The 20s versus the 60s

I have been vicariously living thru the frustrations of my three sons trying to figure out their twenties. One (24 yrs old) just moved to Phoenix and is desperately looking for work and finding out its all about knowing someone. The job market is not that great for young people like it was in the 70s. I admit I am a worrier and after 3 weeks of looking in the summer heat w/o a car, I felt his pain. He just read that your twenties should not be wasted with a just get by job but how do your get a career job if no ones ever gives you a chance?  More importantly how do you pay your bills and college loans while searching for that perfect job?
My other son ( 26 yrs) was here yesterday and discussed his frustration with trying to figure out his future while maintaining his desire to do something he likes. He is the most smart, capable person I know but can't see himself doing a job he hates simply for the security and money. The jobs he does see himself doing dont pay well and refuse to open a door to give him a chance. So what is the compromise? I know for a fact that just get by jobs leave you poor and living paycheck to paycheck. You need money to have adventures its a fact and those adventures are what you remember with joy in your 60s.
My 28 yr old son just moved everything into storage and is on the road with a band. Great fun and adventure but what about when its over and the band goes home? Where does he go and what kind of future is it to never know what you are doing next let alone no place to come home to?  Its almost  impossible to even have a relationship with this lifestyle let alone financial security.
I remember the 20s well and they were not my favorite times. There is a lot of pressure to start a career and meet the person you want to share your life with. My friends were all getting married and having babies and I was still on my own. I was never anything but struggling and dirt poor my entire 20s yet working my butt off at my dream job. I finally did find someone to love and marry but we were still top ramen poor ~just not alone.
My question is however are the 60s frustrations really that different from the 20s?
J has been retired for 9 yrs now and really has no desire to work at something else. He has lots of hobbies and seems to always be busy....yet is this all there is? Keeping busy and repeating a daily routine until you die?
I basically retired from my 'dream' job 25 yrs ago and my full time  mom/volunteer job 6 yrs ago.
I also stay busy but feel overwhelmed sometimes with the lack of purpose or dreams.  I enjoy my fabric art but how many pieces can I make and what do I do with stacks of  useless quilts? I cant seem to make a living with them so while its enjoyable in the creating process then what? More stuff for our boys to deal with later?!
We bought our house almost 2 yrs ago and while I love it I also feel trapped by it. Maybe its from having careers traveling and always on the go. Plus after spending 30 yrs of creating a home and life together now we feel we need to tear it apart. Everyone says its time to downsize and get rid of the possessions you thought were treasures. We definitely have accumulated LOTS!  Our boys dont want our 'things' to clutter their lives... I have this sadness inside of is this all there is to my life? When you are young you always have dreams of what you would like to do next. I no longer have those dreams and I don't have the money to pursue them if I did. The advice I get is to get a job or volunteer.  I feel like my middle son that if there was something I wanted to work at or volunteer at I would try. One of the last jobs I had I was really good at and loved working part time there. The thing is the more I tried to please the owner the meaner she became. I think she hated that customers liked me and tried to humiliate me to make herself feel good. It would be difficult to embrace another situation like that. Nothing has caught my attention yet but who knows maybe in the fall after my show I can go in a different direction. My biggest fear is if I get a job or volunteer position then my time no longer is my own and I lose my freedom.
See what I mean about the frustrations of being in your 20s vs being in your 60s? No easy solutions and a whole lot of effort to figure out ones future. The boys are wondering where the path to happiness is and I am wondering if my path has come to an end and this is all there is for me. Maybe I just have the summertime blues and a wonderful new adventure is just around the corner. That would be great for sure.
Thanks for dropping by...