Gosh, I have so enjoyed Patricia’s past articles, haven’t you? That said, her new “5 Reasons Winters Are Like Baby Boomers” will be just as much fun to read.

It’s been a total pleasure and honor to be one of several guest writers here on Susan’s blog. I’m both grateful for being asked to be here, and for the posts of the others, which filled my cup of blog reading to a degree beyond my expectations.

Thanks, Susan, for letting me share some thoughts and stories about being of the baby boomer generation.

Now for a look at winter and:

5 Reasons Winters are Like Baby Boomers

Winter is felt to be a cold and bitter season in many parts of the world, like where I live with our snow, frozen ice, and power outages. Some people even suffer from depression during these months because of less sunlight.

But in the ebb and flow of seasons, if we are fortunate enough to experience the nature of them, winter is simply a time that signals this year is over, and in the quiet of the cold, we can wait for a new transition.

Winter sports have spirit, as we do.

Skiing, sledding, snowboarding and other winter sports are so loved. It’s to the degree that in some parts of the country, maybe the world, some places create artificial snow and ice just to enjoy them when they don’t come naturally!

Making snow angel silhouettes never bothered us back in our younger years. Growing up and living on Long Island, New York, we would bundle up and walk bravely through the falling snow, all to find the best sledding hill. Oh how we prayed for those snow days!

There are those of us who do head for places with those colder sports.

We once loved winter, so why not love it now?

Even in the discomfort of what we either have or know might be on the way as we age – think joint discomfort – winter is still a time to count our blessings.

Here’s a second reason winters are like baby boomers:

Many beloved Christmas tunes were introduced in our era.

What we grew up loving – I’ll Be Home for Christmas, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas  and many more– are nostalgic as they bring people of many generations together.

So many of these songs were written and sung because of the war coming to an end and soldiers returning home. Indeed, it was a time to celebrate.

Memorable melodies, easy to understand (and hear) messages, are simply timeless in celebrating family even with the snow falling outside. And it’s our generation, us baby boomers, who might enjoy them the most by continuing to sing them and keep them alive.

Our free spirit can guide us like footprints in the snow.

Maybe we don’t like those winter sports anymore. Or we’ve had enough of hearty warm soups and hot chocolate. Yes, we might tend to add a few more pounds during this time of year.

But we’re still free to choose.

We can either enjoy the comfort-food cooking and heart-warming activities or we can take a break and get away to somewhere warmer in the world.

This is one of my favorite things about being a baby boomer. Our children are grown, our parents are aging but cared for, so we can take time to indulge whether it’s enjoying the snow or wiggling our toes in the sand at a beach away from home.

We are free to decide where to follow the footprints, snow or sand.

We realize it’s the winter of our lives.

Gosh I’m getting to hate that expression, “it’s the dead of winter.” Life is gray, even our hair lacks luster, and our skin weathered, yeah our wrinkled skin.

We know spring is coming again in the way of showers and flowers. Spring does spring eternal but our lives on earth are not.

Valerie Harper, baby boomer comedian, and Elbert Hubbard, early 1900s author, are at least two people often quoted as saying, “None of us gets out of life alive.”

Winter does come again.

And that is enough of a reason to love winter.

For now, one of the final reasons winters are like baby boomers:

Winter is short, like life here on earth.

Someone said, “It’s not that life ends so soon, it’s just that we take so long to live it.”

I’ve never known a baby boomer who doesn’t know how to live life to its fullest. We’re still into jeans, t-shirts, beer and wine.

According to some statistics, more than 10,000 baby boomers retire every single day. But on the other side of this is that 40% of us plan (plan is the operative word) to work until we cannot anymore.

Many of us realize we cannot depend on our US government to manage what those who rule us keep ignoring.

We get it, life is short and it’s not certain. Just like the winter of our lives, we still find and enjoy new beginnings.

I’m grateful I’ve lived as a baby boomer here on earth.

I’m proud of our generation for so many reasons.

So bring on the winter. It’s just another round of a season, another chance to live life.

How do you feel about winter?

From Patricia Weber @patricia-weber.com as life’s journey continues…

If you enjoyed Patricia’s “5 Reasons Winters Are Like Baby Boomers,” check out Baby Boomer Grateful at Thanksgiving, Baby Boomer Who Doesn’t Think Alternative Healing is Phony, Secrets to Aging Well for Baby Boomers from Our Aging Parents.

Note: All images were provided by Susan P. Cooper/findingourwaynow.com 🙂