‘There’s no denying just how tough we baby boomers are’

The clock never stops ticking, the world is in a big hurry. I often wonder if I turned the clock off, would the world stop for five minutes. Time seems to go so quickly and once that 60th birthday is over, life seems to slip away at the speed of light. Age can make achieving goals seem impossible. As much as I wonder about that ‘snooze button’ I’ll never hit it. I want to embrace whatever life throws at me because there will come a time when my body will shut down, there will be no second chances.

I have lost people I cared deeply about. I have lost people I didn’t care much about. I think the saddest loss is when young people, for whatever reason, decide they have had enough and try to take their own life. It does not matter if you know them on a personal level or not, it hits hard making the fragility of life all too real.

I could never understand what takes a person to the point they cannot see a way out; that they cannot see a light at the end of their dark tunnel. I couldn’t understand what makes them believe there is no other option … until it happened to me. I was in a dark place and it was a trying time, but I came through it and I think it may have something to do with the era in which I was brought up (or dragged up or kicked and told to get up). It all made me very strong and I never realised how strong until I hit bottom.

When I think back on my childhood, it makes me realise just how resilient I’ve become. A lot of us should be given a trophy or some sort of recognition for surviving our childhood. Like many others, I was brought up in a housing commission area. It was a breeding ground for abuse, neglect, alcohol and drugs. As all the kids of the area entered their teens a lot dealt in marijuana because it was quick easy money. With most parents working, latchkey kids were in abundance. We were left to our own devices for hours on end. A lot of the parents of that era came first no matter what — alcohol, parties and poker machines were first and foremost on their agenda.

We Baby Boomers are a tough breed, there is no denying that. You only get one shot at life, so make it your best shot.

What was your upbringing like? Do you consider yourself to be part of a ‘tough breed’?

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