What's In A Name? Plenty, If You Are A Boomer
by Barbara Morris, R. Ph.
Thanks to everyone who responded to my call for help in finding a new title for my new book. There was a huge response and I have to say, there is a lot of talent out there! Thanks to your generous and helpful input, I now have a new title which I will reveal in due time. :-) "Why Boomer Women Become Their Mothers" has been retired.
As I told those who responded, one reply in particular threw me off, and it was this: “Barbara, no more "boomer", it's outdated.”
I wasn’t aware that “boomer” is outdated, so I wanted to find the person who made that claim. I just wanted to be brought up to date. If there is a new designation for “boomer” all boomers need to know about it -- I need to know about it! Good grief! I would rather chew nails and spit rust than have anyone think that I’m not up on all things pertaining to boomers.
So, I sent out another email asking for the mystery person to speak up, but alas, he or she is still a mystery. However, that second email elicited additional conversation from several of you about the word “boomer.” If what you told me is a barometer of how some women feel about being called “boomer,” it is clear that even if the word “boomer” is not outdated, boomers don’t like to be called boomers! Why? Because more than a few of you said, “It makes me feel old”.
Shirley in New Zealand was adamant: “Here in NZ and Australia a boomer is a kangaroo . . . I don't like to be referred to as a boomer. I agree, delete that word. We occasionally use the word 'baby boomer' but not boomer.”
As Johnny Carson used to say, with an astonished look on his face, “I did not know that!”
Wow! If being called a boomer makes you feel old, what will you feel like when they start calling you a senior?
At my age of 81, I equate the word “boomer” with youth, vitality, and determination. In no way do I think of boomers as “old.” Feisty boomer women are still chanting their teenage mantra “we will never get old” and they mean it. They will not allow themselves to be lured into the traditional decline oriented senior culture. You won’t catch them at the senior center playing bingo or doing yoga with women old enough to be their mothers. They do battle with aging every way they can. They hike, ski, and run marathons until their buns turn blue. They kick up clouds of dust with their Harleys. That is “old”?
If being called a boomer makes you feel old, what else is going on in your life, or in your head? When working at the pharmacy I can’t recall the number of boomer women who complained, “Barbara, don’t ever get old. It’s the pits.” They didn’t feel old because they were boomers, they felt old because they were in poor health.
The boomer generation is what it is. Call it whatever you like but it’s still the boomer generation. If that is your generation, revel in the fact that you are still young. Remember, the lifespan has increased by 30 years in the past century. Age 40 is no longer middle age. You are a lot younger than you think you are. You are a lot younger than tradition says you are. So don’t allow “boomer” or any other word to negatively shape or influence how you think or live.
Accept your boomer status with pride. I am grateful for the boomer generation. It positively changed a lot about how my generation lives and looks at life. Boomers have set a great example by refusing to allow outdated tradition to dictate the meaning of “old.” Boomers developed a mindset and lifestyle that has allowed me and countless other women to challenge premature decline. Your generation has “done good.” You will age chronologically as we all do but there is no question in my mind that your teenage assertion “we will never get old” will come to pass and will be your legacy. You will never be outdated.
Source: February, 2010 Put Old on Hold NewsletterBarbara Morris — Image F/X Publications
Barbara@PutOldOnHold.com
© 2010 – Image F/X Publications, All rights reserved. If you "borrow" my articles, please give proper attribution. Thanks!
Learn my secrets for staying youthful!
And receive "Twelve Unique Diva-Tested Tips for Fantastic Skin" ebook as a FREE gift when you subscribe!
Privacy Policy: Your email address will never be sold, rented, or given to anyone. You have my word on it!
Put Old on Hold wisdom:
“I'm on a personal exploration
of the anti-aging odyssey. I've lived through this process. I know it
works.”
— Barbara Morris
