Category: Living my Life

The young adults born between 1980 and 2000 are sometimes called Gen-xers, sometimes Millennials. They are already making their mark in the world. According to the latest census, they out number Boomers by several million.

As generations before have initiated the over-use of the word “like” and “go” and “you know” (expressions that are still around) perhaps the Millennials are responsible for the over-use of “so.” You know, as in “I’m so not going to do that.” Or they go, “I’m looking so forward to that.” Or they are all like, “That is so over.”

The last comment is appropriate, because with this group has also come the electronic age and changes in the way we all live. Just recently, AARP the magazine printed a list of trends that, as the next generation matures, will be so over.

1. Driving – Gen-xers drive about 25% less that their counterparts did 8 years ago. Many who live in cities don’t even own cars. They use public transportation and rent a car for road trips.

2. Using a land line.  Most sleep with their cell phones at their side. When they move away from their parents’ home, they tend to continue to rely on the cell and never invest in a land line. This is a trend I have seen in all demographics. Why pay for two telephones?

3. Eating a drumstick. Quoting AARP, “KFC fears that Generation McNugget doesn’t understand old-school chicken with bones. The fix: buckets of boneless chicken.”

4. Buying a house. Only 18 percent of the 18-34 age group say owning their own home is majorly important to them.

5.  Keeping your salary secret. Millennials ignore the office taboo — or social taboo — of discussing salary. This was considered ill-mannered (still a word) when I was growing up. People thought if you talked about salary you were either bragging or complaining.

6. Taking care of the planet. Sadly many, many millennials do not make any personal effort to help the environment.

Despite the attention given the importance of saving for retirement or a rainy day, most of the younger generation are either not convinced or simply can’t. Median net worth of Americans under 35 is now $3662. That the value of a high-mileage used car.

So, I’ll say to our future leaders and decision makers, “Have fun.”  Just remember, there will always be a new operating system, an upgrade, a later model.  One day your favorite app will go the way of 8-track tapes. A gadget that made your life enjoyable will be so over.

A few years ago I answered a Facebook survey about acting and one of the questions was, “Have you ever had a role written especially for you?” I answered “No”, of course, thinking that was something that would never happen to me in my community theater career.  But, as life has a way of bringing surprises, it has happened.

My friend, Rhonda Roberts, member of my critique group and a regular contributor to Highlights for Children magazine, won Second Place Award in the Center on the Square one-act play contest last May. The award brought with it an invitation to have her play, No, Not Really, be a part of the theater’s Dessert Double Feature, a production of two one-act plays with a dessert bar.

It was then that Rhonda told me, “All the time I was writing this, I was thinking of you … how you would say a particular line.” Then she asked me to play the part of Alice, an aging mom who is showing signs of confusion and instability. When confronted, Alice tries to cover her mistakes by changing the subject, making a smart quip, or telling a long story.

This play is funny, but with some poignant moments. I love this role because it gives me room to stretch.  I’m afraid that as I have aged I have been type-cast as a feisty old lady.  I have loved the roles that gave me an opportunity to be more (The Dining Room, Lost in Yonkers, The Women).

Rhonda did a great job on this script bringing out the feelings on both sides of the issue. She is playing the part of Alice’s daughter, Katelyn.  Acting opposite a good friend can either cement or destroy a relationship. As to how that is working out, in the words of my character, Alice, “Everything is just fine, thank you very much.”

Three more performances next weekend, July 26, 27, 28. For ticket information visit the theater website www.centeronthesquare.org