Movie night and what to see? Standing in line, I looked up to see what was playing. Getting up to the booth to pay for my ticket, the young man asked me, “What movie Sir?” I replied, “Life of Pi” please, I’ve enjoyed pie for years and I’m so happy they finally made a movie about it”. The cashier looked at me strangely and said “Ok Sir that will be $7.50 please”. I said, “Wow, $7.50! Must be some kind of a special today?” The kid looked up and said, “Well Sir, seniors are $7.50. Regular Adults are $10.00. You’re considered a Senior Adult so you get to save $2.50 on your ticket”.
“What! I’m not ready to be called a senior! I’ll pay for 1 Adult ticket please!”
And this happened to me when I was only 49! Damn! Maybe I saved $2.50 but I lost years of dignity in that one quick transaction.
So what happened, where did the time go for God sakes? Just an hour and a half ago it was 1965 and graduation day at Kaimuki! Now I stand and look back and say what the hell happened! Close to 50 years have passed and now it’s the beginning of the 4th quarter. They call it the Wonder Years, yeah, ok. You wonder what the hell happened to the time.
We are called the Baby-boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, and we were conceived from the Greatest Generation! Our Moms and Dads lived through WWII and when they came home they made babies, a lot of them. Baby Boomers — we are the generation that tested the Government, witnessed the assassinations of our leaders, and we invented Love, Sex and Rock-n-Roll. We fought in nasty wars, came home to work and became doctors, lawyers, teachers, bankers and Radio Personalities! We dedicated ourselves to our jobs and families and then had mid-life crisis and went in search for the meaning of life. We were and still are a fiercely independent bunch of World War ll babies and we continue to make a difference. We are probably the last generation who had a thriving middle class and probably will be the last generation to collect Social Security and Medicare as we know it.
So the question is, have you been playing your fiddle or storing your nuts or playing your fiddle AND storing your nuts. If the latter, good going! Preparing for the fourth quarter is tricky. I’m not a financial adviser but it’s good to have a few bucks around to help your co-pay as you go along. But the most important part of the fourth quarter is your sense of humor and balance. It truly comes down to Mind, Body, Soul and laughter. This is way more important than any bank roll you might have, because if you don’t have balance and laughter then you have nothing.
And now it’s Generation X and Generation Y who have to start to pay their own way and they need to drop the word Entitlement! They need to get off their okole’s and get to work. Baby Boomers are not afraid of confrontation and will not hesitate to challenge the establishment. The funny thing is, WE are the Establishment now!
Join in a conversation with Frank B. Shaner on facebook and experience his art online at www.frankbshaner.com.
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