Having a Boomer Moment
It’s my pleasure to introduce a new concept to you today:
The Boomer Moment.
You’re probably familiar with the phrase “Senior Moment,”
which is usually associated with a symptom of aging such as forgetfulness or
memory loss. The Boomer Moment is the exact opposite. It is a moment of perfect
elucidation, when everything becomes crystal clear and you glean an insight
or see the “big
picture” in a way afforded to you only by way of years of life experience.
I had such a moment spark last month when in a two-week
period I experienced the joy of my granddaughter’s first birthday directly followed by
the loss of two friends.
In her one year here so far, my granddaughter Lacie has
given me a royally good lesson in how to enjoy life. From the moment I held her
for the first time and felt the freshness of new life, I’ve been struck by her
complete wonderment as she delights in almost every experience. If you want to
learn how to “be in the moment,” watch a baby. EVERYTHING is new, cool,
interesting, possible. No words, no judgment, everything just is, and it’s all
good.
Watching (and delighting in) my granddaughter these twelve
months, I began to realize how much of that wonderment attitude I had lost. Like
most adults, I have layers of experiences to screen and filter my views of
the world and how I interpret life's events.
But I yearned to be able to recapture the bliss we’re born
to experience, the beauty of the “is-ness” of the moment. I didn’t have a clue
on how to do it. I could briefly enjoy bursts of that feeling by just watching
her, or relishing the beauty of the Western North Carolina mountains where I
live, or by savoring a delicious meal. But I could not routinely sustain the
feeling.
A few days after Lacie’s first birthday party (a veritable
feast of Lacie lessons in how to have fun), we received word that a dear friend
has passed, and less than 24 hours after that, another friend. Although
saddened, we celebrated their lives. They had both enjoyed successful careers
and had been blessed with good marriages, children, and grandchildren.
Yet, for me, their deaths brought to the surface an awareness of my
own mortality for the first time. Being more conscious of death’s certainty didn’t
leave me afraid to die, but more determined to live what remaining time I have
in full-out Lacie mode.
But how? In a Boomer Moment, I realized that writing is the
only thing that keeps me in the joy of the moment for as long as I’m involved
in the process. I love it all—the days of unbridled inspiration when my fingers
can’t keep up with my thoughts as well as the days of staring at the blank page,
when I write and delete everything. I love the publishing process from end to
end: writing, editing, design, marketing, EVERYTHING. Two of my favorite writer
quotes come to mind.
“Writing is the only thing that when I do it, I don’t feel like I should be doing something else.” (Gloria Steinem)
“If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster.” (Isaac Asimov).
Finally, I know how to sustain the Lacie life, a life of
joy, and I am so grateful to realize that I’m at an age when I can fully devote
my time and attention to fulfilling my purpose, to filling my soul with joy. In fact, it seems foolish to do anything else.
If you've had a Boomer Moment, please share it in the comments below.
If you've had a Boomer Moment, please share it in the comments below.
About the Author
Shelley Lieber is an author with a split personality. As The Wordy Woman,
publishing consultant, she wrote 4Ps to
Publishing Success and Publishing
Made Easy & Profitable. Shelley is the originator and owner of this blog, Boomer Lit Friday, and the Facebook group, VIP Authors.
Her wilder side writes erotic fiction under the pen name Elyse Grant. The Prince Charming Hoax is her debut novel. A third personality common to both Shelley and Elyse is Vegan Novelist, who blogs about vegan food and lifestyle when not writing books.
Her wilder side writes erotic fiction under the pen name Elyse Grant. The Prince Charming Hoax is her debut novel. A third personality common to both Shelley and Elyse is Vegan Novelist, who blogs about vegan food and lifestyle when not writing books.
Shelley is what native North Carolinians call a “halfback.”
Originally from New York, she moved to Florida, then to North Carolina. Shelley
now lives in Asheville, NC, with her husband, who is remarkably patient and
skillful at adjusting to her personality switches.
Connect with Shelley
