Why Another GenXer Empty Nester Starts Blogging.

Another Beginning on a Journey that Stated 50+ Years Ago.

I often find myself, an empty nester, asking why I even want to do something new. Who am I trying to reach or connect with? Why do I think this time it will really happen? Is that what I am looking for, somewhere to confirm that any of my experiences, views, or opinions matter? A forgotten 50 plus woman empty nester from a generation everyone else seems to have forgotten. Advertisers/Media have always focused on the Boomers as we grew up and now they have skipped ahead to the Millennials, upsetting and frustrating the GenZers. But whatever happened to the GenXers?

I promise you we are still here, between all the yelling and finger pointing, watching it like tennis spectators. The focus bounces from the Boomers to the Millennials with GenZers acting like ball boys, girls, kids, persons and picking up the accusations and protestations that did not quite get over the net. But seriously, us GenXers are still working, voting, and buying things. More importantly we have experience and views that a life of growing up, working, having kids, paying mortgages, witnessing numerous administrations and politicians come and go, that like Farmers Insurance (no link here)…”we know a thing or two, because we’ve seen a thing or two”.

But notice I am not saying that GenXers know everything. Being curious is the key to more experiences and constant reshaping of our views. GenXers have been the guinea pigs for every new major technology shift that has occurred in the last 40+ years.

Technology Shifts Over the GenXers life.. so far (definitely more to come)

• Began school using pencils and big chief tablets.
• Graduated high school writing on word processors (remember the old Brother WP-1400D, game changer!).
• Mandatory computer science classes, regardless of your major, during college. We were attached to main frames and sat in a very clean but cold rooms with 30 or more other students.
• My first job required that I teach myself WordPerfect on MS-DOS. I landed my second job because I also had taught myself MSWord and some Excel
• My boss at Motorola walked around with a 2.5-pound cell phone which only lasted about 30 minutes and cost $4,000.
• The internet (aka The World Wide Web) became something you used even at home about the time I enrolled my son in pre-k.
• By this time music had gone from Long Playing Records (LP) to 8 track tapes to cassettes to cd’s and now downloads.
• Movies have gone from being see only in theaters to downloads with video tapes and DVDs in between.
• Our only need for a password was to get into my best friend’s fort in her backyard.

Now at 50+ I have again taught myself the next round of technology, how to film, edit, and upload videos on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. I now am entering the world of blogging and developing a webpage for myself and my thoughts. No longer is relevance determined by your actions. Now you have to be technologically savvy enough to get your ideas plastered on every social platform. And you know what… that is exactly what this old lady has decided to do. As with every other technological shift in the last 40 years, I will still be here teaching myself. Because I am still here and still curious, it is the only way I know to be.