Why Being in Your 40's in 2019 is Amazing?!

Let's be honest, aging isn't always the greatest.  I mean I have wrinkles and saggage (I just made up that word, but you know what it means) in areas that weren't even a thought in my twenties.

I've also worked with teenagers for 20 years and while its fun and rewarding, it can easily make you feel even older.  The vocabulary, styles and humor are constantly changing so just when you think you are tracking, something changes again and you are once again reminded that YOU ARE OLD!

You can all but feel like an idiot when the latest social media outlet or popular device updates and now that program you use every day is unknowable and you have to relearn it, and once again you feel dumb or old, when you know you are neither one of those things.

Your 40's aren't old!!!! They are enough experience to have learned from some mistakes and able to walk in wise directions and you still have half or more of your life left!  That is something to celebrate.  Technology advances and constant changes mean, if you are in your 40's you've seen more change than the generation above you and you've be able to adapt to an ever-changing world coming on your heels.

Ellen Degeneres, on her show, Ellen, has done a few segments highlighting the Baby Boomer/Millennial gap.  Let me tell you it has been HILARIOUS!  Take a minute to watch them, then come back and finish reading, because not only did it make me laugh, it gave me a thought that answers the question in the title of this post.

The first one I saw from about a month ago, introduced old technology or items we used pre-technology and challenged a millennial to use them. Then Ellen did it again in this episode.

Weren't those great?! I am not a Baby Boomer.  As someone who is born in 1978, I am Generation X, sometimes called Xennial, as a micro generation for someone in between the Generation X and Millenial.  So I don't fit either of the generations highlighted in Ellen's show segment, but as I watched the video, my first thought was, every Millennial (1980 - 1995) and even Gen Z (1996-2009) should watch this and more importantly do this challenge with some older technology so that they come to understand that older people aren't stupid, its just not what they know.

Because if you watch the videos above the high school and college student look like idiots and its because they don't know what they are doing, its not because they are actual idiots.  In fact, both demonstrate with personal facts about themselves, that they are in fact, smart.

So what does all this have to do with 40 year olds being awesome? I will tell you.  I alluded to this in the beginning, but we are the best lifeline to both generations.  We remember what it was like to use a rotary phone and be tethered to a phone cord as we talked with friends on the phone.  We remember life before caller id and before voice mail.  We lived before the internet or cell phones were a thing and that means we understand how to tell time on an analogue clock and how to read a map.  We knew what is was like to get up to turn the tv channel as a kid and make sure you were there to watch that show you loved because it wasn't getting taped, but we also have migrated with the times.  We've gone from cassette tapes to CD's to MP3 players to smart phones with streaming services and digital downloads.  We had a myspace account and know what "You've Got Mail" is talking about.  You may not have a Snapchat account, but you know what it is.  We are the timeline and that is beautiful!

We are the past and the future in one and I think that might make us the smartest people on the planet :).  When this world has you feeling old, just remember you know how to do so many things and you are up to continue on the learning journey.  We will have fun as we get most of the jokes along the way too!  Happy Wednesday! Christmas is next week, so I will be sharing back on here in two weeks.  Enjoy your Christmas and if you don't have a lot of people to celebrate with, look out for others in the same boat and make it more fun for all!

Do You See A Trend?

You never know how some aspect of your childhood will later affect you.  When I was seven years old, my mom and I moved from North Carolina to Indiana.  It wasn't supposed to be a move, it was supposed to be a stop along the way to Santa Cruz, California, but don't we all know sometimes plans change. 

My mom had my sister, Catie, shortly after our move and the three of us shared a bed in my grandpa's two bedroom trailer.  It may have been tight courters but I didn't notice.  I loved those 4 years.  Those four years have left me with a plethora of memories.  My grandpa, known to me as Pappy, was one of 8 siblings. His only brother and a few of his sisters still lived in Kentucky, where he was from, but three of his sisters lived in New Castle, Indiana, as well.  We had a lot of family gatherings and I loved my great-aunts.  They got together regularly for cards, quilting, family dinners and just for "loafing" (hanging out).  Pappy would spend the winters in Florida fishing, which meant that we'd gather for fish fries (frying up fish) quite a lot in the spring and summer.  I didn't realize how that affected me until recent years. 

I've said goodbye to friends who lost a battle with cancer, or have seen friends mourn the loss of a child, but many of my friends' funerals are like the dear friend I said goodbye to earlier this year.  She didn't lose a battle with cancer, she just finished her race.  She was over the age of 90 and full of life until the end.  

Yesterday, I said goodbye to another friend, she also wasn't a spring chicken.  She was 89 years old when she closed her eyes in her hospital bed for the last time.

 

I realized, I'm starting to see a trend.  Reality is I hang out with a lot of older people.  Part of it is because of my role on staff at a church, but then again, I am the youth pastor.  I have made it a part of my job to integrate generations.  We do service projects for retirement homes and have had several older volunteers join us. 

When I question where that desire came from I see the thread leading back to those four years in Indiana.  Going over to Aunt Mary's house, or eating a huge spread at Aunt Abbie's or even spending hours with Aunt Helma, influenced me - not to mention quality time with my Pappy.  Wednesday night church services ending with a trip to Dairy Queen, sitting in the garage with him learning to whittle, or running around with him on his moped or golf cart.  Those experiences impressed upon me the importance of spending time with our elders. 

It met a need in my little girl heart and in a generation where kids and teens are isolated from people as they delve into the technological world, its a need that is present today.  Older folks often felt neglected and being able to connect with those much younger is great for both parties.   Sure, it is sad to have to say goodbye to so many precious people, but, I am better for calling them friend.

Do you ever look at your priorities or trends in your own life and ask yourself, where did that start?  Do you have a unique childhood happening that has impacted the choices you make today?  Its easy to see some of the more obvious options like traumas, but what about the more innocuous options like my love for the older generation? 

Drawing the lines in our timeline can truly be a magical experience.  We should never stop being students in the "Me 101" class.  Its not all about us, but usually in learning about ourselves we can unearth connections with how we interact with each other or even God.  

In this busy time of year, take a break - grab some coffee, tea or hot chocolate; and delve into the study of you.  See what trends and treasures you discover!