Know What a Boomupper Is?

Now that it is the 40th anniversary of Woodstock I've decided what my generation has become. We are "boomuppers." A boomupper is a "yuppie" that became a "boomer." When I was a yuppie I was building family and career. The "upwardly mobile" part seemed understandable but then like in the children's book, "Hope for the Flowers," one can discover what the "top of the heap" really is.

In this wonderful children's fable, "Stripe" and "Yellow," two different caterpillars launch off to discover who they are and what life is about. Yellow decides to go "inside" and risk transformation while Stripe goes off to find the top. He crawls up the hill made up of other caterpillars and strives to "make it to the top."

When he is almost there another caterpillar passes him going down and Stripe hears the tired caterpillar whisper, "There is no top. It's only being on top of another caterpillar." Stripe starts to doubt not only his destination but his journey. He then finds himself at the bottom of the "heap" looking up at a strange yellow creature with beautiful, almost transparent wings who seems to be waving at him but this creature from "beyond" can no longer communicate with this feet (and many feet) in the clay stripped creature. Yellow has become a butterfly. She gave new definitiion to upwardly mobile.

Yellow has been transformed. She risked going another way to find the way "up." Okay enough for children's fairy tales. What about us? I suppose each of us has some "Stripe" and "Yellow" tendencies do we not. Where are you now....tired....at the top...at the bottom of the heap..somewhere on the journey trying to decide if you need some risky transformation?

Well, I'm a Boomupper. I've done the upwardly mobile thing...the children are out of the house (most of the time) the career has been "built." I suppose I've managed to get to near the "top" of my field. The top...hummm....I know a little of what old Stripe discovered. Don't get me wrong, I'm blessed indeed....but you know what this Boomupper has discovered...it's the journey...it's the journey that needs the attention...not the top...40 years ago Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young sang what Joni Mitchell wrote for and about Woodstock:

Well, I came upon a child of God
He was walking along the road
And I asked him, "Tell me where you are going"
This he told me,
Said, "I'm going down to Yasgur's farm,
Gonna join a rock and roll band
Got to get back to the land and set my soul free
We are stardust, we are golden
We are billion year old carbon,
And we got to get back to the garden"

..."Well then, can I walk beside you?"

Ah, we are stardust, we are... We and the caterpillars. And this boomupper is more mindful of that than ever. The old story says it clearly: Right after God finished making the caterpillars God picked up some left over stardust and breathed into it...played with it a little....stepped back...looked at it and said, "Well, that's pretty good. I think I'll call it human." God then turned toward the caterpillars and said, "What do you think about these creatures?" But they had crawled away looking for some transformation. God then turned to the new creatures and said, "Transformation....sounds like a good idea for you...Never get so far 'up' that you forget to look down and remember the lesson from the caterpillars."

God turned and sure enough one of the new creatures was munching on an apple...

Bless you...
jody (a sometimes transforming Boomupper) jseymour@davidsonumc.org