When Bob Fell and I presented our “Looking Glass” research concept to the residents of Garden Spot Village through the “Town Hall” meeting they have monthly, there was much more acceptance, curiosity and, frankly, excitement than I ever anticipated.

You know, I find this same progressive conservatism with my own pop; even though my sister and I tease him, calling him the ultimate “male chauvinist,” and he tells us he has no idea how he raised two female “mavericks,” I find him to be one of the most open-minded, progressive thinkers I have ever met in any generation. WWII generation specific, maybe this “thinking it through and looking at all angles of a situation” was a necessity in an era where war and economic distress, as well as the structure of politics and family were all contributory in molding an emerging, progressive society which demanded flexibility.

At his 90th-birthday party last year, Jerry Ford said that he had always lived by his mother’s three cardinal rules: “Work hard. Tell the truth. And come to dinner on time.” I hear the dinner bell ringing at Garden Spot…I plan to be there on time.

At Garden Spot Village’s town hall meeting we told the residents about the plans to come and spend a month with them. We talked about the fact that so many marketers are less than 40-years-old and simply can’t comprehend what life as a senior is like… the heads in the room nodded… they get it… and they want to help us to understand. Not just for themselves, but for every senior in the country and those who will become seniors.

But even us objective and professional researchers occasionally misstep and need to be guided back. After taking questions a gentleman came up to me and said he could help me already. Evidently, I had addressed one senior woman as “young lady” when taking questions. He kindly pointed out that seniors aren’t ashamed of their age and that what I said could be taken as condescending. The lessons have already begun.