Snow Shovelling

As I was shovelling the drive today, a blue ford pickup slowed down, "Oh no", I thought, trying to think of ways I could tell them my husband would be home soon.

Much to my ease, it was a kind older gentleman and his young daughter.

"I was hoping to see who was outside, was that you who shovels the neighbor's drive?"

"Um, no, well, kind of" I stuttered as an awkward millenial

wet and heavy snow.

I remember when I was young, my parents moved into their house in Okemos, a small suburb of Lansing. I remember there were many young families, plenty of neighborhood kids to play and spend time with.

 

I'm struck by the stark difference of my reality - now entering my 30's next year, my only neighbors are the elderly and their middle-aged children who visit daily to help care.

I am considered very lucky by millenial standards - not many, if any, can afford a $1250 monthly rent for a home. That's more than double a mortgage rate. Not many of us can afford to go $150-200k into debt on top of our student loans, on top of our multiple hundred dollar monthly student loan payments that are likely to follow most of us into our mid-40s.