I sometimes find myself envious of young people, but many folks have the opposite feeling as if the world is going to hell in a handbasket.

I sometimes find myself envious of young people as I think about society progressing over the years. I realize that lots of folks are more pessimistic about the future. Who knows for sure.

I envision continued social acceptance of alternative lifestyles. I envision technological progress as I look back to my childhood before smartphones and the internet.

I also envision social changes that reduce carbon footprint such as the proliferation of bike paths and transit that has arrived in Bellingham since my college days. I envision people becoming less materialistic and valuing more than just money. People valuing time with shorter and more flexible workweeks. I envision tiny homes and multi family living arrangements becoming more popular. The list goes on.

I realize that much of the world does not share this vision. Alternative lifestyles, especially gay rights, is still scorned in much of the third world. Here in the US and much of the world, there are attempts to return to the so called "traditional values."

I hear that lots of young people are struggling to still fulfil an old vision of the American Dream of owning a home, having a car, a well paying job and so forth. I realize that the cost of housing, alone, is a huge problem though I think, with better planning even that is solvable. We do need to reinvent the American Dream.

I often think of young people I have met who seem happy and optimistic, but I realize that I'm not seeing the folks who are troubled and more hidden. I read more about the negativity in the news. I also realize that happiness often fades when people start trying to raise a family, get into so called "real work world" and pay off student loans.

I sometimes feel like my own lifestyle is similar to the myth of Peter Pan, someone who never grows up. Bellingham does seem to have lots of Peter Pans of all ages. I did work as a custodian, but never had the aspirations to own a car or raise a family.