Five Things I Learned from People Over 50

Recently, I came across a post that listed ten most annoying habits of people over 50.

I had to chuckle. Obviously, the one who came up with these had a pesky grandma or great aunt and they’re still dealing with the trauma.

In good humor, I would like to list five things I have learned from people over 50.

· Community. When Boomers compliment someone’s new clothes or new cars, (apparently this annoys Millennials and Gen Zs) they are establishing community. Their comment opens the door to further conversation. Boomers remember a time when they encountered friends and neighbors in the aisle of the grocery store and caught up on their lives.

· Connection. Most of us had deep connections back in the day. We accepted it as part of life that neighbors knew our comings and goings. If our parents didn’t show up on the front porch to get the morning paper, neighbors checked to see if they fell or were sick. Our parents even (gasp!) talked with neighbors across the backyard fence. This built a safety net for all involved.

· Communication. Since the world was safer in our day, we learned communication skills like looking one another in the eyes when we spoke. Avoiding eye contact sent a clear message, and it wasn’t a good one. People over 50 taught us to give others our full attention.

· Civility. Our parents taught us to display manners at all times. No slouching on the sofa when an older friend or neighbor was visiting.  As mentioned above, we made eye contact and spoke to those who entered the room. We gave up our chairs to older folks. If we lacked civility, our parents made sure it didn’t happen again.

· Contiguousness. (I call it being part of the human family.) We showed up at friends’ houses unannounced. After a day at work, we forged valuable relationships in the evenings. It’s unfortunate that today’s young adults have missed this element. Our parents understood that if they showed up at a friend’s house and the family was busy; they pitched in and helped. And people in those days didn’t feel the need to have houses looking like they didn’t live in them. We all knew life happened, dirty dishes accumulated, and kids got grubby faces when they played outside.

These are just a few of the valuable life skills we boomers learned from those over 50.

I feel sorry for Millennial and Gen Z adults who never knew the security and peace of community connections.

Actually, it’s not all their fault. The fast-paced digital world of Millennials and Gen Zs was thrust upon them by those who thought they were doing them a favor. They gobbled it up as we might have done, given the same circumstances. Unfortunately, this valuable group missed some of the important behaviors that made our culture a lot more peaceful, slower, and thoughtful of others.

So, why not show patience with those over 50?  They can teach us a lot if we take the time to understand the world they left behind.

What about you? Have you learned anything from those over 50? You can use the comment section below and tell us.