Still Headin' Down The Highway

April 15, 1969

Dear Daddy,
It was great talking to you last night. I am sorry that the hitchhiking ticket I got was 150.00. I will pay you back. Anyway, I had to panhandle some change to call you from the phone booth yesterday. Don't freak out, everybody panhandles spare change. It's ok. Money isn't that important and there's always somewhere to crash and I can always find some food. We have met some cool people along the way. I can't wait to get to California. There are people in the Haight called diggers and they let you hang out at their places and feed you. It's all about love. Well, got to go, there seems to be a storm coming and we want to hit the road before it gets here. I've had enough of Kansas, California here I come!
Love and Peace,
Joyce.

I am a baby boomer. The day I turned 50, I was so happy, so exhilarated. I had reached a landmark in my life. I had lived a half of a century. I felt like a diva, a princess, a queen. I demanded the respect of all those who I came in contact with that day. I decided then and there, that I was going to do whatever I pleased, whenever I pleased. I earned that right.
Now at age 58, that day seems like a blur. Granted, I still feel that moment of exhilaration, but in the same respect, a sort of reality set in. There are issues my generation have to face, from being caretakers of our parents, retirement, to even trying to find sensable clothing to fit my mindset.
Oh, those days in my life, seem to make reality non existant. Elvis, rock and roll, free love, lsd and Jimmy Hendricks. How perfect was that world! Where do we go from here?