Baby Boomers want it all! And why not?
Inspired by a women’s movement grass roots slogan, “The Personal Is Political,” we take our personal lives, our well-being, our development, our health, relationships, longevity seriously,
our constitutional right to happiness—an extraordinary promise—as well.
We seek, no embrace happiness. Like my mom who could always find the funny in anything, we are joyologists—dedicated to lifting our own spirits and the spirits of the world.
As we are approaching 60 in record numbers—some 80,000,000 strong, more and more of us are boomeranging—looping around on new life trajectories. With 60 the new 40, and thousands and thousands of us living longer and longer even potentially to 100 or more—the longevity tables are growing exponentially—what are we going to do with ourselves as we live out our second 60?
If we are anything like my Grandmother, Ellen, or my Mother, Kate, we are going to boomerang Big Time! In record numbers we are going to return to our inner sources, our inner brillant light and stream forth again on new paths.
We’ll take up new jobs, new educational directions, new interests, new relationships, new careers. My mom had her 5th career when she became a newspaper columnist at 80. My grandmother taught school for many years, then birthed 11 children and then founded a school, a hospital and a women’s community organization that is still going nearly 80 years later. I think our generation will return to deep aspirations long hidden, long denied, long ignored, or long devalued by others, to let our inspiration shine.
As more and more of the Boomer generation is set to become Boomerangers returning to our inner sources and booming again, we are going to contribute our energy, our va va va voom, our vroom, vroom as The New Vaboomer Generation—vabursting with new ideas and solutions, our signature “can do” creativity, energy and contributions.
Vaboomer.com -- it’s a new blog, which is "The Portal to Boomeranger World". Look for Boomeranger books, art, music, advice, help, resources, and connections in the coming months.
We boomed once before. Now, we Boomerangers will va va va vaboom again as The New Vaboomer Generation!
Oooops! New to blogging. I posted the below earlier, but I think it belongs here. Sorry...
Nicely written post, Virgina!
As a boomeranger myself, I can relate.
I think there is one more parameter that may help identify and qualify a "boomeranger".
In the past, many of us worked to make money OR to help others. Rarely did the two twains meet.
The boomer-aged/minded person often wants to do both, and thanks to the internet, ability to think outside the box and to leverage earnings and investments, the options to make money AND help people are nearly unlimited.
Having several vacation rental properties on and near Sanibel Island, Florida, I have become a "virtual" inn keeper.
I get great enjoyment out of assisting people in their vacation choices, watching them return year after year, and observing as their family grows and ages.
The milestones that they pass (birthdays,honeymoons, anniversaries and, sometimes sadly, illnesses) often take place right in my own space.
This is business on a very personal level.
Do I help people? I certainly would like to think I do.
Do I make money? You bet!
Helping people and making money at the same time is about as sweet as it gets. This new platform in work ethic may not have been created by the boomer age, but it has certainly been perfected here.
Posted by: Sylvia | Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 09:46 AM