The end of one year and the beginning of another signifies leaving behind the old to embark on a journey into the unknown. For some, shedding what we know and identify with is a daunting, if not downright scary proposition. Many of my fellow baby boomers frequently send me nostalgic emails that are a medley of the wonderful icons of our youth–The Mouseketeers, The Beatles, Elvis, Hula Hoops–the list goes on and on. They opine the loss of “the good old days,” although for anyone who doesn’t suffer from selective memory, the old days had plenty of not-so-good things that I’m glad are gone–McCarthyism, big hair, lynch mobs, and 8 Tracks, to name but a few.
2008 was the year we voted for CHANGE, and I’d like to see Boomers, along with their younger fellow citizens, step up to the plate and embrace the new, and sometimes scary, present and future. It’s a great idea to “make new friends, but keep the old” like a song I remember from MY good old days. No need to ditch The Beatles to listen to a new rock band, or throw out your cherished collection of vinyl while downloading iTunes to your mp3 player. Hang onto the old, but welcome the new. I hear too many boomers dissing new technologies, new ideas, saying “I’m too old to change. This is how I’ve always done it.”
“Yes I Can” applies to those of us over 45, too.
