Best of Boomer Blogs: A New Year and We’re Still Here

It’s time for another edition of the Best of Boomer Blogs at the beginning of a brand new Year! When we were Baby Boomers growing up in the ’60s and 70’s the thought of living in the 2000s was hard to imagine. “2001, a Space Odyssey” seemed light-years away. Our Space Station isn’t quite as luxurious as HAL and may have been a few centuries premature but it’s still spectacular.

While we’ve made tremendous progress since the days when we were young in technology, science, and medicine, the world’s social consciousness has, sadly, taken a step backward. Prejudice and disregard for human life have made a comeback and it’s not just in the U.S. It’s all over the world.

Let’s hope we turn away from complacency and into action to change things for the better. More importantly, it’s up to us to inspire our young people to get their noses out of their phones and to grow into compassionate and effective leaders.

Reflections of a year gone by

The New Year is also when we reflect on how to move forward in the future because we have plenty of life ahead of us.

Although Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond doesn’t make New Year Resolutions, she has made a Summer Bucket List.  Yes, it is high summer in Australia, and making a seasonal list of what you would like to achieve or experience is a great way to enjoy life and get things done.  What would be on your Summer/Winter bucket list?  Read on to see what Sue has on her list.

Writer Laura Lee Carter says, a new year has arrived just in time! Go read her thoughts on A New Year, A New Life: A Photo Essay! 

On The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide, Rita R. Robison, consumer journalist, had fun writing about the top 10 articles on her blog this year. However, Robison found it depressing to write about the top consumer stories for 2017. With the Trump administration in charge of the federal government and the Congress controlled by Republicans, things are gloomy for consumers. However, since a reader responded to her article asking what people can do, she’ll write an article soon about what organizations consumers can join that work for their interests.

The new year ushers in a time of reflection in our personal lives and in our world. Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting began contemplating events that might occur in 2018, but could not get her head around anything but the political arena.  The result is this week’s post More Than 10 Mostly Political Prognostications for 2018.

New Year mindset changes

Our writers also offered ideas on how to change your mindset, especially if you’ve let the events of last year get your goat.

We are often told to track what we are grateful for, but how should you do it?  Jennifer and her husband use a Gratitude Jar to capture what they are grateful for.  At the end of every year, they review what they’ve written, and on New Year’s Day, they start the jar all over again.  Read A Jar Of Gratitude and find instructions on how to make your own, including an electronic version.

A new year is an opportunity to let go of things –and thoughts–that do not serve us. At A Healing Spirit, Carol Cassara addresses letting go as a way of getting in touch with the overarching plan for our lives and also changing how we think to help change our lives for the better.

I made a reassessment of my goals for the new year, offered a few good movie recommendations and good wishes for all of us in the next 12 months and beyond.

A Baby Boomer Quiz

Meanwhile, Tom Sightings offers his annual New Year’s quiz. So if you think you’re a true Baby Boomer, grab a No. 2 pencil and circle your answers over at What’s Your Baby Boomer IQ?

Have a Happy and Blessed New Year and thank you for reading and supporting our Baby Boomer blogs.  Please share them with all your friends.