I AM Relevant

For several weeks, I have been meditating on the word relevant as spoken to me by my daughter regarding my aging.

At first, I thought relevant was a good word but did not really apply to me.
Well, it does, and it probably applies to a lot of us that have passed the age of 65.
We are also part of what is making those under 45 push back, up, or whatever against what we over 65 are doing.

Here is what I came up with about being relevant.

1. We (the baby boomers) are used to being progressive, movers, and shakers. We are still movers and shakers, and some of us are still progressive. We do not do it as quickly as we use to do it.

2. We (the baby boomers) are not ready to sit down and disappear into the sunset. We still have a lot to give and to offer to the world that we have BUILT, and NO we are not ready to turn it over to our children or grandchildren.

3. We (the baby boomers) went through something getting here. Life was tough regardless of your race, religion, creed, sexual orientation or preference, or anything else. We know what it is not to have, have too little, be spit on, called indecent names, be turned away from restaurants, not allowed to use particular bathrooms, or even hold certain jobs. YET, we held our heads high, and not only did the jobs that we were given, but we also created new jobs, set new standards, championed everyone's rights, and in the end, made the world that we live in today.

4. We (the baby boomers) trained our bosses to do their jobs and watched them move up the ladder of success while we taught the next set of bosses or would-be bosses. We smiled, laughed, created music, and kept it real. The world is a much better place because of us, AND we know it.

5. We (the baby boomers) are relevant because we can relate to every single thing that is going on in the world today from our history of the world that existed BEFORE we came of age. We know about smoking mary jane (MJ, weed, pot), riding down the highway without a seatbelt, drinking and driving, smoking cigarettes because it was the cool thing to do, having unprotected sex, getting sexually transmitted diseases and a shot in the rear to cure it, wearing five-inch heels and ruining our feet as well as a host of other bad habits that we now have put rules in place to help the generations behind us.

But -- we also learned from our mistakes and worked like hell to make the world a better place for those we were raising and would come behind us.

So, YES, today, those baby boomers are struggling to stay relevant because that is what we learned over the years.

WE LEARNED that education and learning is a lifelong adventure that only stopped when you are dead.

We LEARNED that unless you had some skin in the game or a seat at the table, you would never be heard.

We LEARNED that no matter how tough things got, the tough kept on going and finished the task.

We LEARNED that inclusion was the best possible solution to conquering our fears.

We LEARNED that the day we stopped being relevant, we would no longer be in the GAME of life.

So, yes, my daughter, I am still fighting to be relevant. I am still working toward that world that I believe you, your siblings, your children, and your children's children deserve.

Yes, yes, yes, I NEED TO BE RELEVANT!

Peace and blessings now and always!

(This one is for the baby boomers, but also for the millennials that are trying to understand us!)

P.S. I plan on staying relevant and NEVER just riding off into the sunset where golfing, swimming, drinking margaritas, and the likes are what I wake up with on my mind. No offense to those who do, but it is just not my speed, and yes, I carry my laptop, tablet, smartphone, and whatever else with me when I go on vacation. I still have that book to finish and at least two more to write. LOL)