This column will be looking at life from a Boomer perspective - that’s me! Anyone born between 1946 and 1964 is a Boomer and our kids may have been, are, or may be in the future - Boomerangs.
Boomerangs is a slang term referring to an adult who has moved back in with his or her baby-boomer parents.
Boomers and Boomerangs will cover physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and social well-being, all wrapped up in relationships.
I apologize in advance if I offend anyone. Hopefully we’ll be able to agree to disagree on some topics, agree on others and laugh at them all. Sometimes, it’s reassuring to know we are not alone in our plethora of life experiences. Let’s take the journey together - share commonalities, celebrate our differences and best of all - enjoy!.
The Boy Scout Motto is: BE PREPARED. This is also the lesser known motto of the Girl Guides of Canada. What does it mean? For the guys it means you are always ready to do what is necessary to help others and you are ready, willing and able to do what is necessary in any situation. You are prepared to live a full and worthwhile life, being a physically fit, honourable citizen of strong character. That’s what the Boy Scouts say.
For the girls - no big surprise - the definition encapsulates more words to expand on ‘be prepared’. The Girl Guides of Canada want to make a positive difference in the life of every girl and woman who experiences Guiding.
Why? So she can contribute responsibly to her community. They make a promise to themselves to do their best; be true to self; their beliefs and Canada - to take action for a better world.
One more thing - they have to respect the Guiding Law. The Guiding Law challenges them to be honest and trustworthy; use resources wisely; respect self and others; recognize and use their talents and abilities; protect our common environment; live with courage and strength and share in the sisterhood of Guiding. Phew! That’s a tall order.
As a Boomer, I look back and think we did a pretty good job of raising our children, growing and nurturing them into successful adults. What success looks like is a personal matter. We’ve had many conversations over the years where our kids have assured us things could be a lot worse. The Boomerangs have managed to mature and thrive in spite of some strong resistance to our guiding laws - the parental unit rules guided by the big book.
Writing a column is a dream come true for me. My preparation for writing included taking some courses on how to successfully pitch an idea. After three separate stints as a columnist for the Community Editorial Board with the now defunct Guelph Mercury, I secured Boomers and Boomerangs.
I worked hard on my pitch; contacted the managing editor and sat down for a face-to-face pitch. It took about two minutes. Phil Andrews listened intently, nodded and said, "let’s do this."
The first Boomers and Boomerangs ran on Friday, November 2, 2012. It was part of the print of The Guelph Mercury every other week for 38 months.
It’s also been an extremely rewarding piece of my life. I’ve shared many of my life experiences, mountain top highs and valley lows with the readers. My Boomerangs and hubby have endured sharing more of themselves than they ever could have imagined.
Things change - sometimes faster than we can imagine. I’m sure many Guelphites cannot fathom the demise of The Guelph Mercury and yet - it’s happened. Now we adjust. Just like the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides of Canada, we need to be prepared. Hope for the best and plan for the worst.
Me? I’m excited to get connected with GuelphToday.com. Thanks to all the readers who helped make this happen. Losing a column in The Guelph Mercury was like losing a best friend. That’s life - things change. I now have new challenges and opportunities of writing for an online publication. Life keeps me prepared to adjust as necessary.
Let’s do this!
