My, my, my, How Our Common Conversations Changed Through Time

Image Credit: Norma Mortenson

Sometimes I have to laugh about some of the conversations we are having, now that we are bonafide card-carrying adults. While many topics of discussion are important and of course can be fragile in nature, I think about how our conversations have changed through the years and the things we resort to talking about when we enter “Seniorhood.” So let’s begin, shall we?

Do you remember when you were a little young whipper snapper and how the things you would yack about with your young whipper snapper friends seemed super important back then? Well, even if you can’t remember, just humor me for a moment. Playing with dolls, frogs, and insects, or playing dress up would have you talking nonstop about a must-see adventure. And I do mean nonstop until you fall asleep.

Then, when we were in elementary school our conversations about our schoolboy or schoolgirl crush and who our besties were became a hot topic, especially on the playground at recess. Then you would get tired and fall asleep in class. Of course, I think about the voice of the teacher from Charlie Brown when you are awakened from your napping stupor. Embarrassing.

When we were in high school we talked about making out with our main squeeze, hanging out until curfew, who we were going to the prom with, where we were going to college, or where our first embarrassing job was. Talk about more serious hot discussions. But when talking until we couldn’t talk anymore (especially on our landline phones), we’d eventually fall asleep while we were in the middle of an important conversation, or so we thought.

When we were in our twenties it was about getting our career started,  having our nuclear family (if we chose to), and buying our first home. This was when we began noticing the things our elders had been telling us when we were trying to grow up so fast. We went into panic mode and that was when we wanted to revisit those wise conversations. 

As I fast-forward a few decades now that I am amid Seniorhood, and I dare not say Senior Citizenship, I have noticed a common denominator, and yet quite humorous among our topics of discussion (but not necessarily mine). We are talking about more serious stuff like comparing notes on who has a normal bowel movement, how often you go to the doctor, are we getting in our recommended fiber intake daily, how many milligrams of medication we are taking and properly pronouncing the scientific names of your meds, is your digestive system better than mine, and what on earth are these young folks wearing these days!

I have to laugh because some of the seniors I talk about aren’t aware of giving out TMI (Too Much Information) which is becoming comic relief material for the taking. So, for all of you comedic wannabes out there, you don’t have to thank me for the new material. Oh yeah, times have changed and so have our conversations. But listen to some of them, especially from senior family members or people sitting in a patient waiting room and then you decide for yourself. It’s over-the-hill funny as all get out!

Image Credit: MART PRODUCTION

Life is interesting because we go through changes and lose some people dear to us along the way.