Baby Boomers

I can talk about this because I'm one. A baby boomer. Not my fault just a victim of the times. I can't speak for others but I'm tired of hearing about it.
The economists talk about the baby boomers,the doctors talk about the baby boomers, the government worries about the baby boomers. Give me a break will ya ? We are not the first generation to face old age and a rising cost in medical care. What is all the hulabalou about anyway ? We are getting older and some of us are collecting social security. Some of us are having health issues. Some of us can't get around as well as we used too. Sounds normal to me.
Yesterday I watched a whole segment on the news about,baby boomers. The main topic was health care and CVS pharmacy must have been the sponsor of this segment. They started out talking about aging. How,over time,our joints stiffen,our vision gets dim and we don't hear as well. No kidding ! They put the news correspondent in a suit to simulate what it was like being old. This suit made it difficult to raise your arms and bend over. Shoes that made you unstable on your feet and glasses to blur your vision. Funny stuff to watch,especially when I already know all about that. They did make it seem as though the future was mighty bleak. Of course,CVS pharmacy had answers to most of those problems. They lowered their shelves, improved the lighting in the stores,provide magnifiers by the product so you can read the label and adjust the sound level. Very kind of them,don't you think ?
In the end the main point was that we can all live longer. Proper diet and exercise will help. Regular visits to the Doctor for tune ups will help. They went on to say how the baby boomers do exercise more and take better care than previous generations. Yeah,we do. That is mostly because we don't have to do things like chop firewood and haul water in from the pump anymore. We have far more labor saving devices today than our parents did and way more than our grandparents. We have more time to be concerned with exercise and diet. In the past they were more concerned with just living. As my dear Grandmother would tell you," idle hands do the devils work " so she stayed busy. Cooking,cleaning and staying busy ( active in today's jargon). They came about their exercise by honest work.
For me the bottom line is simple. I don't want to die but I will only live as long as the Lord allows. Now,don't tempt fate. There is a passage in the Bible about that I believe. I'm no Biblical scholar but didn't the Devil try to tempt Jesus into jumping off a cliff ? Lesson to be learned there. Don't tempt fate.
Another favorite saying I heard was, " you make a plan and God laughs ". I believe that is true also. We have no control over when or how we will pass.
There is just no other way to explain certain things happening the way they do. Take that Representative being shot in the head. Alive and making a wonderful recovery,while someone else dies from a tick bite. For the representative it wasn't her time.
I've always said I wanted to live to be a old man. The reason for that is a selfish one. It has been my experience that old people can pretty much say whatever it is they are thinking about, out loud. Much like little kids do. I think it is great. My great grandfather would sit outside at the gas station back home and just commentate the whole day. That guy was a wise man and that guy was a damn fool. I thought it was hilarious. I also thought it must be great to have that freedom to speak. Seldom did anyone say anything back to him, but usually just smiled,agreed and kept on moving. In today's world I am forced to reconsider that though. I'm not sure society is as tolerant to the elderly as they used to be.
We the baby boomers are not much different than our forefathers. We are a bit more spoiled and a little softer I think. But that is to be expected. Do we not spoil our own children. Didn't we try to make it easier for them just like our parents did for us ? It is all part of a cycle. Enjoy life for what it is. A fleeting moment in time.