The End

Just came across the umpteenth post about things that baby boomers grew up with that are now or soon going the way of the dodo bird. Things such as photo albums, faxes, voicemails, checks, cash, manual transmissions, fax machines, landlines, newspapers, and many more.

What’s the fascination with this? Is it misplaced nostalgia? Are any of us really going to miss couches wrapped in plastic or the yellow pages? The good China has been disappearing for a long time now and not many of us shed any tears over that.

Handwritten letters made the list and honestly it is astonishing that anyone would still take the time to handwrite just about anything other than a grocery list (and you can do that in Notes!). Shocker – only 24 states require cursive writing instruction. That means we are probably no more than a decade away from school kids thinking that cursive writing is a foreign language.

Ever wonder why when you fill out medical forms there’s a space for home phone and a space for mobile? Who has a landline still? Boomers, of course, and we’re the ones filling out quite a few medical forms these days.

When my mother reached 100 years of age, she wanted me to help her make a list of the events and technology she witnessed in her lifetime. No luddite her, she mastered email at age 94. Computers, cell phones, rockets that orbit the earth, self-driving cars – she had seen it all. But she started out her childhood with a hand-cranked Victrola (and late in life admitted she put the cat on it once…maybe twice).

I only mention her amazement at what she witnessed in her lifetime because baby boomers can and should be equally astonished at what’s transformed our world in our lifetimes. Now we stand at the cusp of the artificial intelligence technology that will transform medicine, science, capitalism and climate. Honestly, many of us are more fearful than optimistic of what AI can do, but it’s here and it’s out of the box.

Nothing left for us to do but make lists of things we grew up with that are biting the dust. You go first. By the way, the illustration of the dodo bird was created with….AI.

Jay Harrison is a writer and creative consultant for DesignConcept. His newest mystery novel, Rio Puerco Demise is available on Amazon. His first mystery novel, Head Above Water, is also available on Amazon. But that’s not all. You can also purchase the Best of BoomSpeak on Amazon.

It's All About the 'Tude

Got a bad attitude about aging? The aches and pains wearing you down?  Afraid you won’t make it past 80? Is that what’s bugging you bubby?

A recent article in the NY Times extols a change of mindset. When you read that you may be thinking, “well if I could change my mindset that easily, I wouldn’t be depressed about aging.”

Sure, the experts say, having a positive mindset is conducive to aging well. The article cited a study that showed that those with a positive attitude about getting older lived seven and half years longer than those with a bad (read that as negative) attitude. Crikey. If it’s that easy to pick up seven years, why isn’t everyone doing it?

Ahh – that’s the crux of the problem right there. It’s not that easy to have a positive attitude when your hip hurts, your knee creaks, your hearing is fading, and your blood pressure is rising.

Platitudes don’t work, that’s for sure. When someone who has not seen you in 10 years tells you that you haven’t aged a bit, feel free to kick them in the shins and see if they think you still have a great attitude.

What does work? You need to actively promote positive aging beliefs according to experts. Start analyzing your own beliefs about aging. Do you moan about the bad knee, the hair loss, or the tennis game that’s not what it used to be? Find some role models of positive aging. You know they are out there. There’s the 90 year-old diver, a rare case for sure, but there’s also the 80 year-old who is still going to yoga classes. You can’t force positivity or paper over the genuine health issues, but experts believe that positive images of aging can improve your attitude and your physical function.

One example that hit home is the man whose left hip was aching much of the time, which in turn made him cranky about aging. When it was pointed out that his right hip was as old as the left and it was pain-free, it made him think that maybe his physical condition wasn’t so bad after all.

That’s a segue to the last advice for aging boomers. Try to remind yourself that with age comes the acquisition of useful information and wisdom.

That never gets old.

Jay Harrison is a writer and creative consultant for DesignConcept. His newest mystery novel, Rio Puerco Demise is available on Amazon. His first mystery novel, Head Above Water, is also available on Amazon. But that’s not all. You can also purchase the Best of BoomSpeak on Amazon.