The Angry and Sometimes Grumpy Children of the 1950's
by Sue and Chuck DeFiore
A bunch of us in our late 40's and early 50's got together the other night, and after the evening was over I started thinking that many of us born in the 1950's are in a crisis stage. People can't understand why we are so angry and grumpy sometimes. This article discusses some of the issues we have with society today and might enlighten others (the younger set) as to why we seem so disillusioned, and out of sorts at times.
The consensus of the group was "is this all there is." We've been working since our teens. A car costs more today than what our parents bought a house for. We work and work and still don't have enough. Food costs have risen astronomically, along with utility costs, insurance costs, and housing costs.
We started laughing at one point and said we sound like our grandparents. However, it is a very sad commentary that what took place for our grandparents over numerous decades, has only taken 20 to 30 years to occur for us. The real scary thing is that salaries for many jobs have not changed over that twenty year period, while our expenses have skyrocketed, and increased one hundred fold.
We all became nostalgic when we talked about the things we used to do to relax. How so many of those things are gone, or we can't afford to do them any longer. Our kids tell us we don't have a clue about school, sex, music, or what's going on in the world. Again, the laughter abounded with the music issues, but became very serious when we talked about the scary things kids do today, that we wouldn't even have thought of when we were growing up. Killing teachers, and other students never entered our minds. We had respect for our teachers and those in charge.
The next thing we ranted about was our health. For some of us, the ravages of time have taken place... eyesight problems, arthritis problems, blood pressure problems, "the barnacles of life". The discussion we had on the cost of health care was a lively and volatile one to say the least. Many of us who have had major illness problems also went ballistic with regards to the social security system, the disability system and Medicare system. The majority of us have worked since our teenage years. We were incredulous when it took over a year to get money from the social security system, especially when we see people playing the system who don't deserve it.
All of us are still working. The majority of our group are either self-employed or independent contractors. Many of us run home-based businesses. While we are still disheartened with the rise in costs, at least our work environment is a happy one, and one we feel in control of. For those in our group still working in corporate America, that's just an additional concern and stress for them. Is their job safe? Will they be downsized? Laid off? We went back and forth on the work issue and found that while running your own business is a risk, we have a lot more control over our destiny than if we worked for someone else, and hence, a lot less stress. Plus we can't fire ourselves.
We all wondered where it will end. So many of us thought we would be retired by now, or at least contemplating it within the next ten to fifteen years. However, with all the medical advances and hundred-fold costs of so many things, that is not an option. Retirement is no longer something people do automatically between 55 and 65. Today, the retirement age is in the 70's.
For many of us, the thought of another twenty or more years of working is a depressing one, in addition to making us very angry and grumpy to say the least.
Hopefully this article will provide some insight to those who wonder why the over 40 generation is so angry and grumpy at times.
Copyright DeFiore Enterprises 2003
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About The Author
Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 17 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our FREE "how to" Home Business Solutions Digest, it's like having your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com
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Summer Anti-Boredom List
by Deborah Shelton
Before summer vacation turns into a boredom fest, sit down as a family and make a summer anti-boredom list. Write down a mixture of long overdue chores that you’ve been meaning to get done, along with goals and dreams that you’ve always wanted to accomplish. Don’t leave out the fantastic! If you’ve always wanted to ride on a unicorn, even though there is no such animal, write it down. You may read the list one day when you’re bored, see the unicorn wish, and decide to take horseback riding lessons.
With an anti-boredom list displayed prominently on the refrigerator, fun is just around the corner. Take a look at my family’s summer anti-boredom list to get an idea. By the way, can you tell which entries belong to our five-year-old son?
Summer Anti-Boredom List
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Nature loves clutter. Just think of all the stuff that drops from trees, washes in on the tide, or is blown by the wind into your backyard. Birds molt, animals shed, snakes slither out of their skin, and they all just leave it lying there to rot into the earth. Follow any two-year-old around for a day and you'll see that we're not much better.
Living in clutter does not mean that you are a slob or an undisciplined failure. It means that you are human, and your origins are showing. Way, way back in the farthest branches of your family tree, your ancient ancestors lived a somewhat more hand-to-mouth existence than we do. Stocking up was a smart thing to do when the antelope might not roam your way again for a while, and surviving a cold win Clutter Is Natural
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Are you looking for fun projects to do, but are short on supplies? The answer is simple: Shadows!
Shadow Tag
Turn an ordinary walk to the mailbox into a lively game of shadow tag. It’s played much the same way as regular tag, except that instead of tagging a person, you tag the person’s shadow.
Silhouettes
Use the combination of light and shadow to create frameable works of art. Use tacks or tape to hang a sheet of white construction paper or poster board to the wall. Sit or stand next to the paper so that the shadow of your profile shows up when a light (flashlights work well) is shined on you. While you sit very still, have someone trace the outline of your shadow on the paper with a pencil. Once the tracing is complete, cut t Shadow Fun
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by Lawrence Vijay Girard
Some time ago I received a gift from both of my children. It was spontaneous and had nothing to do with Father’s day. Yet, at the same time it had everything to do with Father’s day.
My son, Kai, - he was 17 at the time - was attending a private boarding high school in Colorado. While we were talking on the phone he shared some wonderful news with me.
Kai said, ”You know Dad, I am really happy with my life. I can’t think of a thing that I would change about the way that I grew up, or the way that my life is now.”
My daughter Sabari, - also 17 at the time ...yes, twins! - , who was living with her mother in Northern California, said almost the same thing to me just a few days later.
Of course, I was delighted to hear this The Spirit of Father's Day
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