Senior citizen? No.
Over the hill? What hill?
Elder? Nuh-uhhh.
Sage? Yes!
Perennial? Niiiiice.
The words we use to describe people who live a half-century or more are key to how we perceive those (us!) with longterm life experiences.
Wait! “Those” people include me and likely you!
After all, we need Perennials and Sages to bridge the knowledge gap with the young.
What happens when you ask a couple of teens to dial a number using a rotary phone?
Do young people even know how to drive a car with manual transmission?
Many may not give a second thought to these labels, but the words we use to describe those of us over 50 are important.
The term, perennial was referenced in Gloria Steinem’s Doing Sixty chapter in her book entitled, Moving Beyond Words. It best describes those who have accumulated wisdom across the decades.
Perhaps we will be perennial flowers who repot ourselves and bloom many times.
The late psychiatrist, gerontologist, and author of The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain, Gene Cohen, MD, PhD, draws on thirty years of research to show positive changes in our brains that he calls developmental intelligence. Perennials can see the forest and the trees. We hold powerful potential to enhance, not diminish our lives after fifty.
Young people, what do you plan to do with these?
Can you please calculate the square root of 3600 using this tool?
For more, read Meet the Perennials.
For photos down memory lane, visit:
Do you remember?
This really brings back memories.
- 45s
- cassettes
- typing class
- cameras with film
- bottled milk delivered to your door
- brown paper bag lunches
- Sugar Daddy candy
- Smith Brothers Black Cough Drops
- Evening in Paris cologne
Thank you, John Quick for bringing these two sites to my attention via email four years ago, this month.
