Archive for December, 2007

1907

Posted on December 26, 2007. Filed under: Inspiring Each Other | Tags: 1960’s hippies, 50+, 60s hippies, aging, aging process, aging with grace, anti aging, baby boomer, baby boomer generation, baby boomer woman, baby boomer women, baby boomer women over 50, baby boomer women over fifty, baby boomers, body, body image, book, boomer, boomers, career development, career transition, careers after 50, connect, counterculture, creative, early menopause, Eileen Williams, emotion, empty nest, empty nesters, encourage, female forums, feminist, feminist history, feminist movement, feminists, Fifties, fifty plus, first-wave boomers, forum for women, forums for women, friends, fun, generation, groovy, health, healthy aging, hippie, hippie chick, hippie culture, hippies, hippies in the sixties, hippy, humor, inspiration, invitation, lifelong learning, M. Eileen Williams, marriage, Mary Eileen Williams, mature resources, mature women, maturity, menopausal symptoms, menopause, midlife, midlife crisis, midlife transition, old broad, older women, over fifty, peri menopause, post-menopausal, post-menopause, psychedelic, retirement, retirement planning, senior discount, senior services, seniors, Seventies, share, signs of menopause, Sixties, speak, story, support, symptoms of menopause, the 50's, the 60's, tips for baby boomer women, turning fifty, voice, wisdom, women, women over 50, women over fifty, write, writer |

One of the more inexplicable aspects of growing older is that the years seem to rush by. It’s ironic that the less time you have remaining on the planet, the faster it goes.

Nevertheless, even though we are getting older, boomers have a lot for which to be grateful. We were children during a time of growth, prosperity, and great optimism. Better yet, we were the first generation to grow up with the sense that we were special.

After surviving the Depression and Word War II, our parents focused their lives on growing families and enjoying the newly available luxuries of the Fifties and Sixties. As children, we were lavished with previously unheard of treats. We ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches out of colorfully covered lunchboxes, held birthday parties complete with games and goodie bags, watched hours of “Leave it to Beaver” and the “Mickey Mouse Club,” twirled hula hoops, and, for the very lucky among us, vacationed at Disneyland.

Yes, the timing of our births was fortunate, indeed. Had we been born even half a century earlier, things would have been quite different. So, as we are about to say “farewell” to another year, here are some thoughts to contemplate:

The Year 1907

The average life expectancy was 47 years.

Only fourteen percent of homes had a bathtub.

Only eight percent of homes had a telephone.

There were 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.

The average wage was twenty-two cents per hour.

Sugar cost four cents a pound. Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Two out of every ten adults couldn’t read or write and only six percent of Americans graduated from high school.

The American flag had 45 stars.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was 30.

More than ninety-five percent of all births took place at home.

Ninety percent of all doctors had no college education. Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were considered substandard.

And, worst of all, not one single person in the entire country ever once used the word, “groovy!”