Pleased to meet you…
Gosh, friends, haven’t we had an interesting journey up ’til now? As the first Baby Boomer (born nine months after VJ Day — the end of WW II), I’ve lived and witnessed a lot of history.
Bet you have, too.
Take something as simple as a phone. I remember ours hanging on the kitchen wall with the coil-cord that always tangled. Complete with a party line. Now we have this portable device that goes with us, connects us to the world. No cord. Just a battery that always needs charging. Or so it seems.
Anyhow, I digress.
I’d like to start a conversation with you. Let’s talk. Where we’ve been, where we’re going. Where we hope we’ll go.
I’ll go first.
I’m a woman of a “certain age.” That certain age is seventy-eight. See, I’m singing it out loud and clear. That’s one subject we’ll be talking about: Age. Aging in America. It’s almost like a disease that we hope not to catch.
But I feel differently. I feel fortunate to have reached this age. There’s a feeling of peace to have survived all the challenges of the previous years.
So we’re gonna tackle that big subject of celebrating our age. Hoping to connect with you, my “silver sisters” and “silver brothers.” We’ve seen a lot. Lived through a lot. Made a difference. There’s more to come.
Cue the Beach Boys song, “Round, round, get around…”
After being bred and born in a Philadelphia suburb, schooled and married in Michigan (Kalamazoo and Detroit), lived briefly in Chicago and Boston, spent 30 plus wondrous years in San Francisco and Oakland, and now living in a small coastal town in North Carolina with a warm community, I’ve experienced lots of different points of view—politically and culturally. Kind-hearted people are everywhere.
Music’s done much to shape my life.
“California Dreaming” on such a winter’s day got us to move from Michigan to California. Love those tunes of our juicy years…still listen to them, dance around the kitchen to them, remember where I was and how I felt when I first heard them – and always will. Those songs marked our lives.
From tie-dye to bow-tie to illegal weed to weed shops — the times keep a-changing. But I believe in my heart that people are inherently good. And, yes, I’ve been called a Pollyanna.
But I’ve seen our humanity at its best with my own eyes.
When the Loma Prieta earthquake pancaked the Cypress Freeway overpass in Oakland, people didn’t stop to consider color, ethnicity, political party or net worth. No, they started digging and rescuing those trapped in their cars beneath the rubble. Digging with whatever tools at hand. Or with their bare hands. Because people were suffering. And they, the rescuers, couldn’t stand by.
So I hope you and I can embrace our common humanity. Living our lives the best we can on this fragile little planet of ours. Being kind.
Finding some joy in our complex world. Embracing our age. Singing our song.
So here we go! Let’s have some fun. Crank up the music. As Marvin Gaye sang, “What’s going on”??
Wishing you much joy, one meatball at a time. Hope you enjoy PattyTakes. Please share your comments/thoughts. Always, Patty