Communities Magazine: Spring 2015 Community for Baby Boomers

Communities magazineI was pleasantly surprised when I opened my mailbox earlier this month to see the spring issue of Communities Magazine with the title “Communities for Baby Boomers” emblazoned across the cover. Since the 1970s, Communities Magazine has been the go-to publication for intentional communities of all types, and since boomers were the catalyst for the communal living movement of the 60s it is no surprise that we are also the leaders of the new initiative to create communities as we age.

The magazine has a number of great articles that would be of interest to anyone looking to develop community.

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The Me vs. We Generation

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In a recent magazine article that I clipped, and I can’t for the life of me remember which magazine it was clipped from, was this quote:

“In one of the greatest ironies of history, the Me Generation will transform into the We Generation in their later years.”

Of course this quote spoke to me because I am one of the people dedicated to helping our generation make this major shift in consciousness. But what does it mean to be a We Generation?

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The Trouble with Titles: What to Call Us

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This week on Women for Living in Community we want to reach out to readers of this blog to answer a burning question: what should we call ourselves?

Certainly there are already several applicable titles. We fall easily within the Baby Boomer generation. Since most of us are over 60, at least, we could also be called seniors. However, when I hear those titles I find myself cringing inside just a little bit. They are the easiest but are they the best?

Most of us know the history of the term Baby Boomer. If not, here is a quick recap. It came about after World War II between 1946 and 1964. Our nation experienced a baby boom which led to one of the largest generations in U.S. history. Today that privilege goes to the Millennials. Boomers are also associated with a rejection of traditional values. Our generation was the first hippies of the 1960s and 1970s. We also achieved greater success than the generations before us and were responsible for many of the technological innovations that continue to shape the foundation of our society today.

However, Baby Boomer doesn’t really describe what we are or what we do. It was a label thrust upon us before we were old enough to toddle. Did you know that boomers born after 1957 were sometimes called Generation Jones? This title also bridges over to the first few Generation X years. This is just further proof that generational titles are not always accurate. This is as confusing as the recent trend of interchanging Generation Y with Millennials.

So this begs the question: what do we want to be called?

Rather than allowing the media or our parents or society at large to determine the right term for individuals in our age bracket maybe it is time to take control of it for ourselves. This may be a fool’s errand. Other organizations have tried to determine more applicable titles. Maybe there isn’t just one title that applies to everyone in our age bracket. But we think it will be fun to try.

What name do you prefer for our generation? We want to hear your ideas. Tell us in the comments what terms you prefer for our generation. Or, you can join the conversation on Facebook and answer there.

Business Innovation Factory Connected Aging Participatory Design Studio

In early November I was invited to Providence, Rhode Island to participate in a discussion with 15 others about leaving outdated concepts of aging behind.  The day long “think tank” discussion was  part of  the Connected Aging project, funded by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation with the  Business Innovation Factory.  BIF  will be completing the project with a video featuring some of us and parts of our stories as part of the project.

Photo by MeSome of the questions posed in November included:

What if we created experiences that focus on the continued pursuit of connection and purpose rather than the increasing need for monitoring and care?

 

What if we broadened the pool of possibilities for accomplishment and contribution?

What structures would support connection?

Throughout the workshop I got to know the others involved in the discussion. They included representatives from Artists and Scientists as Partners, the Time Goes By Blogger, and a Director of Elder Affairs to name of few of those assembled for the day. I felt honored to be in such great company.

The reoccurring question that we asked ourselves was:

How do I want to live my life?

I encourage you click below to learn more.

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Welcome to Women For Living in Community

Welcome to my website.

If you’re new here or it has been a while since you’ve visited you’re probably wondering who I am and why I have a website for women living in community. Let me share my story with you.

After 30 years of working in Silicon Valley I decided I needed to make a drastic change. I had watched my own parents age and eventually move into nursing homes and as I cared for them I knew this was not the way I wanted to live the last third of my life. Divorced without children, I knew that if changes were going to happen I needed to be the one in control.

I moved from Northern California to Asheville, North Carolina, with the intention of promoting community living for women like myself. Asheville, if you don’t know it, is a gorgeous town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. The city’s energy is a blend of many kinds of people coming together. Community-building is a big part of the area’s identity so I knew it was the perfect place to settle and live my own vision to champion alternative housing choices for Boomers, especially women, who want to experience camaraderie, connection and confidence in their later years.

The progressive nature of Asheville coupled with it being a retirement destination in a naturally beautiful setting  made it possible for this Californian to settle to reinvent herself in NC.  There are many retirees here.

I live in community.

Click below for more of my story.

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Women For Living in Community