Vaboomer -- Baby Boomer Views & News

Why Woodstock Still Matters to Boomers and Everyone

So were you at Woodstock? I almost went--life intervened. But the impact of Woodstock can not be underrated. Go take a look at this youtube posting about the era and meaning of Woodstock.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19VhCCly_9s

It's gotten a really bad rap in the intervening years. This might be movie and Tom Hanks (I'm a fan, really! Really, I am!) heresy to say so, but I did not like "Forrest Gump--for its pretty conservative views. Mom and apple pie and all that. We do see a sweep of American history through the 'Innocent's' eyes, but the view of the social change that emerged in the 1960s and extended actively through the 1980s is certainly pretty negatively presented in that movie. And I think these views mirrored the backward looking national mood in the post-woodstock era opposing extending the promises of our constitution to everyone.

What I found inspiring and still find inspiring about those early years symbolized by 'Woodstock', was the opening of our national mind to new ideas about the promise of America. There would be no Senator Hillary Clinton or Senator Barack Obama running neck and neck for the presidency If the "60's" hadn't happened. I mean this is totally astonishing and INSPIRING. Regardless of who you support, whether Hillary, Barack or John, it is WONDERFUL that at long long long last, our country is saying to everyone and to the world, we really believe in the truth of our constitution. Not only do we believe, but we have viable candidates to vote for. Amazing and wonderful.

I still have my grandmother's wide gold satin sash which she wore in sufferage marches in North Carolina prior to women (of all shades of tan) winning the 78 year long battle to vote. It's just so "duh" now that women of every ethnicity, class and religion  vote. But in my family immediate family history that was not the case.

So when you think 'Woodstock', don't just think sex, drugs and rock and roll (rock history), but think civil rights that brought the Voting rights Act and the 1964 Civil rights Act, the peace movement that ended the Vietnam War, the women's movement that opened education and jobs to women NOW, that said violence against women in any form is not acceptable, that laid the ground work for the internet connecting us all and sent us into outer space to see our lovely lovely and environmentally fragile home environment--the beautiful blue marble of Earth.

So Woodstockers--whether you went or not, BE PROUD. And get active!

WOODSTOCK LAND FOR SALE! By the way, Max Yasgur's farm is up for sale for $8 million, according to The Boomer Chronicles. 

Mr. Yasgur died in 1973.  Mr. Roy Howard, who owned a package store and beverage distributorship in the area, bought his home and about 100 acres around it in 1985.   Lovely acres in Bethel, NY with a lot of history!! 

Read more:  Boomer Chronicles
Real Estate agent and details:  Jospe Properties

 

Boomers Open Minds and Hearts: A New State of Mind

I've been thinking that readers might be wondering what I mean by my tag line a stage of mind state of being. Don't I really mean state of mind (emotional state or the like) stage of being (like a stage of life?)

From a psychological point of view, we do most readily talk about our emotional states or the state of our emotional health. And it is certainly the typical way of looking at personal development. From that point of view we talk about stages in life--youth, adult, maturity. And as Shakespeare so eloquently said it when he spoke of the seven (st)ages of man (sic), the end stage is one that eventually comes to us all, sans teeth sans eyes...sans everything Absolute Shakespeare, even tho what happens next has been the subject of great debate in all major religions and philosophical thought for eons. Gail Sheehy's book, "Passages"  Gail Sheehy is based on the notion of life stages.

Called an icon for boomers, I certainly read that book and was heartened by it. Being a very early boomer, I was embued in my formative years with the notion of one's life, mind being 'over' at a certain 'stage.' And then it was off to the porch rocker... As I've written before in the early posts of this blog, that was not the notion of age prevalent in my family, but it was a powerful the cultural expectation of the times and it made a mind-limiting imprint on my consciousness that I fought to throw off.   

Many leading edge boomers were also influenced by that idea and now are conflicted when they come to the "Age of Retirement" (what I call reFirement) and feel, wait a minute, I don't FEEL old. I am vital and more alive than ever! Women especially feel that way. Many feel--I am just GETTING STARTED! and with the longevity tables going up daily--they are absolutely correct to feel that way. You can't imagine how many people agree with me when I say, I'll never be a senior citizen. Do you feel that way,too?

So what I am focusing on more specifically is a stage of mind. In other words, how do we develop our minds/our consciousness/our mental/emotional/cosmic scope to a higher order? How do we open our heartminds wider for our creativity, our inner fires to burn brighter?

One step towards that direction is better brain health. Now we know that our minds and our brains are plastic. In other words, we know that we can keep growing and expanding (www.righthealth.com") new nerve cells and actually make new synaptical connections (www.brain-plasticity.org). Our brains and thus our ideas about life, ourselves, our world can keep expanding (www.incrediblehorizons.com/brain-plasticity.html). Like most basic advice about health in general its all about exercise and nutrition. Our brains especially need to be fed the highest nutritional foods and supplements and they need exercise just like our bodies. So, I am stopping here and going for a walk/rollerblading time with my daughter. I'm fast walking and she blading. Maybe I will work up to roller blading myself this summer.  I took my multi vitamens this morning--plus extra B, my probiotics, 1/2 of my daily 10,000 units of Vit. C with lycine. I'll finish off tonight with the rest of my Vit C and top it all off with fish oils. I imagine those fish oils darting and flashing around literally greasing my brain as they swim by and keeping it flexible--all those little brain cells slipping and sliding around...

Changing your mind from a life stage with a particular mindset is the first way to becoming more flexible and open to your own greatness and brillance. Go visit www.explorelifeblog.com for a wonderful post on defrosting!

There's an Alligator in my Kitchen! Boomers, Don't fight Back--Embrace Your Alligator Energy

Sandra Frosti got a real wakeup call when she was visited by an 8 foot alligator in her Florida home on Tuesday. No one but the alligator was hurt. It got a cut from a broken plate.

I'm wondering what was the real message that this Lord of the Swamps or the spirit of Chief Tamaka, soul of the Seminoles, brought to Ms. Frosti?

Alligator energy is dangerous, there is no doubt of that. But it is god-like as the ancient Egyptians believed. Go to:  Alligator Energy to find out more about alligator totem energy in your life.

Alligators are creatures of water and air. They glide soundlessly looking above the waterline (emotion) seeing all around (air/spirit) to find logical answers. They are creatures of ready stillness and great wisdom. But we would be well-warned to take care not to be swallowed whole by their powerful wisdom.

Boomers as they are boomeranging to new paths in their lives need the ready stillness of alligator energy.

And they need the powerful insights it can bring them as they are looking over the waters of old emotions -- lost marriages, old careers, children on their own life paths, in order to see which new waters to swim.

Have a plate handy as well to bop an alligator over the head if it gets too too pushy!

For Fun:

Bbum's Weblog-o-mat:  Gator Photos
Rattler Gator Blog:        Gator Safety Tips
Families.com:                Gator Antibiotics??
Allthetests.com:            What Totem are You?