Musings On My Youthful Past and Grown-up Present

Paul McCartney officially announced the Beatles would split up on April 10, 1970. The event struck a nerve with me, one more nail in the coffin of my shattered image of life as ideal. The first nail had been hammered in a few years earlier with the death of President Kennedy.

A cloud swept across my sunny image of life each time a belief or idea was shattered. I grew up in volatile times – the Vietnam War, social turmoil, economic distress, political upheavals, and the list goes on…a constant onslaught of episodes bombarded my ‘growing up’ years. 

The Kennedy assassination rocked my world. Suddenly all was not well with not only my world, but the wider world surrounding me. The event taught me and my generation an important lesson: s**t happens, but the world does not end. We move on with our lives. 

The breakup of the Beatles rattled my generation. Young Boomers didn’t think of the group as individuals with their own lives, loves, interests, and relationships. They were the Beatles, iconic live images that we sang along with, danced to, read, and talked about – part of the fabric of our lives. We had our favorite Beatle but didn’t think of the Beatles as individuals who argued with colleagues and had their own opinions on how their business should be run. They were ‘out there’ for our pleasure and enjoyment. When the Beatles birthed four separate artists, four different people, we were initially stunned and saddened. But we learned that all is not always what it seems, and moved on.

I am not sure whether life around me became less crazy, or my daily routine insulated me from the disturbances.  Decades whizzed by –

And in the most recent decade, my country definitely became crazier. The tumultuous goings-on could not be ignored. Yet a goal of my golden years is to avoid as much trauma as possible. I don’t want to be inundated with vitriol and violence every morning I awake. At times I feel I would rather be ignorant and happy than informed and angry. 

I would like to live calmly in a quiet, peaceful world. I would welcome unexciting, even boring times. Unfortunately volatility, divisiveness, economic anxiety, social upheaval, and uncertainty characterize life today. 

I cannot change the world. I can try, but am not a mover and shaker. 

I don’t know how many years I have left to enjoy life. I admit I am selfish and wish to protect my time as much as possible. My blood pressure seriously rises when confronted with the current craziness coursing through my country. Yoga, meditation, and deep breathing help, but only momentarily. I want to survive. And thrive. I want to take my country by the shoulders, shake it and scream ENOUGH! Time to move on.

So here’s to a calm, peaceful, serene life with a dollop of interesting activities, social interactions, and excitement suitable for seniors. Hopefully sooner rather than too much later.