From Free Love to Free Shipping . . . The Journey from VW vans to Medicare Plans

Remember when we swore we’d never trust anyone over 30? Surprise—we’re 80 now. And guess what? We still have stories to tell, laughs to share, and wisdom to pass on (whether anyone asked for it or not). We watched the first moon landing, marched for civil rights, and danced to the Supremes on vinyl. Now Baby Boomers have swapped hippy vans for Medicare cards—and somehow the media forgot to tell the rest of the world what aging actually feels like. In From Woodstock to Wisdom, Vicki Thomas takes readers on a joyride through eight decades of Boomer life—from transistor radios and Ed Sullivan to smartphones and podcasts. Along the way, she proves that aging isn’t decline; it’s the encore. Packed with laugh-out-loud lists (movies, TV shows, commercials you can still sing in the shower), heartfelt reflections, and plenty of “that’s so me” moments, this book is equal parts memoir, cultural scrapbook, and survival guide for anyone navigating the wild ride from old to elderhood. So grab your reading glasses and a comfortable chair—because this story is grrreat! (Tony the Tiger said it first, but we’re still quoting him.)

Vicki Thomas never expected to be one of the first Baby Boomers turning 80—but here she is, laughing about it and writing it all down. She’s the Chief Purpose Officer at My Future Purpose, a certified gerontologist (yes, that means she studies aging while also living it), and winner of the 2013 $100,000 Encore.org Purpose Prize (now CoGenerate.org). She has survived transistor radios, rotary phones, shoulder pads, dial-up internet, and more commercials than she cares to admit. Now she’s on a mission to prove that elderhood is not the end of the story—it’s the best encore yet. When she’s not working or writing, Vicki can be found volunteering in her community and running workshops on purposeful living. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, Steve, and their dogs, Finn and Sconnie, both of whom are very patient with her stories.