Week 3 of my paint-a-long class and I’m definitely getting flashbacks to high school—probably because the teacher is a retired high school art teacher. She talks to us like we’re 16, rather than 60+, sometimes. You can tell that she was one of those slightly grouchy teachers that was easily annoyed. It’s actually funny some of things she says to people: “Your perspective is totally OFF” or “I see you’re doing it your way—again”
Nobody seems to care. They’ve all known her a long time and they like her. They sign-up for her class semester after semester.
So far, she’s been pretty nice to me. No major criticisms and some nice compliments on my work. Just like in high school, art teachers like me.
Oh, and she plays the radio in the background while we paint. The station is perfect for us…it’s all soft rock from the 70 and 80s (our high school years). Some people sing along quietly.
I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name…
I have a couple of updates for you on the college class of 1987 (high school class of 1983). Most of us were born in 1965, so we are turning 60 thisyear. One of my best friends from college turned 60 yesterday. She broke the ice. Now the rest of us will follow…if we’re lucky. Making it to 60 is not a given. We’ve lost people—mostly to cancer, but sudden massive heart attacks have taken down a few of the men.
I appear to be the only grandparent in my college class of about 500, which is wild. A few people still have kids in high school, so I guess we tended to have kids late, but still…it’s a vivid illustration that the birthrate actually has cratered in this country.
Another observation is that people truly do age differently. Some people look 40 at 60, and some look 80. Money seems to be a factor, but not the only one. Most people are still working, but they’re either talking about retirement or saying they will never be able to retire. “Work ‘til I die” is some people’s retirement plan.
There is both a lot of concern—and a fair bit of bragging—about adult children in their 20s. “You’re only as happy as your least happy child” seems to be true. (But if you’re posting an effusive happy birthday message, with multiple pictures, for a 27-year old who doesn’t even use Facebook, you may need to let go a bit.)
Our parents, if we still have them, are very old now. I know of only one other classmate with two living parents like me. More of our mothers are still alive than our fathers.
For the first and oldest official GenXers, the Eighties was our decade. Nobody has quite so many formative memories of those years as we do. Do not challenge us to an 80s trivia quiz, because we will win. And we will also look back on it all with slightly rose-colored glasses. We’ll forget the bad stuff and laugh about that time we ate pot brownies at school and Mr. Ullman’s physics class finally made sense.
In my high school yearbook, there was a “Senior Directory.” It was an alphabetical listing of all the seniors with our names, addresses, and activities throughout high school in simple form (i.e. Tennis 1; Choir 2,3,4). There were also optional “Thanks To” and “Future Goals” sections.
I think you could say that “Future Goals” were mission statements for our 17-year old selves. Some were very specific: “To go to Westfield State and major in Computer Science. Get a good job when I graduate.” Others were non-committal: “No big plans–I’ll take it as it comes.” Some were aspirational: “To be a famous auto mechanic and build a lot of fast cars” or “To be a sound man for Iron Maiden.” The class nerd/genius’ was: “Live long and prosper.” Some of the girls (not many) mentioned marriage and motherhood. I don’t think a single boy mentioned fatherhood.
Mine was: “To learn, travel and be happy.” (I guess I was destined to be a liberal arts major.) I still like it though. It’s short and covers everything, but commits to nothing. The only problem is that it’s so self-centered. There’s no element of giving back or activism. Although I could argue that “learning” has led me to want to take action on various issues (like women’s rights) and that makes me “happy.”
So yeah, I’ll stick with my 17-year old self’s mission statement: To learn, travel and be happy.
![A logo for "50 Happens," [a site dedicated to Gen X women with children and grandchildren] [who embrace life's challenges with humor and resilience], [featuring a modern and uplifting design] [that embodies strength and positivity] [with an elegant and playful style] [and a harmonious blend of colors like pink, fuchsia, purple, and blue].](https://50happens.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/img-5uorrxvwartomopcpuhjfjd0.png?w=300)
50 Happens 