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Blog Entry 46 of 46 Awkward Pose
Awkward Pose is a somewhat undignified yoga posture that builds inner strength even as it threatens to topple the student onto his or her behind. It's a metaphor for my life, which includes a lot of stumbling, falling and getting even more determinedly back into position. I am the 45-year-old single mom of a teenaged son, once a small town journalist, now owner of a pet-sitting business called PetsRMe. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 22, one of my goals in this life is to help fight the stigma of mental illness. To show that mental illness isn't necessarily a deterrent to living a good life, but a detour on its path. One that can be negotiated with grace, strength and even a smile.

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~AwkwardPose

Straddling the generational lines

Article Contributed on: 11/8/2009 8:38:59 PM

Thanks to this morning's Denver Post, I'm a new woman. I learned I'm not a Baby Boomer - as I've thought for years - but a Gen X'er.

I'm not sure how the Post came up with the division of years that determine who gets what label: Gen Y spans just 15 years, Gen X 20, the Baby Boomers 19 and the Greatest Generation a whopping 33.

But I'm taking them at their word. Because under their definition, I'm a lot younger this morning than I was last night, when I thought that my birth in 1964 defined me as a Baby Boomer. The LAST year of the Baby Boomers, but one of them nonetheless. Happily, the Post story identifies people born between 1961 and 1981 as members of Gen-X.

I always resented the Baby Boomer label. After all, the leading wave of this massive generation is at the age of retirement. And while a part of me wishes I'd been around for the sexual revolution, hung out in San Francisco, maybe even worn a few flowers in my hair, I was a mere babe then and missed it all. If you're going to have the label, shouldn't you get to have the groovy memories, too?

Armed with this morning's happy news, my step is decidedly lighter. And I'm pretty sure my crow's feet are softer, most likely because the tension of being considered a Baby Boomer is gone. Sure in this new knowledge, my whole face has relaxed.

In celebrating the news today, I blew by my Van Morrison CD and went for Linkin Park, flipping through CDs with dexterous fingers blessedly free from arthritis. As of this morning, I know for sure the ache I sometimes feel there is carpal tunnel syndrome - the modern-day fallout from all that time spent IM'ing and Facebooking.

And happy day: I am now a member of the same generation as my 39-year-old boyfriend. Until today, I feared that since I'd reached back six years to find him, I might be considered by some a cougar - a term even more abhorrent to my ears than Baby Boomer. Not only is that no longer likely, our shared age category means we have one more thing in common. Oh, the things we can talk about!

The Baby Boomers, according to the Post's article, are defined by women's lib and the Beatles. Gen-X by video games and MTV. So what if the only video game I play really well is PacMan. Or that I remember the original, very wee Michael Jackson and all the words to the J-5's "2-4-6-8."

And so what if the Blockbuster clerk's face went blank last weekend when I told him his laugh reminded me of Horseshack on "Welcome Back, Kotter." Just as well because I realized too late it wasn't exactly a compliment.

I suppose I should be ashamed of my desire to distance myself from the Boomers. Not only was I one of them yesterday, but some of my best friends are still there. Rather, I should celebrate the fact that I'm on the fence, a lucky hodge-podge of both. Old enough to offer the Gen-X'ers sage advice, young enough to stand tall beside them in Tree Pose.

Now if you'll excuse me, all this thinking and writing and getting a new lease on life has me a little wrung out. I'm going to set my iPhone to vibrate, slip off my Skechers and stretch out on my platform bed. Then, I'll put on the Carpenter's Greatest Hits, unwind with a few sips of Ovaltine and take me a little nap.

Guidelines: Be kind. Abusive commentary may be removed. If you believe someone has been abusive, please click "Report Abuse".

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Showing 1-5 of 5 comments
Bill Boucher wrote on 11/14/2009 @ 5:58:53 PM

Nice, Jane! Horshack is a very old and respected name; it means the cows are dying.
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Gina P wrote on 11/13/2009 @ 2:54:55 PM

Jane, you crack me up! I always thought we were in the same generation. They shouldn't categorize people by birthdate anyway, but by personality and perspective. That is more defining. Anyway, I know what "Welcome Back, Kotter" is, but feel your pain when I make a reference to an 80s cartoon to someone born in the 90s and get that same blank expression.
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Jane Reuter wrote on 11/10/2009 @ 4:02:12 PM

Lisbeth, I'm dating someone younger, too and had originally made some reference to that but pulled it out. Your comment inspired me to put it back in. I hope you'll think it's funny. Making someone smile is the greatest compliment I can get; that makes me smile! Thanks, and to you, too, John.
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Lisbeth Tanz wrote on 11/9/2009 @ 9:26:13 PM

Jane, thank you for the smile today! I, too, have been mistakenly cast in the Baby Boomer generation, never quite feeling that I fit. A 1962 model, I always felt younger than my years. Now, given your delightful revelation from the Denver Post, I can simply say I'm "acting my generation." Given that I'm with someone 12 years younger than me, this is a big boon to my self esteem. We are now in the same generation. I'm no longer relegated to the same gen as WWII babies. Thank you, thank you, thank you for breathing new life into my old ego.
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John R Holmes wrote on 11/9/2009 @ 9:20:42 AM

REAL baby boomers, IMHO, are those grouped at the beginning of the era, like me, not Janey-come-latelys trying to cash in on our fame and fortune near the end of the party. :) I envy, but find it difficult to relate, your leading the Gen-Xers into modern civilization. I can probably be found, barely, most afternoons playing outside with my friends, without benefit of cellphones or plastic accessories. I and my hunger will find my way home in time for dinner and William Bendix in Life of Riley, or John Cameron Swayze and the News!, on our brand new black-and-white TV. (This could be the start of a nasty habit.)
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Showing 1-5 of 5 comments