I was reminded this past week how boring life would be in my old age without young people in my life to light the spark of youth that still lives in my soul.

I know in my case, because I struggle occasionally with depression and anxiety, that it is easy to settle in and get comfortable in a routine. As I age and work from my home I found the more I stay in my house, especially in the winter, and do not interact with younger people, the older I become.  My brain becomes more set in my ways.

Settling in also means getting out with people our own age that we enjoy and attend functions with but — if I only spend time with my peers, and I don’t mean my peers are boring, they aren’t — I don’t challenge myself to learn new things and experience places I normally wouldn’t frequent because of my age.

Young adults and kids from birth to 18 challenge our thinking. They move in different circles than someone my age, and they are busy. Younger people breathe life into older people.

Spending time with my kids and grandchildren is always fun and a learning experience. I have to get up in the morning on their schedule, not mine. I found I have more energy if I get up and interact with young brains and bodies doing cartwheels in the morning. They talk to me to wake me up, something I don’t have in my quiet household. After they leave I always think I am going to go back and lounge but I actually feel like working because their energy transferred to me.

Talking with young adults, meaning anyone up to age 45 or 50, brings entirely new subjects to my repertoire. They are more health conscious, at least my family is. The conversation centers on healthy activities, jogging, events, family time, sports, science, history, literature and the list continues on. Perhaps they are animated about the subjects because their lives are busy. They take time for play but they all have busy schedules that keep them going.

Technology plays a big part in their world. The knowledge the kids learn at an early age in school to navigate the world of technology is amazing. We happened to visit a restaurant that had a screen for the kids to play games while we were waiting for our meal. Apparently we paid our bill on the same screen. The kids knew exactly how to do it. Even though I am pretty knowledgeable about these things it was easier to let them guide me as I had not done that before. My thoughts were: I’m going to have to keep up with this or in five years I won’t know how to pay a bill in a restaurant.  Being out and about in the bigger city forces me to keep learning.

Kids are back in school and families will establish as much of a routine as they can, but with kids the routine always changes. Younger people seem to know how to go with the flow. I used to know how to do that too until I settled into a more tranquil life.

Following families can also make you wonder how they do it. They may spice up my life but their life is busy, much more so than when I had children. Not only do both parents work, they must keep up with school schedules and outside activity schedules, feed their children and take care of all the household chores. They have a non-stop life.

As a grandparent I don’t mind helping out, watching kids, chauffeuring them and also attending school activities their school schedules during the day and their parents can’t attend because they are working. For us it means traveling outside of our territory, outside of our comfort zone and into the big world of the big city.

I remember when I was 18, and I wanted to live in the big city. I thought it was exciting, but my plans changed and I stayed in rural America. As I did that I became more fearful of the city and the freeways. The older I got, the more anxious I was visiting and driving. Soon, I stayed away unless someone drove me. Being forced to visit and take in all the activities with my children and grandchildren has expanded my world. I now am little by little getting brave enough to venture a little more on the highways and freeways. I find exploring new places in the cities exciting rather than overwhelming.

The other day a couple of boys of middle school age rang my doorbell. When I answered they giggled and sheepishly looked at one another, did a little dance and then chanted something about making them some cookie dough and then they left quickly. It must have been a dare. I think they thought I might be mad. I didn’t know these boys, but they made me smile. I followed them down the sidewalk and thanked them for making me smile.

If you are an older person reading this, find a younger person to have in your life. If you are a younger person, find an older person to have in your life. You will both grow and learn. Generations growing and learning together will make this a better world.

 

Wells resident Julie Seedorf’s column appears every Monday. Send email to her at hermionyvidaliabooks@gmail.com. Her Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/julie.