Yesterday my baby had a baby. Oddly
the fact that one's youngest has now
truly grown up is both empowering and
debilitating. While we all age, most of
us still "feel young." Thus the reality
that we will always be who we are and
always feel the same as we did from
the very beginning is at times a rather
odd sensation. That's because the older
one gets, the more out of context we
become. Fortunately most of us baby
boomers are so self consumed that we
are happy living in a state of denial.
Last night was David Letterman's last
show. While I rarely watched him on
TV, I've watched his career evolve and
grow. Chalk his departure up to further
proof that the world as we knew it may
no longer be irrelevant. A friend posted
yesterday that her son had no idea who
Robert Redford or Barbra Streisand
are. Her hypothetical question was
"Is that a good or bad thing?" Popular
culture is exactly that. Timely, of the
moment, and fleetingly appropriate.
And all too soon but a faded memory.
We're watching Grace and Frankie the
new Netflix series staring Jane Fonda,
Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen, and Sam
Waterston. All of whom are well into
their seventies! Originally the premise
of two husbands divorcing their wives
to marry each other intrigued. But post
binge watching most of the episodes,
it's age related humor has been more
than entertaining. Rather than being
angry, isn't it better to laugh off the
march of time? Plus if Jane and Lily
are any indication a tuck or two helps.
It's hard to shift from cutting edge to
being one of the duller knives in life's
drawer. Somehow we've moved from
being hipsters to requiring a new hip
replacement. Whereas I once had the
inside scoop on the latest, I now share
historical data on a world long gone.
A rather reluctant historian, watching
all of one's familiar landmarks torn
down is sobering at best. One can't
help but wonder if soon all that we
know and love will be lost forever.
When did we become dinosaurs?!
Most disturbing is that being disturbed
by change indicates that one is "old".
Nothing is farther from the truth. Our
youth is all about discovery. Therefore
everything is new. As we all mature -
confidence accompanies a developed
knowledge base. The fact is we've
always been rather facile. In hindsight
I've absorbed and adapted to amazing
things. Remember, most of us grew
up sans color television. And entered
the workforce prior to FedEx, desktop
computers, faxes, or mobile phones.
The problem is that change is inevitable
given the world is constantly evolving.
Like it or not, we must embrace our
continuing adult education. While we
know quite a bit about things past, one
is often reminded of our ignorance
related to the here and now. Yesterday
we tried to watch the last episode of
Mad Men via I-Tunes on our mega TV.
Post two hours of attempting to link
A to B... I finally gave up. Proof that
what I knew then doesn't matter now.
And that I've still got a lot to learn...
Given life is cyclical, a new baby in
the family affirms a brighter future.
I've no idea what my latest grandson
will accomplish during his tenure on
earth. All I do know is that watching
him grow and develop will be more
than illuminating. My kids continue
to mature as do I. Now we will all
watch and learn as their offspring
conquer the world. Somehow caring
for a new being who is a part of you
makes it all the easier for an old dog
to learn a new trick or two or three!
