Baby Boomers
The Silent Fear No One Talks About
Baby Boomers are the generation born between 1946 and 1964. They were a special generation because they were so large, and today they play an integral part of what is happening in the world today.
That means the Boomers are from 79 years old to 61 years old.
There are many things that older Boomers have in common.
They have watched their parents pass away. They have seen their friends die from disease and accidents. One thing about getting older is our bodies tend to wear out, our organs begin to fail and as I have seen in our own neighborhood if you tempt fate too many times, many die in accidents.
We also have in common that we have thought of "What will happen to us in our older age"? There seems to be a rush of thinking, grab on to a younger person who can help you and keep you out of a nursing home. None of us want to go to a nursing home, no matter how nice they say they are.
However, there is one thing that is more disturbing than the prospect of going to a nursing home, and not being able to do for ourselves, like we have been doing for others all our lives.
It is an unspoken fear -one that is on the tip of our tongues, that we dare not speak out loud.
As we say goodbye to our parents and even some of our siblings, and we face the fact that we find our school mates have died and our neighbors are dying. Not all of them however, I have some 91 year olds in our neighborhood that are still driving. Of course I plan on not going on the road when they are out and about. Remember the part about tempting fate.
However, if you want to know what is ever present on the minds of baby boomers, more than staying out of a nursing home or having someone help them.
It is simply this, and we suppress it and we don't verbalize it generally.
However, "the most difficult thing about growing older, is having to say goodbye".
THERE I SAID IT, AND IT IS ON THE MINDS OF MOST BABY BOOMERS AND WHAT IS LEFT OF THE OLDER GENERATION BEFORE US -- Saying "Goodbye to friends can be a life altering experience, because it is a final goodbye".
About the Creator
Susan Payton
I love to write in every venue. I am 76 years old and try to make every day count,. I am learning a great deal about poetry.
You can find me at medium.com/susan-payton
Or on my publication-medium.com/simple-gardening
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