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Have you ever seen the opening montage for the Showtime TV show Weeds? It is a pretty accurate representation of my home town. I lived in a suburb outside of Houston in a very safe, but cookie cutter town called Sugar Land (the band named itself after our town because they liked the name, not the town). My father travelled for work, or was home late due to traffic. My mother, the dentist, worked hard and made sure dinner was on the table, whether or not she prepared it. Many of the families we knew were doctors, so much so that some of the neighborhood children just assumed all adults were doctors. All the parents we knew worked hard to have a nice life for their family, and it was all very mainstream.
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| Neighborhood pool parties were regular |
However it sounds or looks on paper, our lives were by no means boring. We travelled as a family to exotic or quintessential destinations. We all participated in any after-school activity we wanted. Our neighborhood played countless rounds of “night tag,” including the parents. During one famous neighborhood story, my brother and his friends almost took out (by any means necessary) some people who were “burglaring” an out of town neighbor’s house. Luckily, as the burglars were in the sights of their BB gun, one of the boys said, “maybe this isn’t the best idea”. They eventually found out that it was just the neighbors making sure something flammable wasn’t happening at the house. Our childhood was awesome and my parents instilled a respect for experiences, no matter what they were.
I would say that the surge of living in the ‘burbs of whatever city as the millennial generation was coming of age is directly linked to the resurgence of those same millennials living in-town, including me. The seemingly boring life of the ‘burbs has scared us to ensure excitement in our lives. Our parents worked hard so we could live a better life. The “better” life they referred to was one with excitement and adventure, but is that an over-correction?
The millennial’s parents wanted a “better” life than their parents and that meant, not being stuck in your small town, more money and stability. They will follow the job. They put work first believing that is the best way to provide for their family. In this over correction, they became a cautionary tail to millennials to not miss out on life for work. This manifests in millennials’ drive towards work life balance, but also in an uptick in studying abroad, taking a gap year, moving home or saving money to find the right job instead of just a job.
My Atlanta Sister (MAS) said to me the other day, “Girl, you should start eating soup because you’re plate is always too full!” My days are always over planned and I tell myself, “then there is no room for boredom.” As I’ve now turned 30, am so wise and have learned so many insightful things #yeahright, I decided I would give routine the ol’ college try.
Over the years, I’ve come to learn that exercise is NOT going to be the thing that gets me on the routine wagon... So, I tried meditation. My new best friend Andy, from the Head Space app, has been talking me through meditation for 12 consecutive days now! I must admit it took me on and off almost 2 months to fully commit to such a long streak of consecutive days. #LongerThanHanukkah
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| Obligatory adorable dance phot |
How is it going, you might wonder? Well, so far, it is a good gateway routine for me. I have also started taking my vitamins regularly and I’ve eaten breakfast like 2 days in a row! Meditation is perfect for my over-planning, afraid of being boring and wanting to enjoy my experiences soul. Andy tells me to focus on the now, embrace the cloud of thoughts and watch them pass. Meditation gives me time to take a break from the hectic life I bring and feel more energized for it. I feel encouraged that I can find a decent routine that makes me feel better but doesn’t suck the excitement out of my life.
Our generation of hipsters, in-towners and entrepreneurs exist, in part, due to this fear of complacency and boredom. How will the next generation over-correct?
nice job describing your parent's decisions without criticism. Our parents grew up early as daddy was head of maintenance for 100 B`29s bombing Japan at 22. they were just glad to be alive and not speaking German or Japanese. Don't you think every generation wants better or what they didn't have for their children? important to just keep was was the improvement they enjoyed over the generations before.
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