Baby boomers have learned that having it all together doesn’t necessarily mean filling every moment with busyness.
Inherited weight
It used to be that you had to save collections upon collections of china, silverware, and cumbersome antique furniture to leave to your kids someday.
Now people are learning their adult children live in tiny apartments and hate clutter, so they are chucking everything instead. They are entering aggressive “Swedish Death Cleaning.”
They’re giving items as gifts now or donating what they don’t want so someone else can enjoy them.
By dying with less in their homes, they are passing on lighter legacies in more ways than one.
Perfect grass
We all know that tiresome neighbor. The one with the impossibly lush lawn and the Christmas lights so dazzling they made the neighbor’s trash can want to hide.
Some Boomers are quitting the stressful keeping up game by choosing to rewild their yard or xeriscape instead.
A weed-free lawn requires back-breaking labor and wreaks havoc on the environment, so why not replace grass with native plants and clover that need little water and no mowing?
Let the neighbors wrestle with their lawnmowers Saturday morning. Boomers are spending that time drinking coffee on the porch.
Forced gatherings
More Baby Boomers are opting out of those family events they felt compelled to attend previously.
They’re saying no to holiday hell and yes to self-care by putting their nervous systems before nostalgia and choosing less drama this season.
They’re opting instead to pour their time and energy into the “chosen families” that truly have their back, like friends and neighbors.
Unused best
We spent decades hoarding the good towels, expensive perfume, and fancy wine for when the occasion called.
It’s refreshing to see less hoarding of happiness and more using the good things all the time.
Even if it’s just Tuesday, just throw some orange juice in that fine crystal.
The age excuse
Boomers are using technology to make their analog lives easier.
Whether using AI to decipher complicated medication schedules or voice-command smart-home features to avoid climbing stairs to turn off lights, boomers are becoming technologically savvy for one simple reason; It’s not hip, it’s helpful. Using technology to stay independent helps remove friction from everyday life.
Status chasing
Wanting to upgrade to the newest car model or kitchen appliance to keep up with the neighbors has pretty much gone up in smoke.
They’ve discovered that their dependable ten year-old sedan and a kitchen that works functionally for daily life blesses them with so much more peace than another car payment each month.
They are learning to be content with what they have instead of always wanting something newer or more.
Beyond careers
After years of introducing themselves by their occupation ( their productivity to society), Boomers have been kicking the habit of tying their value to their ability to produce.
They’re actively working to unlink their sense of self from their old job titles, opting instead to identify as a lifelong learner or neighborhood helper.
Shedding that professional label has freed them up to be their truer, more laid-back selves.
Community burnout
Back in the day, a lot of boomers felt pressured to accept every invitation to community happenings, join committees, or support fundraisers.
They were always volunteering somewhere.
Now, many are learning to be more selective. Boomers are no longer just filling up their calendars.
If they say yes to something, they make sure it is because they love it or care about it.
Toughing it out
The old habit of toughing it out when it comes to our health is being exchanged for preventive, gentle care like chair yoga, mobility exercises, and meditation.
Instead of waiting for a heart attack to force them to change how they live, they’re tuning into smaller whispers of pain/discomfort and working through them sooner.
This fosters a smoother, more peaceful journey through aging instead of the wait and see mentality.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
