Day 23,748: Being Open To Change.

In a recent interview with Oprah on Super Soul Sunday, Marianne Williamson discussed change in relation to age. Some things never change, she agreed, and some things always change. Both are true. Then, she added age into the equation.

Paraphrasing here, she said the young easily see change and desire it. The old generally know what should never be changed and honor it. The lesson is for each generation to be open to the teachings of the other.

Just as old Crones can be wise mentors to those coming up in the ranks, young hot shots and not-so-hot hipsters can help to keep Crones current.  I always felt I was a better marketing person for having young children around. They taught me what was currently cool and what was on the horizon. In exchange, I hope I helped them see that daily dramas were not the end of the world. Life does go on.

In my kid’s kindergarten class, they always had class grandparents who came in to read to the kids and assist the teacher outnumbered by 20:1 on a good day. There are many kindergarten days that are long forgotten, but my kids do remember the magic tricks performed by their class Grand Dad Mr. Wiley.  He was also the school crossing guard in his retirement years. He was such a positive effect on some children that the street has an honorary plaque over the official street name to remind people it really is Wiley Way.

Today’s Amazing Young Leaders

The Parkland kids are this generation’s leaders in showing adults the way needed to create change in a stagnant gun environment. Where adults thought change wasn’t possible, the kids will accept no less than change.

Patience is the virtue we adults will bring to the table. We, who have lived through several presidencies, all too many wars, and even some conflicts that seemed to have no end such as the Irish Troubles from 1969-1998 but did finally end, realize that time marches slowly but it does march on. Ends not in sight can occur nonetheless.

Today, I listened to a different Oprah Super Soul Sunday. In this one, she interviewed Malala Yousafzai and her father Ziauddin.  This is a case where each generation has brought so much to the table. Ziauddin talks about how he required people to call Malala by her name even from an early age rather than the Pakistani accepted label of Ziauddin’s daughter.  He encouraged her to have a voice. She is now the generational voice for womens’ right to education around the world.  Both generations created a stronger stance by supporting each other.

Young people keep oldsters current in the world. Oldsters give young’uns perspective. Both are needed. Both are critical. Instead of being set out to pasture, we need to remind ourselves that the pasture is more vibrant because we continue to draw attention to the nuances within it, and remind everyone that it is worth laying down every so often to just watch the clouds go by and imagine the various animals their shapes suggest.

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Daily Focus on Gun Sanity:  Parkland’s Emma Gonzalez continues to use her voice to inspire and keep focus on the need for gun control and sanity.  Her Twitter following is larger than both the NRA’s or NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch. This week, she is using her Twitter platform to honor the James Shaw, Jr., the man who wrestled down the AR-15 shooter at the Tennessee Waffle House incident in late April. Just 29 years old, he made his stand and made a difference.