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Episode 4: M&M talk to JJM (Intergenerational Friendships)
Meredith and Monee welcome one of their wisest friends! They discover friendships that span generations aren't all that rare. Plus, they concoct the perfect app for finding friends that don't know your pop culture references.
Articles referenced in the episode (links not provided for space reasons):
"The Importance of Intergenerational Friendships"-AARP
"The positive impact of intergenerational friendships"-AARP
And a few words from Dr. Julie Jackson-Murphy
We keep talking about wellness as if it's a trademarked commodity, but, like much in medicine that's overly high falutin' when it doesn't need to be, I think we're just talking about happiness. How can I purposely build a happier life and what are the benefits of friendships with people of all ages in that pursuit.
Well, there's the benefit of perspective. That's the beauty of intergenerational friendship. If my pendulum is swinging a little too far for my good on the fear to apathy or despondency spectrum, an older, more experienced friend can let me know it's going to be alright, and a younger, less experienced friend can fire me up and let me know I don't have as much to lose as I fear I might. Those sorts of friendships help me to cope better with reality, rather than being too afraid to approach it or just opting out of dealing with it by denial or whatever other method. Those relationships can help me accept life's realities and create a different outlook, swinging my pendulum closer to a middle state where the goal is to be happier.
For some, it may require broadening your imagination of who you call a friend. When you think about it, for example, there are people, young and old, who make music, or write, or generally do inspiring things in this world that move us and we imagine what it could be like to know and talk to that person. Why shouldn't the same be true in our real lives with real life people we actually have a chance to know?
When I was a tortured soul about which direction to take my life, before the med school decision, there were literally 2 people at work, one a 20 yr older superior and the other, an intern almost 15 yrs younger, who told me I should be a doctor. I can't recall what it was I shared with them exactly, but I can recall being honest about being at a crossroads about where to invest whatever passion I felt I had to offer. And I remember to this day where I was sitting and how I felt when they told me so precisely to be a doctor in a way that seemed so unimaginable at the time.
Likewise, it makes me happy to think that I could possibly be that same soul whisperer for someone else, you know. Because that's the other benefit. It teaches you that you have something to offer as well and that when you figure whatever it is you have to offer it can make both of your lives feel more satisfying.
The other benefit is that intergenerational friends reveal something about us. Esther Perel, and I'm sure many other wise people, says we know who we are in the presence of others. Friends of all types can provide a mirror, reflecting aspirational traits, calling you out on your nonsense, and just provide a table for the potluck you want to add your dish to in life. So it's as much about what you want to offer in the friendship too. What can you add that enriches both of you.
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By Monee & MeredithMeredith and Monee welcome one of their wisest friends! They discover friendships that span generations aren't all that rare. Plus, they concoct the perfect app for finding friends that don't know your pop culture references.
Articles referenced in the episode (links not provided for space reasons):
"The Importance of Intergenerational Friendships"-AARP
"The positive impact of intergenerational friendships"-AARP
And a few words from Dr. Julie Jackson-Murphy
We keep talking about wellness as if it's a trademarked commodity, but, like much in medicine that's overly high falutin' when it doesn't need to be, I think we're just talking about happiness. How can I purposely build a happier life and what are the benefits of friendships with people of all ages in that pursuit.
Well, there's the benefit of perspective. That's the beauty of intergenerational friendship. If my pendulum is swinging a little too far for my good on the fear to apathy or despondency spectrum, an older, more experienced friend can let me know it's going to be alright, and a younger, less experienced friend can fire me up and let me know I don't have as much to lose as I fear I might. Those sorts of friendships help me to cope better with reality, rather than being too afraid to approach it or just opting out of dealing with it by denial or whatever other method. Those relationships can help me accept life's realities and create a different outlook, swinging my pendulum closer to a middle state where the goal is to be happier.
For some, it may require broadening your imagination of who you call a friend. When you think about it, for example, there are people, young and old, who make music, or write, or generally do inspiring things in this world that move us and we imagine what it could be like to know and talk to that person. Why shouldn't the same be true in our real lives with real life people we actually have a chance to know?
When I was a tortured soul about which direction to take my life, before the med school decision, there were literally 2 people at work, one a 20 yr older superior and the other, an intern almost 15 yrs younger, who told me I should be a doctor. I can't recall what it was I shared with them exactly, but I can recall being honest about being at a crossroads about where to invest whatever passion I felt I had to offer. And I remember to this day where I was sitting and how I felt when they told me so precisely to be a doctor in a way that seemed so unimaginable at the time.
Likewise, it makes me happy to think that I could possibly be that same soul whisperer for someone else, you know. Because that's the other benefit. It teaches you that you have something to offer as well and that when you figure whatever it is you have to offer it can make both of your lives feel more satisfying.
The other benefit is that intergenerational friends reveal something about us. Esther Perel, and I'm sure many other wise people, says we know who we are in the presence of others. Friends of all types can provide a mirror, reflecting aspirational traits, calling you out on your nonsense, and just provide a table for the potluck you want to add your dish to in life. So it's as much about what you want to offer in the friendship too. What can you add that enriches both of you.