The Slam-wich Generation
I remember the first time I heard the term: “The Sandwich Generation.” I remember doing the math, and realizing with a start: they mean me! And then life overtook me, and the term drifted into the mental ether, along with so many others.
Until 2019.
Not only did the term come to the forefront of my mind, it came to the forefront of my life, as I confronted the twin pressures of helping my father face a major medical crisis, while also raising my two young children, ages 18 months and 3 1/2 years. Twin pressures quickly metastasized into a hydra of pressures: child-rearing, elder-care, a full-time job, and I should exercise and go to the dentist…oh, and a theoretical social life.
Ok. Let’s be honest, that last one went by the wayside 3 1/2 years ago. I joke to cope. In the blink of an eye, I went from mostly holding it together, to almost completely overwhelmed. In a heartfelt and honest conversation with my former boss, she said something that sticks with me, even still: “You are only one person, and there is only so much one person can do or should try to do.”
She was right, then, and she is right, today. It brings to mind an old quote that I definitely did not understand when I first heard it, and I understand in the marrow of my being, now:
“It takes a village.”
We all need a village. We are accustomed to family villages and friend villages, even villages of trusted colleagues at work. But who makes up our personal-professional village? Examples that come to mind: doctors, plumbers, mechanics. You get the idea. Professionals who keep the business of Me, Inc. or Us, Inc. running.
It was in one of my numerous trips back-and-forth to my Dad’s (20 hours in the car gives a lot of time to free-range think) ruminating on how much it felt like Me, Inc. was heading off the rails. The lists of “still to do” and “not yet done” and “someday, somehow” were growing longer every minute. And I was Sisyphus in their midst. It was then that I remembered “sandwich generation” and snort-laughed before saying out loud: “more like SLAMwich.”
In that moment, I realized a number of things: that phrasing more accurately captured how it feels, for me, and this assuredly affects more people than just me and my family. We will revisit the impact of being a member of the Slam-wich Generation over a number of specific topics in the weeks to come.
But, what to do about it, now?
To begin, it is why I am writing this post: to show and to share that if any of the above describes you and your life, you are NOT alone! We all need help. And Juno Capital Strategy is here to help! We work with a number of talented professionals we will demonstrate have a place in your personal-professional village. So, let’s figure out where you really are, let’s figure out what you really need and lets work together to close the gap on those two things. You may feel slammed, but let us help prevent you from actually being slammed. Let’s get going! Start planning which classes you want to take, in 2023, and “Let’s Get Fearless!”
