[Boomer]

Good morning GG,

I am not there yet so I am speaking from the standpoint of having absolutely no idea what I am talking about. But that has never stopped me before. So when I should be doing more useful things here around the house, let me confess my own similar thoughts.

Here goes:

I must admit to being somewhat taken aback when someone here on TOTV talked about how downright snotty some of the clubs are, what with pulling chairs out from under newcomers, and such. (Yeah. I say snotty not snooty, but I like to create imagery sometimes when I write.) As I recall in that thread, I commented as to how the ignored newcomers may have attended the wrong club meeting. I suggested three names for such clubs. One of them was the "We Are What We Were in High School and Never Could Get Over It" club.

And when I read that, I thought, "Oh no, could it be that TV is a great big high school?" You know, I think I did see one of those bad girls from high school (you know who I mean) hanging on two or three guys at an outside bar there in TV. (I think the guys might have been old jocks.)

And when I read that article about TV a couple of years ago in "Smart Money" magazine, I was gripped with the fear that because I am not too coordinated, it would be for me like high school all over again. I have to confess that in high school, even my very best friend would not pick me for her team. And we are actually still friends, although I often remind her of that traumatic experience. You see, GG, I would always duck when I saw a softball coming at me. Sometimes I did not see the softball coming because I was way too busy blabbing to whoever was playing the position closest to mine. The only thing I was good at was the trampoline. But the "Smart Money" article made it look like everybody in TV is really good at sports and that's what they do all the time. It scared me. But then I learned that's not the case.

And then there is the issue of golf. I play. Pathetically. It's more about taking a walk in beautiful surroundings, not getting too excited about any of it, not keeping score, knowing when to pick up your ball, not holding up the serious golfers behind you, and then going out for lunch and gossip afterward.

And then I saw those people in those ads for TV. I was so afraid that everyone there looked like that.

And then I wondered if there was a lot of pretentiousness in TV. I read a lot of books on money matters. (I know. It's boring. But I like it.) Anyway, one of my favorites is "The Millionaire Next Door." And my personal philosophy is that if somebody wants to start trying to outsnot everybody else, I don't want to know that person better anyway.

I know that your original question had to do with age. My guess is that among all those people, there will be some who want to make age a barrier to friendship, just like there will be some who want to make an issue out of any or all of the other things I have talked about here.

btw, Mr. Boomer and I are not hung up on age at all. His favorite group when we visited was the "Airplane Hangar Flyers" who meet over in Orange Blossom. All ages and boy do they know flying, from WWII on through. He can't wait to go back to those meetings when we get there.

So you are going to find some issues in TV, like everywhere else. See, you are not alone in your angst. It's a big place so it's got it all.

I think the key to TV is probably to have a nice relationship with your neighbors, seeing them at the neighborhood events. But not expecting your new best friend to necessarily be in your neighborhood. Maybe. Maybe not. Time will tell.

When you become involved in your own interests through clubs, classes, whatever, you will find your place.

Have you ever had an aquarium, one big enough to hold several different kinds of fish? Well, if you know about aquariums, you know that when you bring the fish home from the fish store in their plastic bags, you float them in the bag for a little while. Then you open the bag and you let them out. And every single time, those fish find their own kind and things go along quite swimmingly.

So, GG, just float for awhile. You will find your people.

And apologies to anybody who has read this far. I know this thing needs a good edit but I have to leave. Mark Twain, one of my favorite students of human nature, said, "I would have made this letter shorter, but I don't have time."

Your friend,
Boomer