Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom (And Whimsy)

Posted on March 25, 2026 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with 2 comments

A lucky Canadian

 

Ooh, what a lucky man he was,

Ooh, what a lucky man he was.

Lucky Man – Emerson, Lake and Palmer

I’m not the gambling sort.

I have only been to the casino a handful of times. I went to a bingo game once in a smokey hall in rural Nova Scotia. I rarely buy lottery tickets. I drop $20 quite often to support Minor Hockey. I see this as a charitable donation. Thankfully, I haven’t gotten caught up in the gambling frenzy that now dominates sports. The odds of me laying down a bet won’t show up any time soon on FanDuel.

Lucky in life? That’s a completely different tune.

I was chatting with one of my siblings the other day. We were comparing war wounds. Most of my brothers and sisters are hurtling (limping) towards 80. Eighty! We were reflecting on our good fortune. We both agreed that in so many ways, we were part of one of the most fortunate generations to inhabit this planet. The Baby Boomers in general (those born between 1946-1964) and Canadians “boomers” in particular, may well go down as one of the luckiest cohorts in history.

Please don’t hate us, Gen X-ers and Millennials,

I realize that this is a generalization. Depending on “the accident of birth”, most Boomers enjoyed benefits rarely seen in the past and not likely to be seen in a very long time going forward.

Many of us entered the housing market when prices were modest relative to income. The value of homes rose astronomically over the decades, creating massive wealth engines. And, unlike many other investments, our homes were not subject to capital gains.

We benefited from a strong post-war economy and enjoyed steady wage growth, although mowing lawns at St.Ninian’s Cemetery for $1.00 an hour didn’t exactly fatten my bank account. The stock market was our friend and those with a long-term view and patience, watched their portfolios grow exponentially. We benefited from a relatively stable job market that often provided defined benefit pension plans.

Higher education (and I’m not talking about pot smoking in university!) was more accessible and affordable compared to the high student debt loads faced by younger generations today.

And the Boomers wielded power in the halls of government. Our voting power influenced policies that benefited us and vote we did.

What makes Canada special is that our generation never had to go to war. This in no way diminishes the sacrifice made by many Canadians who fought and served in the war in Afghanistan and other global conflicts. Unlike our parents and grandparents, we didn’t live through world wars.

Gas was cheap. The air was clean. We sat on the beach with our boom boxes and listened to Hey Jude, American Pie, Bridge Over Troubled Water and California Dreamin’. We were picking up Good Vibrations.

These days, we no longer climb trees. We do chair yoga and Tai Chi to help us from seizing up.

The bumps and bruises and memory loss continue to accumulate but man, did most of us have it good for a very long time.

I’m hoping for a few more good innings.

Have a great weekend.

P.S. Great news. A recent study published in the Harvard Gazette suggests that drinking 2-3 cups of coffee a day is tied to lower dementia risk. I must try and remember this!