I'm so glad you wrote this article and shared these perspectives. This was exactly what I was sharing with a few friends two weeks ago and you expressed it so beautifully! I just fractured my knee over the holidays and was in the middle of a kitche renovation. I asked my family to go away to Canada and keep up with original plans which meant that I was alone over winter break. I had friends my age who dropped off food but it was really my older friends 65+ who cam and spent time with me offering loving care, healing and conversations that were so valuable to take me through that time. They met me where I was and gave me what i truly needed.
I also really enjoy having friends and connections with my daughter's friends and often forget that I am the 'auntie' among them;))
I mentor a group that we started called Enliven to bring inter generational programming to seniors in our communities. i would love to see more inter generational connections thrive in our communities.
I love this. I have a lot of friends who are 10 and 15 years younger than me, and quite a few who are older, and I think it's the way to go! But I also understand the hesitation around the language to use to describe someone who is significantly younger--with that tie to one's children. It's like when the kids you coached and who used to call you Mrs. something or other now start calling you by your first name, which is better and nicer but also can feel strange at first for them.
One of my closest friends has 20+ years on me. I've always had older friends, even when I was young, but I do think that feels weird the younger you are. But there is that transition point, I think, in the early 20s after kids start joining the workforce and realizing ok, age doesn't always matter like it used to. Now I'm friends with people 30 years younger, which helps keep me young too...especially in my perspective of the world.
Anjali: I so love this article. Thank you so much for putting it all so beautifully.
Hi Anjali,
I'm so glad you wrote this article and shared these perspectives. This was exactly what I was sharing with a few friends two weeks ago and you expressed it so beautifully! I just fractured my knee over the holidays and was in the middle of a kitche renovation. I asked my family to go away to Canada and keep up with original plans which meant that I was alone over winter break. I had friends my age who dropped off food but it was really my older friends 65+ who cam and spent time with me offering loving care, healing and conversations that were so valuable to take me through that time. They met me where I was and gave me what i truly needed.
I also really enjoy having friends and connections with my daughter's friends and often forget that I am the 'auntie' among them;))
I mentor a group that we started called Enliven to bring inter generational programming to seniors in our communities. i would love to see more inter generational connections thrive in our communities.
www.enlivenup.org
I love this. I have a lot of friends who are 10 and 15 years younger than me, and quite a few who are older, and I think it's the way to go! But I also understand the hesitation around the language to use to describe someone who is significantly younger--with that tie to one's children. It's like when the kids you coached and who used to call you Mrs. something or other now start calling you by your first name, which is better and nicer but also can feel strange at first for them.
One of my closest friends has 20+ years on me. I've always had older friends, even when I was young, but I do think that feels weird the younger you are. But there is that transition point, I think, in the early 20s after kids start joining the workforce and realizing ok, age doesn't always matter like it used to. Now I'm friends with people 30 years younger, which helps keep me young too...especially in my perspective of the world.
Yes! I find it sad that friendships across generations can be viewed as unusual. I hope that decreases for our second 50... :)