The Seventies was period of transition from what had always been to a time of radical change. Baby Boomers brought forth a fresh spirit of personal freedom void of oppression. We were going to change the world – and did! However, young people also had to grow up despite that “We got love…” stuff when we were living off the folks, thumbing our way around the country, bumming some pocket change, and rolling around under the sheets with not a care in the world.
Destiny would find each of us. It always does…
Making love, not War, often meant unintended consequences.
Those unintended consequences meant life – and responsibility – which weren’t always popular. War, also not popular, meant responsibility and carnage. Someone had to live it firsthand in the steamy jungles of Vietnam while politicians sat in the comfort of their climate-controlled homes and offices.
The latter remains true today.
The Seventies today takes on a different meaning than a period of time long since gone – that moment when you realize you are not 21 anymore and 80 is but a decade away. The Seventies now – versus memories of The Seventies a half-century ago.
I just turned 70 and I’m feeling a bit disoriented.
Me? Seventy? Seventy was something our parents and grandparents were, never us. We were never going to grow old. Isn’t that what we said in the Seventies?
We’re still in denial about our advancing ages – and Madison Avenue is up to the task with “age defying” products. Daytime TV is awash with pharmaceuticals, skin cream, exercise machines, stair elevators, and life insurance commercials.
“Shouldn’t You Call Now?” Thank goodness for the remote control.
Some of us never lived to see 70. That’s how I see it. Seventy beats the alternative. Roughly one-third of my graduating class is reportedly gone – never living to see 70. One classmate was killed in a car crash in front of his home in our senior year. Another was shot to death in a robbery in Baltimore. Countless others have passed from everything imaginable.
Maybe it’s time to stop being delusional and come to grips with our own mortality. Our passing is inevitable. However, we still have a lot of living to do despite our ages. I say make the most of the time you’ve been given where doable. Seek the simple things in life because a whole lot of us cannot afford that European vacation let alone a weekend escape from Scranton.
We can, however, take a nice walk in the woods, sit on a park bench, walk the mall, people watch, take a drive, sit at the airport, watch people bowl, take in the spring or fall air, watch the leaves change, and do volunteer work to feel better about ourselves. Few things nurture the soul better than helping others who could use our support. That is somthing I need to try myself. All of my life, I’ve yacked endlessly about doing volunteer work to help Veterans.
Time for me to put my money where my mouth is.
Bowie Senior High’s Class of 1975 Reunion. Bowie, Maryland. Yeah – 50 years…
When I was coming of age in the mid-1970s, I had huge wanderlust. I wanted to hit the American highway in my Mustang and see the world. My high school sweetheart and I hit the road and drove to New York, and then to Canada and had a glorious time seeing things we’d never seen before. We’d head off to see my cousin in New Hampshire or take a weekend and run down to Virginia Beach. The road was ours.
The beauty of being young and naive is you’re not afraid to try something you’ve never tried before. The same can be true as a senior citizen. Dare to embark on a journey that will take you where you’ve never been. Do something you’ve always wanted to do but never had the cash or courage. As long as you have some measure of health, just do it. These journeys are always best when shared with a friend.
The best advice I can offer anyone cresting the Seventies is never to lose that sense of wonderment about the world around us. I take pleasure in escaping to the peace and quiet to watch nature at work. Because I like home and hearth best, I will sit on my suburban L.A. patio and just watch the sky, the birds, the squirrels, ravens, and the doves. The sun will set and the Moon will rise with the opportunity to explore the cosmos. The world is waiting for you right outside your window.
Boomer Journey... 