It’s ironical that as boomers age, freedom at this life stage almost becomes as important as the freedom we enjoyed when we were teenagers. According to the National Post, there’s an inner hippie in all boomers that is saying – Break out. Flee suburbia. More colour, more texture, more of what I like. Who’s going to judge me anyway?
Few aging boomers aspire to stiff and patrician. Quiet is like being dead and that’s what boomers avoid by running towards vibrant youthful images. That explains why trendy buildings nowadays have lots of boomers who don’t want to be relegated to a senior’s ghetto. Retailers used to assume that it’s futile to market furniture to 50- and 60-year-olds. However, after all those years of putting the children first, parents now buy that formerly too expensive leather sofa.
Whether hippie once, or not, boomers as a generation were the centre of attention in their youth. Rather than run away to where retirees are supposed to hide out until they die, more boomers want to continue in the spotlight and at the centre of the action. For these, it’s a loft condominium downtown, not a cabin in the mountains.
I’ve always been an urban, big-city kind of person. This applies to my residence as well as my choice of vacation destination. I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve never enjoyed any ‘in unison with nature’ moments although Canada has lots to offer in this category. Don’t get me wrong, nor do I enjoy big crowds either. I get my energy by keeping younger company. Whether they are my multi-generation colleagues; or my younger neighbours in my condominium; or the arts- and theatre-loving New Yorkers and Londoners, I’m constantly re-energized by those around me. And I’m sure there are many other boomers like me who refuse to move into luxurious condominiums with hidden panic buttons; who continue to work in a profession that constantly requires new and innovative thinking; and who love to experience what big, urban cities can offer us in terms of diversity, energy and passion.
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