I think we Boomers sometimes use our age and our self-perceived wisdom as an excuse for not learning anymore. It feels safer to tell yourself you have all the answers, and the only way to find out otherwise is to ask, engage, and learn, which can be risky. However, I’ve found a cover story, an alter ego. A fake ID to use in such a pursuit.

I think of myself as a cultural anthropologist. I got the idea from my 85-yr-old mom, who freely plays the “old person card.” If somebody’s trying to rip her off, she’ll complain, saying, “You think just because I’m old you can take advantage of me.” (She’s a feisty 4’11” and nothing gets past her.)

So, in pursuit of current cultural awareness, I’m starting to play the older-person card. I’ll sidle up to young people, and ask questions. I was at LA Fitness the other day and really liked a song that was playing over the sound system. I asked these two boys, maybe 18? 20? who it was. You could tell they were thinkin’, “Granny wants to rock!” But then they got into the spirit, answered my question, and yakked with me a minute. Nothing bad happened.

I used to help out at an elementary school. At breaktime I sat with the young women teachers. Talk always turned to family. To excuse my prying, I’d play the old lady card: “Are husbands still like that? Are you ladies still doing most of the housework?” Oh, boy, that was a hot button. Let’s just say, very little changes. But they were eager to fill me in. I’m just curious, and people seem to like that.

Here’s another example: have you noticed that when you thank a younger person, they’re likely to respond, “No problem”? It bugged me when it happened at a store when a youngish cashier handed back my change. I felt like saying, right, it shouldn’t be a problem, because it’s your job. But when I opened my mind and asked my Gen-Y friend about it, she said that it’s a way of shrugging off the appreciation, because the young person feels it was nothing. As in “de nada” in Spanish. For nothing. No problem.

I felt kind of stupid. Peevish, even.

So be brave, Boomers. Get out there and ask. You might learn something.