Boomers are moving into to the now what? phase.
Our bodies are, shall we say, disappointing us on a more frequent basis. One day it’s an eye infection and the next day it’s a hitch in the hip (yes, another one). What’s going on?
If you were at the car dealer for routine maintenance they would simply tell you that it’s normal part wear. That’s right. Your body is just like a car. As the mileage rolls up on the odometer, life’s wear and tear starts to add up. The problem is that you cannot replace limbs as easily as putting on new tires or just changing the oil or the mysterious cabin filter that every car service rep will tell you needs to be replaced (for $75).
If you’re counting on one hand the number of aches and pains you’ve decided you can live with, then you know exactly what we’re talking about here. Sore knee? It’s not so bad that you stop hiking. Cataracts? Stop driving at night. For every ailment there’s an excuse to keep on moving. And that’s as it should be, otherwise we would never get out of bed.
Speaking of getting out of bed…that’s when you take inventory of what will hurt today. Worse, it could be when you realize there’s a new pain that was not there when you went to bed. I hate that.
What are we supposed to do about this sensation that we’re trapped in the now what phase? In the words (and cartoons) of R. Crumb, we just need to Keep On Truckin! Facing life’s challenges unbowed, we need to sustain that forward momentum, that optimism that characterized the baby boomer generation that still lives on, navigating the troubled waters of our current social and political upheaval, so that we just KEEP ON TRUCKIN!!
Phew! Did not realize the power of those words. It won’t be easy to exchange “now what” for keep on truckin, but what other choice is there? Resilience is all we’ve got going for us and that may be just enough to get us through the hard times brought on by our physical deterioration.
No other option. We can do this.
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.
