blood donation reminded me of the civic duties that are relatively effortless to perform but seem to be getting shoved to the side in our busy society.
It’s something I’d like to see our country return to and something I think Baby Boomers could help re-establish.
Many of us have some extra time now, especially those of us who have raised our children and those of us are either semi-retired or retired. In addition, there seems to be a desire percolating through our generation to return to our activism roots of the 1960s.
I suggest we act upon these inclinations. It would be refreshing to once again think less about ourselves and more about our society as a whole. And there are enough of us, so with concerted effort, we can steer the nation in that same direction. Simply by leading by example.
Giving blood is a good start. A flood of Baby Boomers heading to the blood centers would not only boost the sagging supply of that precious liquid; it also would set a precedent for the younger generations to follow.
However, let’s not stop there. We can ignite a movement of community betterment in many ways. We can do this on an individual level, on a daily basis, in some small yet effective ways.
*Return to citizenship. How quickly many of us have forgotten this lofty goal. It was a cornerstone of the youth movement of the 1960s. Let’s return to this mind set. Adopt a wider perspective, one with long-term sensibilities. A good first step is for Baby Boomers to start showing up at the polls again. Voting is the ultimate act of citizenship and we’ve done, at best, a mediocre job of it. Joining a neighborhood or volunteer effort wouldn't hurt either.
*Mentoring. We can all use advice and guidance, no matter what our age. But it seems the younger people in our society are almost crying out for it. This is a scary world to live in. Take the time to help someone from another generation through the twists, turns and bumps of life.
*Be well-mannered. There are an array of ways to exhibit this benevolent behavior. Perhaps the most important method is to address people politely, no matter how they are talking to you. It’s amazing how the quality of an exchange can change if one person adopts a cordial demeanor. Our conversations can morph from confrontational to civil. It wouldn't hurt to smile while we're practicing politeness. That seems to be a lost art in our civilization.
The list goes on and on. Taking care of the environment. Spending time with our elderly parents. Not littering. Picking up trash left by someone else. Opening the door for another person.
These suggestions might seem simplistic, maybe even naïve. But if we, as the largest generation in our country, adopt them, it could start a wave of humanism across our land.
A trip to the blood center might be the best way to start this journey. Help someone you don’t know and will never meet.
Help change our “me” society into a “we” society.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Boomers: We Need To Fix Social Security
Kathleen Casey-Kirschling is leading the charge.
One that might bankrupt this country if we don’t take action and change our attitude about retirement benefits.
Oh yes... and take a pay cut, too.
Starting now and starting with Casey-Kirschling. She is known as the “first Boomer” because she was born a couple seconds after midnight on Jan. 1, 1946, thus ushering in the Baby Boom generation.
On Monday, the retired school teacher from Maryland became the first person in her generation to file for Social Security benefits. She’ll start collecting her retirement paycheck from the federal government when she turns 62 on the first day of next year.
A flood of Boomers are following right behind her. It’s estimated 10,000 of us will become eligible for Social Security every day for the next two decades. In 2008 alone, 3.2 million people are expected to sign up. Eventually, it’s likely more than 70 million Boomers will be drawing Social Security checks.
The system’s Board of Trustees predicts that unless changes are made the Social Security program will go into debt in 2017 and become insolvent in 2041.
Casey-Kirschling is undeterred by those figures. She’s not waiting until she’s 65. She’s taking the early option at age 62. After filing she said, “I ‘m going to take it now because I can take it now. I’m thrilled to think that after all these years, I’m getting paid back the money I put in.”
Nothing against our retired school teacher, but I’m not sure I agree.
I think our nation has the wrong perception on Social Security. In fact, I think we’ve got it backward.
We view Social Security as a retirement fund we pay into so we can draw money out of it when we get older. However, I think it’s better if we view Social Security as a fund for the generation ahead of us. One we pay into to thank them for all those years they worked and took care of us.
That’s right, the money we have paid into the fund was really for our parents’ generation. It was to help the folks who survived the Great Depression and World War Two and then raised us during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
Our retirement is being funded by the younger generations as a thank you to us for working for four decades and bringing them up. The only problem is this equation doesn’t add up.
There are 110 million members of Generations X and Y. There are 78 million of us. Right now, there are 3.3 workers paying into Social Security for every person drawing benefits. In 2031, it's estimated that ratio will be 2.1 workers for every beneficiary.
There simply won’t be enough younger people working to support all of us on Social Security and Medicare as well as pay taxes on the other programs vital to our country.
So, fellow Baby Boomers, it’s time to do the right thing. During the past two decades, we have let Social Security slide toward disaster without doing much about it.
We need to fix this fiscal train wreck and we need to do it by giving up some of what we’ve supposedly earned.
We need to cut our Social Security benefits, perhaps as much as 50 percent. And we need to raise the retirement age, maybe as high as 70.
It may seem unfair, but it’s the practical and the moral thing to do. We cannot accept all this Social Security money when we know it’s going to bankrupt the program.
We’re a smart, talented, resourceful generation. We can make this work.
Adopting this solution not only will save Social Security without raising taxes, it sets a gold star example for the rest of society. If we’re willing to sacrifice personally for the good of the nation as a whole, maybe that attitude will shift over into other segments of our communities.
What a concept. Putting others first.
It can start with the first Boomer and end with the last.
One that might bankrupt this country if we don’t take action and change our attitude about retirement benefits.
Oh yes... and take a pay cut, too.
Starting now and starting with Casey-Kirschling. She is known as the “first Boomer” because she was born a couple seconds after midnight on Jan. 1, 1946, thus ushering in the Baby Boom generation.
On Monday, the retired school teacher from Maryland became the first person in her generation to file for Social Security benefits. She’ll start collecting her retirement paycheck from the federal government when she turns 62 on the first day of next year.
A flood of Boomers are following right behind her. It’s estimated 10,000 of us will become eligible for Social Security every day for the next two decades. In 2008 alone, 3.2 million people are expected to sign up. Eventually, it’s likely more than 70 million Boomers will be drawing Social Security checks.
The system’s Board of Trustees predicts that unless changes are made the Social Security program will go into debt in 2017 and become insolvent in 2041.
Casey-Kirschling is undeterred by those figures. She’s not waiting until she’s 65. She’s taking the early option at age 62. After filing she said, “I ‘m going to take it now because I can take it now. I’m thrilled to think that after all these years, I’m getting paid back the money I put in.”
Nothing against our retired school teacher, but I’m not sure I agree.
I think our nation has the wrong perception on Social Security. In fact, I think we’ve got it backward.
We view Social Security as a retirement fund we pay into so we can draw money out of it when we get older. However, I think it’s better if we view Social Security as a fund for the generation ahead of us. One we pay into to thank them for all those years they worked and took care of us.
That’s right, the money we have paid into the fund was really for our parents’ generation. It was to help the folks who survived the Great Depression and World War Two and then raised us during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
Our retirement is being funded by the younger generations as a thank you to us for working for four decades and bringing them up. The only problem is this equation doesn’t add up.
There are 110 million members of Generations X and Y. There are 78 million of us. Right now, there are 3.3 workers paying into Social Security for every person drawing benefits. In 2031, it's estimated that ratio will be 2.1 workers for every beneficiary.
There simply won’t be enough younger people working to support all of us on Social Security and Medicare as well as pay taxes on the other programs vital to our country.
So, fellow Baby Boomers, it’s time to do the right thing. During the past two decades, we have let Social Security slide toward disaster without doing much about it.
We need to fix this fiscal train wreck and we need to do it by giving up some of what we’ve supposedly earned.
We need to cut our Social Security benefits, perhaps as much as 50 percent. And we need to raise the retirement age, maybe as high as 70.
It may seem unfair, but it’s the practical and the moral thing to do. We cannot accept all this Social Security money when we know it’s going to bankrupt the program.
We’re a smart, talented, resourceful generation. We can make this work.
Adopting this solution not only will save Social Security without raising taxes, it sets a gold star example for the rest of society. If we’re willing to sacrifice personally for the good of the nation as a whole, maybe that attitude will shift over into other segments of our communities.
What a concept. Putting others first.
It can start with the first Boomer and end with the last.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Al Gore: A Long Journey
What happened to Al Gore in late 2000 might have destroyed a lesser person.
An incumbent vice president losing an election many people thought he was destined to win. Being denied the presidency of the United States, even though he received the most votes.
Having the job he sought his entire adult life slip through his fingers because of a few hundred disputed ballots in a state controlled by his opponent’s brother.
A heart-wrenching, frustrating defeat. Painfully dragged out for more than a month. All in the harsh glare of a public spotlight.
Yes, it might have crushed most people. Derailed forever their hope, their desire, their enthusiasm.
That didn’t happen to Al Gore. It took awhile, but the man from Tennessee used that defeat as a springboard -- launching into a campaign that resulted in the announcement today that he will share the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with a United Nations panel for their work in making the world aware of the dangers of global climate change.
You don’t have to like Al Gore to admire what he’s done. You don’t have to agree with his politics or his environmental stances. You don’t even have to concur with the Nobel committee’s decision to appreciate what he’s achieved.
Al Gore’s journey the past seven years is a travel log of inspiration. It’s a tale of perseverance. Of dedication.
It serves as a model for Baby Boomers who have entered the second half of their life. After all, he is one of us. A member of our generation who has risen from some pretty thick ashes. Without whining. Without complaining.
He has climbed to a new pinnacle. With dignity. With purpose. With some humor and with his eyes set on a loftier goal.
This was not an easy journey. When Al Gore finally conceded the 2000 election, he told the American public, “It is time for me to go.”
He did disappear. For a year or two, he faltered. He gained weight. He grew a scraggly beard. Like many of us in our 50s, he was lost. He didn’t know where to turn. What to grasp for, if anything.
But then he found his footing. He rediscovered a calling. One he had trumpeted when he was younger. A passion he had put aside when the ambition of his 40s ignited his ego.
Al Gore returned to his environmental roots. He began speaking about the changes happening to the Earth. Melting ice caps. Warming oceans. A disappearing ozone layer.
He put together a slide show. He hit the road. He not only told people what was happening but why they should care and what they could do about it.
When 2004 rolled along, Gore resisted temptation. He shoved aside the easily accessible emotions of jealously and revenge. He spared the country a destructive rematch of the 2000 campaign. He opted not to run again. He gave up his quest for the highest office in the land. He did so for the right reasons. And that decision set him free.
The chains that had restricted Gore were broken. You could see it in the way he talked. The way he reacted. He went on “Saturday Night Live” and made fun of himself. His interviews were still stiff, but there was a purity to them.
In 2006, the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” was released. It basically was Al Gore’s slide show on film. It struck a nerve. It brought concerns that were bubbling below the surface up to the forefront of public debate.
In February, the movie won an Oscar. In September, Gore picked up an Emmy for his Internet-based network, Current TV. And, on Oct. 12, 2007, Gore and the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change were honored with the Nobel Peace Prize. He’s the first American to win that award since former president Jimmy Carter in 2002.
Today was a day Al Gore certainly relished. However, he did not gloat. Gore didn’t even appear publicly until eight hours after the announcement. When he did, he didn’t brag about himself. He spoke about his mission and his plans to donate his half of the $1.5 million prize money to an environmental organization.
“We face a true planetary emergency,” he said. “The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity.”
Some speculate Gore will catapult from the Nobel award into the 2008 presidential race. That is unlikely to happen. There is no need for this lifelong politician to seek the White House. He’s been there and done that. He’s found a new quest.
For, Al Gore is still on his journey. A long one, to be sure. One that Baby Boomers can emulate. One that demonstrates how a member of an older generation can touch people of all ages. How a person can have an impact in a way they didn’t anticipate. Inspire others by using their experience, knowledge and long-lost passion.
Mostly, it shows how a person can overcome the biggest of disappointments. How someone can tumble to the bottom of a mountain, then pick themselves up and find another peak to climb.
“This is just the beginning,” Gore told reporters today.
It can be for all of us. Our generation still has 10,000 productive days ahead of us. Let’s reach for the heights obtained by our fellow Baby Boomer – the one holding the Nobel Peace Prize.
An incumbent vice president losing an election many people thought he was destined to win. Being denied the presidency of the United States, even though he received the most votes.
Having the job he sought his entire adult life slip through his fingers because of a few hundred disputed ballots in a state controlled by his opponent’s brother.
A heart-wrenching, frustrating defeat. Painfully dragged out for more than a month. All in the harsh glare of a public spotlight.
Yes, it might have crushed most people. Derailed forever their hope, their desire, their enthusiasm.
That didn’t happen to Al Gore. It took awhile, but the man from Tennessee used that defeat as a springboard -- launching into a campaign that resulted in the announcement today that he will share the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with a United Nations panel for their work in making the world aware of the dangers of global climate change.
You don’t have to like Al Gore to admire what he’s done. You don’t have to agree with his politics or his environmental stances. You don’t even have to concur with the Nobel committee’s decision to appreciate what he’s achieved.
Al Gore’s journey the past seven years is a travel log of inspiration. It’s a tale of perseverance. Of dedication.
It serves as a model for Baby Boomers who have entered the second half of their life. After all, he is one of us. A member of our generation who has risen from some pretty thick ashes. Without whining. Without complaining.
He has climbed to a new pinnacle. With dignity. With purpose. With some humor and with his eyes set on a loftier goal.
This was not an easy journey. When Al Gore finally conceded the 2000 election, he told the American public, “It is time for me to go.”
He did disappear. For a year or two, he faltered. He gained weight. He grew a scraggly beard. Like many of us in our 50s, he was lost. He didn’t know where to turn. What to grasp for, if anything.
But then he found his footing. He rediscovered a calling. One he had trumpeted when he was younger. A passion he had put aside when the ambition of his 40s ignited his ego.
Al Gore returned to his environmental roots. He began speaking about the changes happening to the Earth. Melting ice caps. Warming oceans. A disappearing ozone layer.
He put together a slide show. He hit the road. He not only told people what was happening but why they should care and what they could do about it.
When 2004 rolled along, Gore resisted temptation. He shoved aside the easily accessible emotions of jealously and revenge. He spared the country a destructive rematch of the 2000 campaign. He opted not to run again. He gave up his quest for the highest office in the land. He did so for the right reasons. And that decision set him free.
The chains that had restricted Gore were broken. You could see it in the way he talked. The way he reacted. He went on “Saturday Night Live” and made fun of himself. His interviews were still stiff, but there was a purity to them.
In 2006, the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” was released. It basically was Al Gore’s slide show on film. It struck a nerve. It brought concerns that were bubbling below the surface up to the forefront of public debate.
In February, the movie won an Oscar. In September, Gore picked up an Emmy for his Internet-based network, Current TV. And, on Oct. 12, 2007, Gore and the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change were honored with the Nobel Peace Prize. He’s the first American to win that award since former president Jimmy Carter in 2002.
Today was a day Al Gore certainly relished. However, he did not gloat. Gore didn’t even appear publicly until eight hours after the announcement. When he did, he didn’t brag about himself. He spoke about his mission and his plans to donate his half of the $1.5 million prize money to an environmental organization.
“We face a true planetary emergency,” he said. “The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity.”
Some speculate Gore will catapult from the Nobel award into the 2008 presidential race. That is unlikely to happen. There is no need for this lifelong politician to seek the White House. He’s been there and done that. He’s found a new quest.
For, Al Gore is still on his journey. A long one, to be sure. One that Baby Boomers can emulate. One that demonstrates how a member of an older generation can touch people of all ages. How a person can have an impact in a way they didn’t anticipate. Inspire others by using their experience, knowledge and long-lost passion.
Mostly, it shows how a person can overcome the biggest of disappointments. How someone can tumble to the bottom of a mountain, then pick themselves up and find another peak to climb.
“This is just the beginning,” Gore told reporters today.
It can be for all of us. Our generation still has 10,000 productive days ahead of us. Let’s reach for the heights obtained by our fellow Baby Boomer – the one holding the Nobel Peace Prize.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
A Walk To Remember
It was quite a sight. An inspiring, uplifting sight for a cause that can be depressing and overwhelmingly.
Last Saturday, more than 4,000 people walked 3 miles around the edge of Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay to raise money for research and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. When it was all said and done, “Memory Walk 2007” had brought in $1 million in donations to the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California.
Our family had 30 people walking with us. Not just family members. Friends. Co-workers. Friends of friends.
They joined us in support of Gary Roseme, my 59-year-old brother-in-law who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a year and a half ago. There are only 500,000 people in the United States under the age of 65 with this relentless disease and, unfortunately, Gary is one of them.
Yet, we are hopeful. He is participating in an outstanding treatment program at UC San Francisco, one of the best Alzheimer’s research facilities in the country. He has a remarkably upbeat attitude. And we have a far-reaching, deep support system.
That was evident on this sunny Saturday morning. Gary and his wife, Marcia, were flanked by their two children, their daughter-in-law, their granddaughter, their soon-to-be son-in-law, Marcia’s mother and older sister, my wife and I, our oldest daughter, our son-in-law and our grandson as well as friends, co-workers of Marcia, a couple of Mary and my fellow employees, their daughter-in-law’s family and my son-in-law’s sister.
A diverse and plentiful gathering. It was heartening and a reminder of the importance of family and friends in our complex, high-tech society. No matter how quickly e-mails fly or how easily you can download a program onto a small screen cupped in your hand, people need other people. They need people they can count on. People who will donate not so much their money but their time. People who will lend a helping hand and a listening ear.
Family. Friends. It is something Baby Boomers need to focus on as they travel through their next 10,000 days. We need to tighten the bonds of our families. It’s a circle that has unraveled as divorce rates climb and people move across country from each other. In prehistoric times, the older people in a village held their society together. They took care of the youngest members of the group. They counseled the parents of those youngsters. They offered sage advice to the community as a whole.
It’s something I certainly believe in. And practice. But this early October walk made it even more crystal clear.
The walk also reminded me of what may lurk in the future for our modern-day society. Especially if we don’t make changes in some of our institutions
Our society is aging, led by the 78 million members of the Baby Boom generation. It’s estimated the number of people over the age of 55 will increase from the current 60 million to 107 million by 2030. That group will represent 31 percent of the population as opposed to 21 percent now. In addition, the people who reach 65 who are expected to surpass the age of 90 is increasing dramatically. In 1960, 14 percent of United States citizens who hit 65 lived to be at least 90. That figure is now 25 percent.
The aging Baby Boomers could bankrupt our country, if they don’t take care of their health. Alzheimer’s alone could overwhelm our medical facilities. More than 5 million Americans are currently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. If this trend continues, 14 million people will have this debilitating and costly disease by 2050.
Remember in the 1960s when anti-war demonstrators told others, “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” Well, when it comes to our country’s future, we are part, if not most, of the problem. So, Baby Boomers, let’s take on these challenges ourselves. Let’s fix them before the generations behind us are overwhelmed by them. Let’s be part of the solution.
Things like last Saturday’s walk are certainly a step in the right direction.
Last Saturday, more than 4,000 people walked 3 miles around the edge of Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay to raise money for research and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. When it was all said and done, “Memory Walk 2007” had brought in $1 million in donations to the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California.
Our family had 30 people walking with us. Not just family members. Friends. Co-workers. Friends of friends.
They joined us in support of Gary Roseme, my 59-year-old brother-in-law who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a year and a half ago. There are only 500,000 people in the United States under the age of 65 with this relentless disease and, unfortunately, Gary is one of them.
Yet, we are hopeful. He is participating in an outstanding treatment program at UC San Francisco, one of the best Alzheimer’s research facilities in the country. He has a remarkably upbeat attitude. And we have a far-reaching, deep support system.
That was evident on this sunny Saturday morning. Gary and his wife, Marcia, were flanked by their two children, their daughter-in-law, their granddaughter, their soon-to-be son-in-law, Marcia’s mother and older sister, my wife and I, our oldest daughter, our son-in-law and our grandson as well as friends, co-workers of Marcia, a couple of Mary and my fellow employees, their daughter-in-law’s family and my son-in-law’s sister.
A diverse and plentiful gathering. It was heartening and a reminder of the importance of family and friends in our complex, high-tech society. No matter how quickly e-mails fly or how easily you can download a program onto a small screen cupped in your hand, people need other people. They need people they can count on. People who will donate not so much their money but their time. People who will lend a helping hand and a listening ear.
Family. Friends. It is something Baby Boomers need to focus on as they travel through their next 10,000 days. We need to tighten the bonds of our families. It’s a circle that has unraveled as divorce rates climb and people move across country from each other. In prehistoric times, the older people in a village held their society together. They took care of the youngest members of the group. They counseled the parents of those youngsters. They offered sage advice to the community as a whole.
It’s something I certainly believe in. And practice. But this early October walk made it even more crystal clear.
The walk also reminded me of what may lurk in the future for our modern-day society. Especially if we don’t make changes in some of our institutions
Our society is aging, led by the 78 million members of the Baby Boom generation. It’s estimated the number of people over the age of 55 will increase from the current 60 million to 107 million by 2030. That group will represent 31 percent of the population as opposed to 21 percent now. In addition, the people who reach 65 who are expected to surpass the age of 90 is increasing dramatically. In 1960, 14 percent of United States citizens who hit 65 lived to be at least 90. That figure is now 25 percent.
The aging Baby Boomers could bankrupt our country, if they don’t take care of their health. Alzheimer’s alone could overwhelm our medical facilities. More than 5 million Americans are currently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. If this trend continues, 14 million people will have this debilitating and costly disease by 2050.
Remember in the 1960s when anti-war demonstrators told others, “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” Well, when it comes to our country’s future, we are part, if not most, of the problem. So, Baby Boomers, let’s take on these challenges ourselves. Let’s fix them before the generations behind us are overwhelmed by them. Let’s be part of the solution.
Things like last Saturday’s walk are certainly a step in the right direction.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Volunteering: Find The Time
Baby Boomers, we want you.
That’s the call being put out to the post-World War Two generation as that group of 78 million people nears retirement age.
It’s a cry elicited by a variety of non-profit organizations as they seek ways to accomplish their volunteer mission in an era of government funding cuts and self-centered attitudes
These charities see Baby Boomers as their best hope. We are a large number of people with an activist past who show no signs of letting up as we cruise through our 50s and 60s. There is a restlessness rumbling through our generation’s soul. A feeling in our gut that we didn’t finish the job we started in our youth. A subterranean desire to step up as our children leave home and we slip out of the everyday work force. The shuffle board court is not in our future. Perhaps volunteering should be.
The need in our nation is great. Non-profit agencies need more help than ever. Yet, in 2005, less than one-third of American adults volunteered their time. With that in mind, the Corporation for National and Community Service has launched a campaign to increase the nation’s number of volunteers from 65 million to 75 million by 2010.
Not surprisingly, non-profit organizations are eyeing Baby Boomers as that army of the future. They expect the number of volunteers over the age of 65 to rise 50 percent by 2020. It could top out in 2029 when the youngest Boomers reach traditional retirement age.
So far, our generation is off to a good start. In December 2006, the community service corporation reported volunteering in the United States had reached a 30-year high, jumping 32 percent between 1989 and 2005. Baby Boomers are leading the charge. Almost 31 percent of Boomers between the ages of 46 and 57 are volunteering, the best percentage of any age group in the country.
In addition, Boomers and other older Americans are putting in more time once they do sign up. In 2006, the average volunteer over the age of 55 was donating 226 hours a year compared to 132 hours annually by volunteers aged 30 to 39.
Think of the good that could be done if we, as a generation, gave our time. Even if only 25 percent of Baby Boomers volunteered, that would be almost 20 million people helping others in need.
There is probably no greater need for volunteers than in education. Our schools have had their budgets slashed for two decades. Classrooms are overcrowded. Teachers are overwhelmed. Supplies are dwindling. Schools are desperate for assistance. A wave of older citizens marching to the rescue would be most welcome. In fact, I’d like to propose a “10 percent solution.” I’m calling on 10 percent of the Baby Boom generation to enlist. To volunteer at least two hours a week at one of their local schools. Imagine what nearly 8 million volunteers fanned out across the country could do for our nation’s schoolchildren.
I have begun to do my part. This week, I started volunteer efforts in the Emeryville School District a few miles from my home in the San Francisco Bay Area. I taught a 2-hour SAT prep class for six high school seniors who are hoping to score well enough on that assessment exam to get into a good college.
Emeryville schools are an inspiring story. In 2001, the district was bankrupt, taken over by a state administrator. Since then, the citizens and business owners have approved not one, but two, parcel tax measures for their schools. The district is now back on its financial feet and the community has regained local control.
Emeryville is a small city. There’s only two schools – a kindergarten through sixth-grade campus and a 7-12 secondary school. Only 38 seniors were in the 2007 graduating class. There are many low-income students who are on the edge of success. One helping hand or a few hours of mentorship could make the difference.
I’m hoping to provide that margin, at least to a handful of teen-agers. I urge my fellow Baby Boomers to do the same. Find an educational need and fill it.
President Kennedy challenged us to embark on such a mission in our childhood. In his 1961 inaugural address, he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” It is time to heed his call.
That’s the call being put out to the post-World War Two generation as that group of 78 million people nears retirement age.
It’s a cry elicited by a variety of non-profit organizations as they seek ways to accomplish their volunteer mission in an era of government funding cuts and self-centered attitudes
These charities see Baby Boomers as their best hope. We are a large number of people with an activist past who show no signs of letting up as we cruise through our 50s and 60s. There is a restlessness rumbling through our generation’s soul. A feeling in our gut that we didn’t finish the job we started in our youth. A subterranean desire to step up as our children leave home and we slip out of the everyday work force. The shuffle board court is not in our future. Perhaps volunteering should be.
The need in our nation is great. Non-profit agencies need more help than ever. Yet, in 2005, less than one-third of American adults volunteered their time. With that in mind, the Corporation for National and Community Service has launched a campaign to increase the nation’s number of volunteers from 65 million to 75 million by 2010.
Not surprisingly, non-profit organizations are eyeing Baby Boomers as that army of the future. They expect the number of volunteers over the age of 65 to rise 50 percent by 2020. It could top out in 2029 when the youngest Boomers reach traditional retirement age.
So far, our generation is off to a good start. In December 2006, the community service corporation reported volunteering in the United States had reached a 30-year high, jumping 32 percent between 1989 and 2005. Baby Boomers are leading the charge. Almost 31 percent of Boomers between the ages of 46 and 57 are volunteering, the best percentage of any age group in the country.
In addition, Boomers and other older Americans are putting in more time once they do sign up. In 2006, the average volunteer over the age of 55 was donating 226 hours a year compared to 132 hours annually by volunteers aged 30 to 39.
Think of the good that could be done if we, as a generation, gave our time. Even if only 25 percent of Baby Boomers volunteered, that would be almost 20 million people helping others in need.
There is probably no greater need for volunteers than in education. Our schools have had their budgets slashed for two decades. Classrooms are overcrowded. Teachers are overwhelmed. Supplies are dwindling. Schools are desperate for assistance. A wave of older citizens marching to the rescue would be most welcome. In fact, I’d like to propose a “10 percent solution.” I’m calling on 10 percent of the Baby Boom generation to enlist. To volunteer at least two hours a week at one of their local schools. Imagine what nearly 8 million volunteers fanned out across the country could do for our nation’s schoolchildren.
I have begun to do my part. This week, I started volunteer efforts in the Emeryville School District a few miles from my home in the San Francisco Bay Area. I taught a 2-hour SAT prep class for six high school seniors who are hoping to score well enough on that assessment exam to get into a good college.
Emeryville schools are an inspiring story. In 2001, the district was bankrupt, taken over by a state administrator. Since then, the citizens and business owners have approved not one, but two, parcel tax measures for their schools. The district is now back on its financial feet and the community has regained local control.
Emeryville is a small city. There’s only two schools – a kindergarten through sixth-grade campus and a 7-12 secondary school. Only 38 seniors were in the 2007 graduating class. There are many low-income students who are on the edge of success. One helping hand or a few hours of mentorship could make the difference.
I’m hoping to provide that margin, at least to a handful of teen-agers. I urge my fellow Baby Boomers to do the same. Find an educational need and fill it.
President Kennedy challenged us to embark on such a mission in our childhood. In his 1961 inaugural address, he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” It is time to heed his call.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Tuesdays With Shea
As I write this, my 15-month-old grandson sleeps in the room next door. He lies on his stomach in a portable crib, wearing a diaper and shirt. His eyes are comfortably closed and his Mickey Mouse doll rests at his side.
It’s the room where our youngest daughter slept as an infant. A room in the back corner of the house where both our daughters grew up.
It’s a scene I enjoy every Tuesday now. For I am not only a grandfather. I am a grandfather who is lucky enough to have his daughter, son-in-law and their son living a half-hour away.
Tuesday is a day I anticipate and relish. It's one of my two days off during the week and I take full advantage. When Shea is here, the everyday worries and concerns of work, bills and world events melt away. They fade into the background for a precious few hours.
Our routine every Tuesday is much the same as it was today. At 8:30am, I picked up Shea at his home. His father answered the door, holding his brown-haired, brown-eyed son. Shea had his “sippy cup,” his Mickey doll and the clothes on his back. He doesn’t need anything else. Our home has become a grandparents’ house with an adequate amount of diapers, toys and food a toddler can chew.
Shea and I drive here through the back roads. No need to get on a freeway today. We listen to Ray Charles, his favorite artist, and look for any big truck that might cruise by.
Our morning at G-Pa’s house begins with a dose of Sesame Street. We Tivo the show, so there is always one available. It’s been fun to get reacquainted with Grover, Ernie and Big Bird, the characters my children grew up with. It’s also been fun to get to know Elmo, Zoe and some of the folks who came along after our daughters stopped watching this educational and entertaining program.
Next, Shea and I move on to the back yard, where there are balls to throw and a sand box to play in. Then, it’s the toy room where he can look at books or stack some blocks.
Eventually, it’s to the front room where the c-d player sits. Like most of our family, Shea loves music. And he loves to dance. He also is a 21st century child, so, yes, he knows how to hit “play” to get the Motown disc spinning. His favorite is the first track -- “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” by The Temptations. The kid has taste.
After an hour at a nearby park, it’s time for lunch. A little outside play, then time to wind down for the nap. Shea sits on my lap with Mickey. We watch the last 20 minutes of Sesame Street. That’s when “Elmo’s World” hits the screen. At the show’s conclusion, Oscar The Grouch reads his pet worm, Slimey, a book and the tiny creature falls asleep.
Shea and I say “night-night” to a half-dozen items in the house. Then, it’s off to Dream Land for 90 minute in the portable crib in what is now the spare bedroom.
When Shea awakes, my wife, Mary, will be home from her job as a pre-school teacher. Mimi will want some one-on-one time, so G-Pa will hang out on the sidelines and watch with delight.
It’s a scenario I wish for every parent. The chance to play and enjoy your children’s children. To re-live the joys of child rearing without the heavy lifting of every-day parenting.
It’s something Baby Boomers should strive to achieve. If you are fortunate enough to have grandchildren, figure out a way to live within an hour of them. Whatever sacrifice you have to endure to make this happen, you will be repaid in spades with love, enjoyment and contentment.
This isn’t just for us either. Having grandparents nearby is good for parents and grandchildren alike.
In prehistoric times, grandparents played a vital role in the village. My friend, Sacramento State anthropology professor Gerry Drawhorn, tells me tribal elders filled three important jobs as historians, advisors and care-takers of the little ones. The hunter-and-gatherer parents were busy defending the village and collecting food. They relied on the grandparents to complete those other tasks.
In modern society, those functions have faded, but elders are still needed, possibly more now than they were a few decades ago. Baby Boomers can begin a transformation back to the extended family. For starters, we can retrieve the role of care-takers simply by being grandparents. By being there for our sometimes overworked and harried children. By being there for our grandchildren.
As for me, I’ll savor this day and then get ready for next Tuesday. That’s when Shea and I can have a few hours together… just the two of us.
It’s the room where our youngest daughter slept as an infant. A room in the back corner of the house where both our daughters grew up.
It’s a scene I enjoy every Tuesday now. For I am not only a grandfather. I am a grandfather who is lucky enough to have his daughter, son-in-law and their son living a half-hour away.
Tuesday is a day I anticipate and relish. It's one of my two days off during the week and I take full advantage. When Shea is here, the everyday worries and concerns of work, bills and world events melt away. They fade into the background for a precious few hours.
Our routine every Tuesday is much the same as it was today. At 8:30am, I picked up Shea at his home. His father answered the door, holding his brown-haired, brown-eyed son. Shea had his “sippy cup,” his Mickey doll and the clothes on his back. He doesn’t need anything else. Our home has become a grandparents’ house with an adequate amount of diapers, toys and food a toddler can chew.
Shea and I drive here through the back roads. No need to get on a freeway today. We listen to Ray Charles, his favorite artist, and look for any big truck that might cruise by.
Our morning at G-Pa’s house begins with a dose of Sesame Street. We Tivo the show, so there is always one available. It’s been fun to get reacquainted with Grover, Ernie and Big Bird, the characters my children grew up with. It’s also been fun to get to know Elmo, Zoe and some of the folks who came along after our daughters stopped watching this educational and entertaining program.
Next, Shea and I move on to the back yard, where there are balls to throw and a sand box to play in. Then, it’s the toy room where he can look at books or stack some blocks.
Eventually, it’s to the front room where the c-d player sits. Like most of our family, Shea loves music. And he loves to dance. He also is a 21st century child, so, yes, he knows how to hit “play” to get the Motown disc spinning. His favorite is the first track -- “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” by The Temptations. The kid has taste.
After an hour at a nearby park, it’s time for lunch. A little outside play, then time to wind down for the nap. Shea sits on my lap with Mickey. We watch the last 20 minutes of Sesame Street. That’s when “Elmo’s World” hits the screen. At the show’s conclusion, Oscar The Grouch reads his pet worm, Slimey, a book and the tiny creature falls asleep.
Shea and I say “night-night” to a half-dozen items in the house. Then, it’s off to Dream Land for 90 minute in the portable crib in what is now the spare bedroom.
When Shea awakes, my wife, Mary, will be home from her job as a pre-school teacher. Mimi will want some one-on-one time, so G-Pa will hang out on the sidelines and watch with delight.
It’s a scenario I wish for every parent. The chance to play and enjoy your children’s children. To re-live the joys of child rearing without the heavy lifting of every-day parenting.
It’s something Baby Boomers should strive to achieve. If you are fortunate enough to have grandchildren, figure out a way to live within an hour of them. Whatever sacrifice you have to endure to make this happen, you will be repaid in spades with love, enjoyment and contentment.
This isn’t just for us either. Having grandparents nearby is good for parents and grandchildren alike.
In prehistoric times, grandparents played a vital role in the village. My friend, Sacramento State anthropology professor Gerry Drawhorn, tells me tribal elders filled three important jobs as historians, advisors and care-takers of the little ones. The hunter-and-gatherer parents were busy defending the village and collecting food. They relied on the grandparents to complete those other tasks.
In modern society, those functions have faded, but elders are still needed, possibly more now than they were a few decades ago. Baby Boomers can begin a transformation back to the extended family. For starters, we can retrieve the role of care-takers simply by being grandparents. By being there for our sometimes overworked and harried children. By being there for our grandchildren.
As for me, I’ll savor this day and then get ready for next Tuesday. That’s when Shea and I can have a few hours together… just the two of us.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Is The Third Time The Charm?
On Nov. 4, 2008, the United States will elect its 44th president.
It will most likely be a Baby Boomer.
If so, it will be the third consecutive occupant of the White House from our generation.
Which leads to the question: Is the third time the charm?
No matter what side of the political ledger you’re on, it’s probably fair to say the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have split our country pretty sharply. Divisive times, for certain. In particular, the past six years have been combative and, I’m sure historians will conclude, not real productive.
In 2008, can we change that course? Can Baby Boomers produce a leader who will bring our society together? Who will lead our nation down a better path? One that will solve our problems instead of creating new ones?
Can we travel through an election season without the political debate deteriorating into a bitter quarrel? Can we inaugurate a new president on Jan. 20, 2009 with the country feeling optimistic? With everyone pointed the same direction?
The thought comes to mind because this afternoon my wife, Mary, and I went to political events within walking distance of each other in Oakland for the two leading Democratic presidential contenders.
Campaign workers were opening a new office downtown for Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who was born at the tail end of our generation in 1961. Two blocks west, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, who was born at the dawn of the Baby Boom era in 1946, spoke to a crowd of more than 10,000 people at a “block party."
It was gratifying, even inspiring, to see the young volunteers smiling broadly at the Obama headquarters, gleams of hope in their eyes. It was equally heartening to see the mix of old and young listening to Senator Clinton’s vision for America.
It harkened me back to 1968. A time when our nation was divided over an unpopular war. When the incumbent president wasn’t running for re-election. When members of the Baby Boom generation were voting for the first time.
Vice President Hubert Humphrey was the establishment candidate for the Democrats. The contender who was trying to rid himself of any links to that war halfway across the world. Much like Senator Clinton.
New York Senator Robert Kennedy was the 40-something candidate who had a flock of young followers at his footsteps. He spoke adamantly against our soldiers fighting in a foreign land. Much like Senator Obama.
Humphrey wasn’t really inspiring. He portrayed himself as the experienced, competent candidate. Much like Mrs. Clinton.
Kennedy was poetic. Audiences hung on his every word. He was a fresh choice. Much like Mr. Obama.
While there is much to compare, let us hope the 2008 election ends differently than the one 40 years ago. In 1968, Senator Kennedy as well as civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were gunned down. That summer, demonstrators clashed violently with police outside the Democratic convention in Chicago. And in the end, Richard Nixon won a close battle over Humphrey and became president. Nixon would proceed to drive a wedge deep into this country, pitting generation against generation. He eventually would resign in disgrace.
Let us hope 2008 turns out differently. That a Baby Boomer ascends to the White House and rises to the occasion. That our third Baby Boomer president heals a divided and distraught nation. That he or she grabs the wheel of our drifting ship and boldly steers it toward calmer seas.
Let us hope the 44th presidency is something the Baby Boom generation can be proud of.
It will most likely be a Baby Boomer.
If so, it will be the third consecutive occupant of the White House from our generation.
Which leads to the question: Is the third time the charm?
No matter what side of the political ledger you’re on, it’s probably fair to say the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have split our country pretty sharply. Divisive times, for certain. In particular, the past six years have been combative and, I’m sure historians will conclude, not real productive.
In 2008, can we change that course? Can Baby Boomers produce a leader who will bring our society together? Who will lead our nation down a better path? One that will solve our problems instead of creating new ones?
Can we travel through an election season without the political debate deteriorating into a bitter quarrel? Can we inaugurate a new president on Jan. 20, 2009 with the country feeling optimistic? With everyone pointed the same direction?
The thought comes to mind because this afternoon my wife, Mary, and I went to political events within walking distance of each other in Oakland for the two leading Democratic presidential contenders.
Campaign workers were opening a new office downtown for Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who was born at the tail end of our generation in 1961. Two blocks west, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, who was born at the dawn of the Baby Boom era in 1946, spoke to a crowd of more than 10,000 people at a “block party."
It was gratifying, even inspiring, to see the young volunteers smiling broadly at the Obama headquarters, gleams of hope in their eyes. It was equally heartening to see the mix of old and young listening to Senator Clinton’s vision for America.
It harkened me back to 1968. A time when our nation was divided over an unpopular war. When the incumbent president wasn’t running for re-election. When members of the Baby Boom generation were voting for the first time.
Vice President Hubert Humphrey was the establishment candidate for the Democrats. The contender who was trying to rid himself of any links to that war halfway across the world. Much like Senator Clinton.
New York Senator Robert Kennedy was the 40-something candidate who had a flock of young followers at his footsteps. He spoke adamantly against our soldiers fighting in a foreign land. Much like Senator Obama.
Humphrey wasn’t really inspiring. He portrayed himself as the experienced, competent candidate. Much like Mrs. Clinton.
Kennedy was poetic. Audiences hung on his every word. He was a fresh choice. Much like Mr. Obama.
While there is much to compare, let us hope the 2008 election ends differently than the one 40 years ago. In 1968, Senator Kennedy as well as civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were gunned down. That summer, demonstrators clashed violently with police outside the Democratic convention in Chicago. And in the end, Richard Nixon won a close battle over Humphrey and became president. Nixon would proceed to drive a wedge deep into this country, pitting generation against generation. He eventually would resign in disgrace.
Let us hope 2008 turns out differently. That a Baby Boomer ascends to the White House and rises to the occasion. That our third Baby Boomer president heals a divided and distraught nation. That he or she grabs the wheel of our drifting ship and boldly steers it toward calmer seas.
Let us hope the 44th presidency is something the Baby Boom generation can be proud of.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Drumming Along: Life After 50
Is there something you always wanted to do? Wanted to master? Or at least wanted to try?
Sing? Dance? Act on stage? Parachute?
Something you didn’t have the discipline to do when you were young? Or didn’t have the time to do when you were raising a family?
It’s too late now, you might think. I should have done that when I had the chance.
Perhaps you should think again.
Middle age might be the perfect time to take a stab at the craft or hobby that’s been languishing in the back of your mental closet.
As Baby Boomers turn 45, 50 and 60, there is no time like the present to take that passion out and give it a whirl.
That’s what I did a few years back.
I have always loved music. From The Beatles to Elton John to Maroon 5, I have tuned in to the rhythms of the radio. Unfortunately, I can’t sing. Can’t carry a tune in a bucket, as my dad says. My small motor skills aren’t the best either, so musical instruments didn’t come easy.
But the drums. That was something else.
Growing up, my neighbor, Rodney, played them. He had a drum set in his bedroom. I would listen to him bang the cymbals and hit the skins for hours in junior high and high school. Seemed like an instrument I might be able to play, but I never got the courage to sit down and try it.
That desire lingered through adulthood, but it was never acted upon. Then, a few years back, my wife, Mary, and I went to Sacramento to see her friend, Nancy Pepin, and her husband, Marc. He played drums in a trio. We watched him perform at a little club in Folsom. It was great.
Marc told me he too had always wanted to play the percussion, so he’d taken up the drums at age 50.
“I’m a big believer in the adage that it’s never too late to learn something new,” he told me. Fantastic.
A few months later, on my 50th birthday, my wonderful wife and my youngest daughter, Katherine, gave me eight drum lessons from a percussionist in Danville. So, I called up, made an appointment and went. He showed me some basics and gave me sheets of practice drills. I used up the octet of lessons, kept the sheets and banged the sticks on pillows and carpets at home.
It was fun, but it wasn’t really playing the drums. I mentioned my situation to my friend, professional triathlete Eric Harr. A few months later, on my 51st birthday, a drum set arrived on our front porch, courtesy of my good pal.
I assembled the drums quicker than you can say “Buddy Rich” and began to pound away. Almost every day. Eventually, I figured out the bare skins were too loud. So, I went to a music store and purchased muffs for the drums and cymbals, so I wouldn’t go deaf and my neighbors wouldn’t call the cops.
I play most days, usually in the afternoons when I’m home from work, Mary is at her job and the neighbors are awake.
It’s been an uplifting and soul-filling experience.
I urge my fellow Baby Boomers to do the same. Now is the time to try that activity you’ve always wanted to do. Doesn’t matter what it is. If you’ve had a desire, follow it.
This is a time in our lives to quench our internal thirsts. Improve our inner selves. Break open those unopened packages.
Lynn Friedman, a video editor at a television station in San Francisco, did so when she neared 50. She’d always had a passion for photography. So, she got serious with her camera.
Took photos at events. Took pictures of landscapes. Snapped shots of people. Now, she regularly has exhibits of her work at galleries. It was a way for her to bust out of her life mold. She urges other Boomers to do the same.
“We’ve been hunkering down at the video store for too long,” she told me.
So, give it a try, Boomers. It doesn’t have to be for money. It can be for fun. Or just because it’s there.
I have no plans to join a band or perform publicly. First off, I’m not good enough. Second, that would take the enjoyment out of it.
It’s simple pleasure. The drums sit in our front room. When the mood strikes, I do a few drills, then put on a c-d and bang away to the music. If my grandson Shea is visiting, he’ll sit on my lap, grab a stick in each hand and smack the drums he can reach.
It’s recreation I never thought I would have, but I discovered late in life is not a bad time to try it.
Actor Pierce Brosnan may have summed it up best. While talking about advancing in age, he told Life magazine in 2005, “I feel like an old lion with a wonderful sense of liberation.”
Pierce is right. So, let out a roar, Baby Boomers. Find out what will liberate you.
Sing? Dance? Act on stage? Parachute?
Something you didn’t have the discipline to do when you were young? Or didn’t have the time to do when you were raising a family?
It’s too late now, you might think. I should have done that when I had the chance.
Perhaps you should think again.
Middle age might be the perfect time to take a stab at the craft or hobby that’s been languishing in the back of your mental closet.
As Baby Boomers turn 45, 50 and 60, there is no time like the present to take that passion out and give it a whirl.
That’s what I did a few years back.
I have always loved music. From The Beatles to Elton John to Maroon 5, I have tuned in to the rhythms of the radio. Unfortunately, I can’t sing. Can’t carry a tune in a bucket, as my dad says. My small motor skills aren’t the best either, so musical instruments didn’t come easy.
But the drums. That was something else.
Growing up, my neighbor, Rodney, played them. He had a drum set in his bedroom. I would listen to him bang the cymbals and hit the skins for hours in junior high and high school. Seemed like an instrument I might be able to play, but I never got the courage to sit down and try it.
That desire lingered through adulthood, but it was never acted upon. Then, a few years back, my wife, Mary, and I went to Sacramento to see her friend, Nancy Pepin, and her husband, Marc. He played drums in a trio. We watched him perform at a little club in Folsom. It was great.
Marc told me he too had always wanted to play the percussion, so he’d taken up the drums at age 50.
“I’m a big believer in the adage that it’s never too late to learn something new,” he told me. Fantastic.
A few months later, on my 50th birthday, my wonderful wife and my youngest daughter, Katherine, gave me eight drum lessons from a percussionist in Danville. So, I called up, made an appointment and went. He showed me some basics and gave me sheets of practice drills. I used up the octet of lessons, kept the sheets and banged the sticks on pillows and carpets at home.
It was fun, but it wasn’t really playing the drums. I mentioned my situation to my friend, professional triathlete Eric Harr. A few months later, on my 51st birthday, a drum set arrived on our front porch, courtesy of my good pal.
I assembled the drums quicker than you can say “Buddy Rich” and began to pound away. Almost every day. Eventually, I figured out the bare skins were too loud. So, I went to a music store and purchased muffs for the drums and cymbals, so I wouldn’t go deaf and my neighbors wouldn’t call the cops.
I play most days, usually in the afternoons when I’m home from work, Mary is at her job and the neighbors are awake.
It’s been an uplifting and soul-filling experience.
I urge my fellow Baby Boomers to do the same. Now is the time to try that activity you’ve always wanted to do. Doesn’t matter what it is. If you’ve had a desire, follow it.
This is a time in our lives to quench our internal thirsts. Improve our inner selves. Break open those unopened packages.
Lynn Friedman, a video editor at a television station in San Francisco, did so when she neared 50. She’d always had a passion for photography. So, she got serious with her camera.
Took photos at events. Took pictures of landscapes. Snapped shots of people. Now, she regularly has exhibits of her work at galleries. It was a way for her to bust out of her life mold. She urges other Boomers to do the same.
“We’ve been hunkering down at the video store for too long,” she told me.
So, give it a try, Boomers. It doesn’t have to be for money. It can be for fun. Or just because it’s there.
I have no plans to join a band or perform publicly. First off, I’m not good enough. Second, that would take the enjoyment out of it.
It’s simple pleasure. The drums sit in our front room. When the mood strikes, I do a few drills, then put on a c-d and bang away to the music. If my grandson Shea is visiting, he’ll sit on my lap, grab a stick in each hand and smack the drums he can reach.
It’s recreation I never thought I would have, but I discovered late in life is not a bad time to try it.
Actor Pierce Brosnan may have summed it up best. While talking about advancing in age, he told Life magazine in 2005, “I feel like an old lion with a wonderful sense of liberation.”
Pierce is right. So, let out a roar, Baby Boomers. Find out what will liberate you.
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