Generation Exhausted

It's been HOW long?

Where does the time go? When I was a teenager, most of the company I kept (including the hubby) was part of a demographic known vaguely as "older kids" and I remember waiting patiently as one after the other they turned 16 and 18 and 19 and so on, whilst I remained, to my chagrin, "younger".

Ha ha.

Beginning with Ms. WlsonWorld earlier this month (Happy Birthday!), the  "older kids" have all started turning 40 in 2008. It's an entirely different perspective - I'm feeling much more patient that I did when I was 15.

But time, she passes. Much, much more quickly than I can wrap my head around sometimes.

Hot on the heels of my shock this week at realizing it's been almost four years since the last episode of Friends, Danigirl has blogged a nice little post about Generation X cultural anniversaries. I particularly like her inclusion of the one about Darth Vader. Who can forget the ages-long wait for Return of the Jedi to find out if it was in fact true? ROTJ was the first time I ever lined up for a movie that sold out before I got to the ticket window.

Here's some of my own additions:

22 years this month since the space shuttle Challenger tragedy

23 years since Live Aid

24 years since Clara Peller first demanded to know "Where's the beef?"

20 years since Rob Lowe got into hot water at the Democratic National Convention

24 years since Purple Rain debuted, complete with pre-Internet text speak (I would Die 4 U)

26 years since the bar where everyone knew your name opened up and 15 years since its doors closed

20 years ago this month that I first fell in love with the guy I still wake up next to every morning. We've both got a little less spring in our step, and a little more grey in our hair, but life is just as interesting.

Now go make your own list - you're not getting any younger!

Excellence

That's the title of the picture featured on this week's agenda page. It's a picture of a bowling ball making what appears to be a strike. The accompanying quote:

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in the impact of your determination."

Hmm.

Notice that it does not say "in your determination" but rather "in the IMPACT of your determination." That's a slightly different philosophy than is usually spelled out in the do-anything-you-set-your-mind-to-all-it-takes-is-a-positive-attitude popular positive thinking culture that is prevalent, especially at this time of the year.

As I mull this over, I'm struck by the escape clause it provides to those who might be looking for one. On the surface, one might say, "See? All the determination in the world isn't necessarily going to effect a change. Says so, right there. So why bother?"

And on the surface, the cynics are right, a little bit. Let's say you want to hit a homerun in baseball. With a golf club. You might figure out how to actually hit the ball without snapping the golf club's shaft, but chances are you won't be able to homer that way. No matter how determined you are.

Anyone caring to scientifically disprove that can go right ahead. Have fun. Let me know how it turns out.

Probably not going to get a strike rolling a softball down the lane either.

How many times have we told our children - or ourselves - or been told by others? "Try harder." And sometimes, it IS a matter of trying harder. But I'm learning lately that harder isn't always what's required. Sometimes, you need to try different.

Impact comes from a lot of different things - not just how hard you swing the bat or hit the ball, or whatever. When I bowl I tend to wing that ball down the lane with all the power my 100 lb. frame can muster. Sometimes I get three strikes in a game.

Sometimes I wind up on my butt and the ball goes into the gutter.

Determination counts - it's definitely a place to start. But aiming in a specific direction, and using the right tools for the job - i.e. a bowling ball instead of a softball or a bat instead of a golf club - increase the likelihood that your determination will have an impact.

Something to think about.

**Side note: Has January become the new February? I can't remember a January that has felt as grey and bleak as this one so far. Or is it just me?

I may have to find something else to do in the evenings

It's not like this TV season was going to be stellar to begin with - with shows like Jericho, The Class and Gilmore Girls gone, and the new replacements looking pretty dismal, I'd resigned myself to reading more, and perhaps getting past Level 12 on my plug 'n' play version of Mappy. But at least there was the promise of more Corner Gas, and maybe I'd get the hang of Grey's Anatomy.

Well.

First of all, Corner Gas appears to have vanished. Early in the season, it was absent more than it was present on Monday nights, and followed something called Dancing With The Stars, a show whose draw seemed to be Marie Osmond fainting and that hunky guy from All My Children. This was very disheartening - last season's Corner Gas finale was brilliant, and it seemed like the show had finally hit star status. And then, fall rolled around and it couldn't be found. Likewise, Degrassi. Why do networks DO that? I submit to you that not so many shows "jump the shark" as are perhaps fed to it piece by piece.

And then, the Writer's strike. I'm already worrying - I caught the Guiding Light a few times over the holidays and couldn't help but remember the Sonny/Solita madness of the last Writer's strike. However, soap operas being what they are, a little madness is passable.

But prime time is suffering. Last night I found myself with the choice between American Gladiators and something called Dance Wars with Carrie and Bruno.  This is v. v. bad. The TV went off, and I went to bed early. Like, WAY early.

A while back, we were watching so much PeachTree and Deja that I figured we probably wouldn't miss network TV. I was wrong. Hopefully, when the writers come back to work, they'll come back better than ever, and I never will have to try and understand why Carrie and Bruno are at war with each other.

The paper boy is an important part of my morning

I've been reading the local news online for a couple of years, and while enough to keep me sufficiently informed, actually receiving a newspaper is a whole 'nother kind of experience. That's why it was v. cool to receive a four-month subscription to the local paper from my sister for Christmas.

So I'm trying to remind myself that the 12 y.o. who delivers the paper is also on HIS holiday break and I should probably cut him some slack for the paper not being here by 7 a.m. this morning. After all, my first choice wouldn't necessarily have been to be up this early either.

Except while I wait, it's hard to resist the temptation to surf on over to the Web site and read it all before it even gets here. Guess I'll have to be content to blog instead.

I can start my day over as many times as I want

Happy New Year one and all! 2008 seems perilously close to 2010, which seems very...twenty-first century-ish. When did the future get here, and why don't I feel more prepared?

My first conscious thoughts upon waking this morning were not positive or constructive ones, and were immediately followed by sadness that I should begin a brand new year on a negative note. When I'm done blogging, I may go back to bed and start over.

I opened a brand new agenda this morning, and each week in it is headed by a motivational quote. Here's the first one:

Go over, go under, go around or go through. But never give up.

Should have been my theme song for the last year perhaps, so maybe I'll start singing it a little more often. 2007, mostly, was nothing that I imagined it would be. That's not to say it was bad - but it was definitely a year of growth and learning, which is always a challenge. And any year -any day - in which you learn and grow deserves the label of successful.

Here's to 2008 - as soon as I've had a few more hours of sleep!