"The choices we make change
the story of our life." ©
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Boom! Boom! Boomer!
Posting by Guest Blogger: Karen O'Connor
Day Two of Seven
I remember a time when Boom! Boom! was the sound of my brother and his buddy playing 'war' with their toy guns. Now it refers to a whole group of people called boomers born between 1946 and 1964. I missed this target range by eight years. The more appropriate chant for me is Pow! Pow! Power! An investment counselor told me recently that based on my current age (68) I have a life expectancy of 110. With that in mind—I'm just a bit past middle age. Wouldn't you agree that's a powerful position to be in? Cruise lines, investment brokers, physicians, travel agents, car sales people, retirement village developers, and time-share operators are all after me and the big bucks they assume I have.
Then there are the vendors who think my 'real' age is what matters. They presume I live on a 'fixed income' and I see no good reason to tell them otherwise. These compassionate individuals offer me a discount on movie tickets every afternoon, hamburgers and fries for half price on Tuesdays at Dinette Don's, a free breakfast at the Senior Center every Friday morning, a low-priced concert ticket for the local symphony––if I have it in me to climb to the rafters for a seat, and free lemonade and cookies if I stop by the bank on Monday afternoons, instead of Friday afternoons when all the 'earners' are cashing paychecks.
But most important to me are God's promises, especially the one from Isaiah 46:4. "Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you."
Ah yes, I'm into THAT kind of pow-pow-power! And I'll keep right on enjoying these benefits till I'm 110! I've made a U-turn for life and I'm never going back again.
Day Two of Seven
I remember a time when Boom! Boom! was the sound of my brother and his buddy playing 'war' with their toy guns. Now it refers to a whole group of people called boomers born between 1946 and 1964. I missed this target range by eight years. The more appropriate chant for me is Pow! Pow! Power! An investment counselor told me recently that based on my current age (68) I have a life expectancy of 110. With that in mind—I'm just a bit past middle age. Wouldn't you agree that's a powerful position to be in? Cruise lines, investment brokers, physicians, travel agents, car sales people, retirement village developers, and time-share operators are all after me and the big bucks they assume I have.
Then there are the vendors who think my 'real' age is what matters. They presume I live on a 'fixed income' and I see no good reason to tell them otherwise. These compassionate individuals offer me a discount on movie tickets every afternoon, hamburgers and fries for half price on Tuesdays at Dinette Don's, a free breakfast at the Senior Center every Friday morning, a low-priced concert ticket for the local symphony––if I have it in me to climb to the rafters for a seat, and free lemonade and cookies if I stop by the bank on Monday afternoons, instead of Friday afternoons when all the 'earners' are cashing paychecks.
But most important to me are God's promises, especially the one from Isaiah 46:4. "Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you."
Ah yes, I'm into THAT kind of pow-pow-power! And I'll keep right on enjoying these benefits till I'm 110! I've made a U-turn for life and I'm never going back again.
