Baby Boomers.
We were born of parents who survived the Depression, World War II and the enormous cultural shift that occurred going from the 50s to the 60s. Raised by people who were living the residual effects of those traumas—the outcome for many of us was that our physical needs were met but few of the emotional ones. We are of a generation of children who were seen, not heard, who did as we were told. For if we didn’t, we suffered beatings that our parent’s unresolved traumas brought down on our bodies.
On top of that, we bore the significant violence and traumas of our own time.
The shocking assassinations of President Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert Kennedy, men whose only crimes were leading a people from the chains of bondage. The unrelenting indignities Gloria Steinem took on as she raised a revolution for women. Broken hearts from fifty-eight thousand brothers and sisters wiped out in the Vietnam War, and the viciousness of a divided country from that senseless war.
And yet we Boomers CHOSE to rise up strong. Become powerhouses. Leaders among leaders.
Carrying our elder’s load on top of our own made us passionate and fierce. Despite our brokenness, we stayed respectful to our parents, all the while trying to do a better job of nurturing the souls we brought into the world. We gave our children a voice. Made sure they were loved, wanted, worthy, told they mattered.
But I think we overcorrected.
It’s assumed the next generation will do better than the one that came before, but I’m not seeing it. I’ve never bought into the standard line about putting down younger generations, but I’m beginning to feel some disappointment.
There are many shining stars to be counted among Millennials. Mayor Lucas of Kansas City is one of those. Whatever your politics, and whatever your opinion of Covid, at least the man is doing what he was sworn into office to do. Lead. Such a rare trait in a politician. That said, for many of the others in this subset, there’s an alarming sense of entitlement instead of gratitude. Blame, instead of love. Inertia, instead of summoning a fire in your gut to create your own destiny.
And how unbecoming is that?
The good news is, for the first time in hundreds of years, there’s a planetary lineup that history has shown creates a paradigm shift. A new beginning. Change for the better. The Age of Aquarius. Our reward for having withstood these past few years, the worst being 2020.
Here’s to all of us who’ve used this difficult time for introspection. Who’ve mustered the courage to explore the dungeons, feel the deep feelings, the mental anguish, the grief. For that’s where healing lays. And with healing comes strength and power. Qualities to use for yourself, and then, standing in gratitude for the peace received, to pay forward to others in need.
The photo: 62-year old me honoring that everything good that exists in me is only here because of the toils of prior generations. Bowing to those younger, who are doing the work, making the world better for everyone, including the children yet to come.
P.S. As of 7:10 this evening, my mother is officially gone from this lifetime for a year. Missing you mom. xo