The Baby Boomers ~ What's Next for Our Generation?

Some folks look on aging as the most frightening adventure of all. The idea that our bodies will deteriorate, or minds will become warped by some horrible time-related affliction, our finances won't hold up, all contribute to these fears in a way that none of us might ever have imagined. After all, we were going to change the world, remember?

Now that we're here, the question is not so much about what comes next as it is about what are we doing NOW? What are we doing to enjoy the moment and embrace the changes that are inevitable?

I'm not talking about bodies failing or minds deteriorating either. These things are NOT inevitable. These things are merely seeds that have been planted by a society that insists on instilling fear to meet its own ends. That is to say, the more fear instilled for said maladies, the faster we're going to ring up the pharmacist and start swallowing our 37 pills a day to avoid such dreaded ends.

Really? Is that the way you wish to 'live' as you continue on your earthly journey? Do you really want to succumb to the mass message of "you're old. So take your meds and be grateful to be alive." REALLY?

I for one have decided that the aging process is mostly a bunch of hype. Deterioration has little to do with actuality. More to do with attitude. How can I be so naive? Well, I don't see it as naive. I see it as my own reality, the one in which I get to choose how it goes. No one is going to convince me otherwise. And for those who would argue that I'm being ridiculously optimistic I say: Why yes I am! In my world there are only two choices:

to live in joy
or NOT.

What good will it do to think about a brain that can't remember or a body that won't climb mountains. Do these kinds of thoughts have any GOOD affect on us? Will they keep us vibrant and alive? Will they bring comfort in any kind of way?

Me thinks NOT.

It seems to me that the best way to continue living is to do just that: LIVE. Forget about what may come. Forget about body pains and dementia and gray hair. Forget about the when's and how's of our transition. Get on with living and let the rest unfold as you've dreamed it. There is no joy in living fear. Fear being Future Events Appearing Real. How much sense does that make?

If you were to just live in this moment, releasing all notions of what is to come of you and your body, you might find that your body is as unaware of aging as your mind is. If thoughts become things (which they seem to!), then it only stands to reason that each thought of decay is one step closer to realization.

What's that again?

How about, instead, you begin each day with thoughts of gratitude. For every little thing that makes you happy. Then, have some good food. Then, do your happy dance while you shower and prepare for whatever new adventures you may meet on this day. And then...look for all the ways to laugh and sing and enJOY your life. Because in the end, all those moments of fretting are not going to be rewarded with more time. Nay, on the contrary. Worry = waste. Why bother?

This is your life. You get to choose the dance you do at every moment of your day. So, do you want to do the Tango...or jump into a Mosh Pit and slam-dance your way to The Other Side?

Your choice.