Imagine a world where you wake up at 7 or 8am and get your morning coffee or tea. Maybe walk the dog or jog if that’s your thing, or skip straight to the shower if it isn’t. You eat breakfast with your loved ones, send them off to work or school, then get in your car (or take some other mode of transportation) and head to work.
Imagine working eight hours a day, five days a week, with an hour off for lunch, at a job that is challenging and requires physical and/or mental labor but doesn’t destroy your body or your mental health. You may enjoy what you do, but even if you don’t you understand its worth and can take pride in it. Imagine knowing you have set days off every week so you can catch up on rest, make plans with friends, or regularly attend religious or community gatherings.
Imagine your job pays you well enough that you can cover all your bills and put a little aside in savings and a retirement fund. Imagine you get health insurance through your job that has a low enough deductible that you feel like you can actually go to the doctor when you need it and not suffer or make unpleasant or potentially dangerous illnesses or injuries worse by ignoring symptoms because you can’t afford proper treatment. Oh, and perhaps you even have optical and dental too. If we’re dreaming really big, maybe even access to mental health resources like therapy or help for addictions.
Imagine such jobs are available for both those who went to college and those who didn’t. Imagine that if you went to college it (a) enriched your life and expanded your mind, (b) prepared you for the workplace or for contributing in some way to society, and (c) didn’t financially enslave you with a crushing six figure debt that you likely won’t pay off in your lifetime.
Imagine working hard but being well rested, having time for family and friends but also being able to pay all your bills on time, having a safe place to live and enough food to eat and medical help when you need it while still being able to set something aside for help with unforeseen expenses when car trouble or hospital bills might throw a wrench in the works. Imagine feeling secure enough to be able to afford such an expensive endeavor as having children. To own pets, have hobbies, travel, start a small business, or invest time and energy in a creative project.
If you have any of this, be grateful. But a lot of us don’t. So I guess I’m just another entitled millennial because I’m foolish enough to hope for all of these things. With a side of avocado toast.
