Flexible Maturity who, what, where, why & how come?
At 80, I (Karen Little) am a former technical writer, illustrator, and trainer who, after retirement ten years ago, have a lot of time on my hands.​ To stay active, I draw, write, and muse about what's going on in the world today.
The strangest thing I've encountered while advancing to 80 was noticing that very few people 40 and below know anything about what my life was like up until I was 55. Frankly, this leaves me feeling estranged!
In the 1960s, I experienced radical changes in:
fashion + awareness of racism + the assassination of a president + seeing the first trip to the moon + experiencing improved civil rights for women and people of all races + more women working in what were men's jobs + federal interstate highways + acceptance of women into university subjects that were once only taught to men + the sexual revolution + the music revolution + the introduction of colored TV + cars for all economic classes + increased numbers of books printed in full color + an explosion in magazine an newspaper publications + national and international live "you are there" news on TV + fast food + a whole slew of actors and artists who individually were more well known than anyone who came before.
Things changed so fast technologically since 1940 that by today, once useful skills, household items, and topics of concern are now forgotten. These have been replaced by the products of computer technology that now rule communications, entertainment, the job market, and GPS.
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I didn't notice my past evaporated until the day when I realized that younger people not only did not relate to what I told them, they did not care to hear about it:
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Woman's rights? huh Civil rights? come again? Anti-war? uhuh Typewriters? er Wall phones? you are kidding me Mini-skirts? chuckle Adopt computerization? been done long ago
This website is for people 65 years of age and older whose expectations for the future are being shaped by the fact that, with the possible exception of some rock'n roll, their past truly no longer exists. Yes, reminiscence Facebook pages and historical YouTube videos let us look back, but our future is all new with possibly only TikTok left to guide us.
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On this site, Flexible Maturity, I discuss what currently excites and frustrates me and within those topics I philosophically address things that may help all of us ease into the future with hope and comfort, along with a touch of arthritis, stiff knees, and possibly, a sore back.
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Note: The reference to "the world stopped, I got off, now where am I?" is from the 1960s play and movie, "Stop The World--I want to get off!"