Reunions Bring Perspective
By: Kathy Westgate Keaton

Our cars are classic our music oldies our comics, 45’s and poodle skirts, all now collectibles.  We are the “Baby Boomers” and The Tulsa Central Class of 65.  Many are retired, collect social security, but our age and attitude as timeless as Mickey Mouse himself.

We never asked to be the Boomers but it will follow us forever.
We are determined to look young, feel young and live well beyond the age of the generation before us who were reunited after being separated by war to create our new generation.
 
Having attended only a few of our reunions, at first it always feels like a room full of strangers.  The objective of the first night is to somehow match the face of an 18 year old on a name tag with the face of a 65 year old person, standing right in front of you.  Some of the faces have changed very little.  Others look like as though a tire pump has been inserted in their mouth and then pumped up just a few too many times.  Some look like their face is melting.  It usually looks like the women have aged better than the men, but with glasses on things look a little more even.  The Clairol slogan “I’m worth it” takes on a new meaning, as I mentally calculated the net worth of my class for hair color.  Looking back it is probably comparable to the amount of hair spray we used in the 60’s.  It may be “a great time to be silver” but obviously not to my classmates and myself.

In one short week end in 2015 we will cover more than 50 years, thankful that our permanent records did not actually follow us all the days of our lives.  We’ll share memories of a life time, remember the crazy times, a time of innocence and remember those who have already met the Great Spirit in the sky.

Each reunion ends the same as we all agree that things we once considered important, really didn’t matter as much as we thought.  Many have accomplished lives and dreams bigger than one ever could imagine.  We have finally come of age.  My gosh, our children have come of age!

We have become grandparents unlike the world has ever seen with our AARP cards tucked neatly into our billfolds alongside our drivers license with the most wanted photo that resembles our parents.

Our life expectancy increases every year.  We practically need a score card to keep up with the rapidly changing statistics of the continuously changing rules that hold the secret to good health and a long life.

Age will never matter to us Boomers.  We didn’t feel 50, which is actually the new 40. We certainly don’t feel 65.  The truth is, with or without our glasses, grey hair or not, we will always be young at heart!