First blog post–Here I go. I’m just learning by the way.

Let me give you some context.  I’m taking a course at University of Toronto, Foundations of Digital Communications Strategy and Social Media,  and need to write a blog series.  Want to know why I’m taking this course?  No, I don’t need it for work.  My friend Phoebe suggested it for no reason that I can fathom.  While it wasn’t a topic that jumped out at me, I like to be a bit uncomfortable when I’m learning and I think it’s a current topic, and God knows, I like current. Something that young people would take.  So here goes.

I’m turning 60 in a few months.  I recently realized that I’m actually in my 60^th year.  Right now.  Wow.  First birthday that really feels like a life evaluating, “Holy Crap!” kind of birthday date to me.  Yes, I’m past the midpoint.  So, that’s my incentive—I need to pick up my learning, every day, as I think it keeps me sane, and my mind nimble. What would you like to learn?  What did you learn and wish you hadn’t?!  ( 4 glasses of wine  and I am definitely not OK the next day).  What do you just learn by living?

Because of so many friends in the mid Boomer generation, I see the changes that are taking place within my peer group:  marriages that split up, some very unpredictably to their friends; early retirements with or without the funds to support; geographic moves for a variety of reasons; becoming grandparents; changes in priorities and how we look at time differently now.   It’s speeding up in many ways.

I have also been working with a lot of seniors and their adult boomer children, and see the challenges that happen, new stresses, new enjoyments, and many events that have not been anticipated or discussed until they happen.  So, has something changed?  Or is it just that every generation has changes and ours are no more or less than others.

Jane Fonda describes this time as ‘Life’s Third Act’, with some insightful thoughts about our gift of time.

What do we do with this gift—the gift of time that several prior generations did not typically receive.

At the same time, we are assisting our elderly parents, our own families, full, part time or non-existent jobs,  health changes, creating  and investing in social networks that are very different than how we grew up (social media connections for example), travel opportunities that are amazing, helping our kids.  I bet that you could add much more to this list.

My personal philosophy of having a satisfying day, is to feel a clear sense of purpose and to learn something new.  Every day.  And to try to remember to do that.  “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”  Yoda.  I know that we all learn things all the time and most of it is of the ‘so what’ variety.    But it is more about acknowledging what I learned today and appreciating it.  It can be small:  I learned that I really like country music.   It can be big:  I have a lot of anxiety, and I have had it all my life.  How did I not know that?  What the hell is wrong with me?  (See.)

Doesn’t really matter because the learning part is what keeps me sane.  Or as close to sane as I can get.

What is interesting to you?  Here’s my list of topics, and what I hope to learn, that I will include in no particular order:

–health, what do we control?

–relationships and friendships and familyships and being a good neighbourships,

–what’s my purpose now,  (well, what did I think it used to be?)

–volunteering (tried it, not so successful so far),

–travelling (why do some of us love the experience, and some of us don’t?),

–where to live when we really have the whole world available,

–how do we stay current and adapt?  how do we keep our brains in good shape?,

–can I be creative?  Dance, art, music, …..anything at all?

–how do I learn something new every day?

What do you think is important to consider?  I’m really interested in YOU.  If you are a boomer, or not, what do you think is important to spend your valuable brain time thinking about?

As John Lennon famously said, “Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans”.   So we can’t plan for some things that happen, and who wants to plan for everything anyway?  But planning means you can have fun anticipating and I believe that anticipation is very underrated.  Even if that fun thing doesn’t actually happen.

Next blog will be about health—what I’ve learned, what I hope to learn.  Stay tuned.