Ba-Ba-Boomers!

Another wondrous nugget of 'makes ya think' from a deep dive down the wormhole. 

I was born in the early 60's which I'm told makes the appropriate label a Baby Boomer. There's a boat load of discussions, videos, podcasts, and writings trying to solve issues and problems for Millenials ... Gen X'ers ... Gen Z'ers ... but there's a noticeably smaller amount about Baby Boomers.

Makes ya wonder why.

We Baby Boomers have influenced business around the world as a consequence of our vast numbers! As we traversed the pitfalls of life, we have first placed stress on any system that we utilized, and then as a direct result, are responsible for the burgeoning supply of businesses that respond to said stress. 

Look at the business landscape occupying the mini-mall nearest to you. Regardless of the nature of any given business, I can guarantee that it's success or failure is directly tied to its relationship with the Boomers. Case in point, the ridiculous number of eyeglass shops over the past 15 years is tied to entrepreneurs riding the wave of 40 or 50 something Boomers needing corrective lenses. Another case would be the swelling ranks of hearing aid companies as the Boomers become part of the "Eh?" crowd. IMHO, the lack of available spaces in assisted living or nursing homes right now is linked to the Boomers statistically living out their years and their kids don't wish them in their homes.

As our swollen numbers transition through Life, our aging hoard is partially responsible for a decline in businesses that were prospering a few years ago, partially due to our now fading demand for services, but also that we're retiring at an alarming rate ... 10k per day (PROOF). Boomers are closing their service-based small businesses, a trend that Forbes columnist Mark Hall postulates is due to the Millennial/Gen X children of the Boomers seeking employment in the white collar Tech industry or some related online presence, shunning mom and dad's multi-million dollar service-based businesses.

I didn't write the following diatribe ... wish I was that brilliant. My fellow Boomers, you're welcome!

They call us ”The Elderly” or "Baby Boomers".
We were born in the 40-50-60’s.
We grew up in the 50-60-70's.
We studied in the 60-70-80's.
We were dating in the 70-80-90's.
We got married and discovered the world in the 70-80-90's.
We venture into the 80-90’s.
We stabilize in the 2000’s.
We got wiser in the 2010’s.
And we are going firmly through and beyond 2020.
Turns out we've lived through EIGHT different decades...
TWO different centuries...
TWO different millennia...

We have gone from the telephone with an operator for long-distance calls to video calls to anywhere in the world. We have gone from slides to YouTube, from vinyl records to online music, from handwritten letters to email and Whats App, from live matches on the radio, to black and white TV, to colour TV and then to 4K HD TV. We went to the Video store and now we watch Netflix. We got to know the first computers, punch cards, floppy disks and now we have gigabytes and megabytes on our smartphones. We wore shorts throughout our childhood and then long trousers, Oxfords, flares, shell suits & blue jeans. We dodged infantile paralysis, meningitis, polio, tuberculosis, swine flu and now COVID-19. We rode skates, tricycles, bicycles, mopeds, petrol or diesel cars and now we drive hybrids or electric.

Yes, we've been through a lot but what a great life we've had!
They could describe us as “exennials”; people who were born in that world of the fifties, who had an analog childhood and a digital adulthood.
We've kind of SEEN IT ALL!

And we're challenging the Health Care system as we reach a ripe old age!

Our generation has literally lived through and witnessed more than any other in every dimension of life.

It is our generation that has literally adapted to “CHANGE”.

A big round of applause to all the members of a very special generation, all biases acknowledged.

Author unknown ... I looked, but I couldn't find any references.

#livelongandprosper