Approaching Fifty-But We're Still Young- Right?

I remember not long ago seeing a picture of myself and my classmates from when we were in sixth grade shop class. Our teacher had taken the photograph. Then we could not have imagined beyond the next school year when we would start junior high, much less careers or having our own families. Children were far from our young minds as we concentrated on what we would be playing (or trying to get out of playing) in physical education class, or what we were going to play after school, what we could do with our friends, or how much homework we would have. Grandchildren never even came up. Now, we can't imagine not being parents and being grandparents is the greatest joy in our lives. Man, it's hard to believe we are no longer twelve, but approaching fifty, or already there. We are old enough to be members of senior citizens organizations such as AARP. I remember being excited to be in 4-H. Where did the time go?

We have lived through a lot

My friends and I lived through man's first walk on the moon, the Vietnam War era, the Watergate scandal, the taking of political prisoners from the U.S. Embassy in Iran and even wrote letters pleading for their release to their leaders. We have lived though being able to pray in school to being told we weren't allowed to any more. I remember when Elvis Presley died and some of my friends thought it was the greatest tragedy ever.

We survived the disco era, parachute pants, loud hair and even louder makeup. We were already beginning to become parents by the time the first space shuttle exploded on takeoff and then when another exploded coming home.

We've lived through numerous national financial crises, dishonest companies taking advantage of everyone they possibly could; Enron being a prime example. We have so far survived extreme disagreements within our own government and those who support them.

We were young, but remember the assassination of Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We remember when John Lennon was murdered, President Regan was shot by a would-be assassin, the tragedy at Jonestown with the cult of Jim Jones, Ruby Ridge, Columbine High School (and many schools since), the bombing of the Morrow Building in Oklahoma City,  and Waco. We were around for the fall of the Berlin Wall subsequently reunifying Germany, and the official breakup of the Soviet Union, and the renaming of so many countries I have lost count. We have seen tragic human rights abuses by people's own governments and rival factions vying for control over their countries.

We lived through September 11, 2001, our generation's December 7, 1941.

We were there when the home computer explosion started and helped it happen and created the Internet Generation. We have social media which both hurts (think cyber bullying and cyber crimes), and connects (old friends on Facebook, fans on Twitter, pictures on Instagram).

Now

After graduation those children in that old photograph have gone their separate ways; some not so far from home, some still there, and some of us, like me, across the country. Thanks to those same social media sites, that so many are using to cause pain to others, a good many of us are getting back together, even if only for a few minutes a day or a week. We show how we've grown from the kids who teased (good naturedly) each other, to adults who still know how to have a good time, or at least appreciate those good times a little more, because while were young and invincible and never going to die, we know now that we all will eventually and intend to do the most living the best way we can now. We treasure our parents more, our greatest gifts- children and grandchildren, and our spouses and friends. We worry now, as adults, what will happen to us in our 'old' age, because we sure didn't then, but we don't spend every waking moment doing so, because we have so much to be thankful for and enjoy.

I saw a story on CBS Sunday Morning where a group of friends from high school had a running game until they graduated of Tag. The story was hilarious. They began again during their college years whenever they got together again even though they had gone to different schools, careers, and lives. They decided that during one month a year (February) they would resume the game and travel all over the country just to say, "Tag," to an old friend (even as far as going in disguise to surprise the other person). The last one tagged before midnight on the last day of the month is 'it' for the year. I must admit I'm a little jealous. What a great idea! I wish we'd thought of that.

Like those people I saw on television, we're aging but we're still young! Right?