Marketing to the Boomers. Let's Get Real!

It’s a New Chapter

We spend a lot of time reminiscing about the good old days, but they are gone, except in our memory vaults. Today will become the good old days when we jump even further along the time line for another some twenty years. So there are adjustments and there are opportunities.

Adjustments. In spite of the never ending advertisements touting remedies for younger skin, more hair, energy boosts, and smiling, bicycling, jogging, dancing, and yes prancing seniors there is something blatantly missing in the picture. Realistically we don’t have the energy we used to, our youthful bodies have had a tendency to go south, our hair has often times suffered a drought and does not grow, and then there are the hairs that grow where you don’t want them. Here is where a good sense of humor comes in. In fact, it’s downright necessary. No we certainly are not who we used to be, except maybe deep down inside. That young, hopeful spirit can exist right until the end.

Now that we feel like we are dating the Medical community, and buying pill holders, and keeping antacids handy, a met-amorphous is taking place. We are getting OLD, say it out loud OLD! And what does that mean in real time terms. It means we have to accept and adjust.  No more pretending. Do what we can to the max, but recognized what we cannot do without painful consequences. All right diet, exercise, mental stimulation; we all know the speech. The advertisers jump hoops not to use the word OLD. It’s ok. If not old, we are at least older. We have to look beyond that to what enriches our life; our children, our garden, our hobbies, our friends. We must capitalize on that which brings us joy and the opportunity comes with the new found time we finally have on our hands. The accolades of the past do not serve us anymore. There are no performance evaluations going on, except for those initiated by ourselves. So the moral of this story, look for opportunities, accept the inevitable consequences of an aged body and mind, and go from there. Nourish the child within, see the wonder of living, and live in the present and most of all Be Happy.

A Halloween Poem for the little people in your life

Gene and the Ghost

Gather round children I’ll tell you a tale,

 Of witches and goblins and cider and ale.

I’ll tell you this story, but don’t be afraid

 Gather your courage and try to be brave.

Once upon a moonless night

 When owls were whoo o-o-ing out of sight,

There lived a little boy named Gene

 Who was dressing up for Halloween.

Now you all know on this special night

 You make yourself a frightful sight

And fool your friends and neighbors too

 Guessing which little boy are you!

What Gene wanted to be the most

 Was a scary, s c a r y ghost

His mom wrapped him all in white

 And sent him out into the night

“Now don’t go far, and be real good,

  And mind your manners like you should.

Knock on all the doors of this long street

 And say politely “Trick or Treat”.

Gene saw his friends passing to and fro,

 And knew it was time that he should go

And brave he was, so he started on

 Carrying his pack and humming his song

“S-c-a-r-r-y, scary ghost am I

 Cept I don’t know how to fly

But I’m clever I know what to do

 When kids go by, I’ll say BOO”

Now just then on this same night

 A real ghost stood out of sight

And heard Genes funny little song

As Gene was walking now along.

The ghost snuck up behind Genes back

 And on his shoulder gave a tap.

Gene turned around and then said BOO

 The ghost replied and Boo to you.

The ghost looked into Genes wide eyes

 And started to laugh to Genes’ surprise

“Don’t be afraid, I’m a nice ghost

 If you be my friend I’ll be your host

And show you around this Halloween night

and give you a ride quite far from this site.”

Gene was afraid, but very brave too,

 “Yes, he said, I’ll come with you”.

So he hopped up on the friendly ghosts’ tail

 And into the night the both of them sailed.

Higher and higher they flew with such ease,

 Gene felt as if he was flying a breeze, but

Just then a big black cloud did appear,

 And a chilling laughter filled the air.

First a black hat, then a long nose

 A straggly smile and raggedy clothes

Twas a witch on a broom, flying aside

 Now this was becoming a most interesting ride.

“I’m a witch, and I’m mean and I like to scare people.

  I live beyond that faraway steeple.”

Gene listened and shuddered and wished he were home.

 He wondered how far away he’d already flown.

The witch gave a laugh and pointed a finger.

 You could definitely see that she wanted to linger.

“Big black mean witch, where are you going?

 What trick on this night do you plan to be showing?

Be nice to my friend, he’s a very brave boy,”

Said the ghost to the witch, now slightly annoyed.

The witch gave a kick to her magical broom

 And disappeared fast with the sound of a zoom.

Gene and the ghost dropped down to the ground

 And Gene was delighted at what he had found.

A field of pumpkins all yellow and gold,

 Whispering secrets that shouldn’t be told.

“Were plump and were sweet, and this is no lie,

 We want to be picked for some body’s pie”.

“Pumpkin pie is really a treat,

 A Halloween favorite pie to eat.”

Then they all said their good byes

 And Gene and the ghost returned to the sky.

Back to Gene’s street they flew in a hurry

 Landing down quite in a flurry.

“Now I’ve a surprise, a load full of treats,

Candies and apples and chocolates and sweets.

Fill up your bag and please hurry home.

Your mom will wonder where you have gone.”

Gene took the treats the friendly ghost shared

When he looked up, the ghost disappeared

Gene hurried home fast as a missile.

 Dancing and singing and trying to whistle.

His smile was wide, his hair all a muss

 He knew his mom would make a big fuss.

“Oh mom, he said, you wouldn’t believe

 What happened to me this Halloween Eve.

A real ghost became my friend,

 And flew me around, just like the wind.

“You silly boy, what tale you tell,

 You ate too much, you don’t feel well.

Now sit down here I’ll make some tea,

 And then to bed immediately.”

And now you see no one believed,

 The friendly ghost on Halloween Eve.

But you and Gene ad I all know.

 It really, truly happened so.