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Aging Gracefully

By Kathy Weyer M.A.

As a Baby Boomer, I’m having a little trouble aging gracefully in the eons. Only now are we starting to realize the benefits of flex time
workplace, but I think I’ve worked most of it out. without guilt. It is a wonder to me that you can stay home with a
sick child and work from home. You can get to the school play, the
Everything I’ve been taught has to be, not thrown out the window, teacher’s conference, or even to the gym during normal “working
but filed neatly away, and I’ve started to embrace a new way of hours” without fear of reprisals. Old habits die hard, though, and I
thinking about work – without feeling like a deadbeat. still feel the need to justify my time. But I’m getting there.
I remember as a non-exempt (hourly) employee, breaking out in a We’ve come a long way, baby!
cold sweat if I was a few minutes late or if I decided to take a “Men-
tal Health Day” (a very good idea if I do say so myself).
I always felt odd the next day because
I suspected people thought I was just
playing hooky.

Sitting at my desk actually thinking was
cause for someone to ask if I could take
on another project. The object was to
look busy. Breaks were for those not
serious about their work. Everything
you did was to project the image that
you were a serious careerist. Lunches
were always working lunches, you never
left before 5:00, and you were always at
your desk, (and you always wore stock-
ings, but that’s another story altogether).
We were so buttoned up! How times
have changed. San Diego

My parents taught me to work hard, Woman
show your dedication, and be better than
everyone else. That meant getting in
early and staying late. It meant that my
job was a major part of any conversa- 35
tion – with anyone. It meant my work
became my life.
I’ve discovered your work is not your
life. Your LIFE is your life. The younger
generation has that right. They do not
expect to be with the same company for
their entire lives and retire with a gold
watch the way our parents did. Our
children have watched us go through job
after job, whether it was our choice or
not. They do not have the same belief
that if you take care of the business the
business will take care of you. They
have been witness to insecurity, down-
sizing, political maneuvers, and as a
consequence they look on their jobs as
disposable. We, on the other hand,
were raised watching our fathers stay
with the same company for his entire
working life, instilling loyalty through
dedication. If Mom worked there was
more insecurity because she probably
was hourly.
Work/life balance has been a topic for
discussion (especially for women) for
November/December 2010