Don't mind us, we just run the world

 

I want to clarify some things. 

In my last blog, I may have given the false impression that my wife and I were once on the brink of financial destitution. Even though one of my coworkers once said to me, “I don’t know how you live”, we were not poor. We were struggling but not impoverished. 

Compared to the rest of the world and a large swath of Canadians, we were doing pretty good. Yes, we were at times restricted in our spending – as in, I can’t buy that mink fur coat I’ve always wanted – but it’s not the same as not having enough food to eat. On one income, we owned a house, a car, and a cat (very costly, given the damage it caused). 

We were also lucky. We bought our house a year before prices doubled. The same year the stock market crashed in the U.S., houses were selling like hot cakes in Canada. We bought our house in January and by April there were bidding wars, driving prices to levels not seen in Regina since the Roaring 20s.

Shortly after, interest rates dropped as the Great Recession took hold. Not only were our homes worth two to three times what we purchased them for, mortgage payments were lower than ever. 

I should have been thanking my lucky stars. Yet all I could think was: I should have bought a house with a double garage. It's a common regret among my generation.

I’m part of Generation X, those aged 45-60. We’re the generation you never hear about. For some reason, the news is always about the Boomers (aged 60+) or Gen Z (13-30). You still hear murmurs about Millennials (30-45) but, for the most part, you rarely hear about Gen X. While Gen Z sits glued to their phones and Boomers rest comfortably in their golden estates, we quietly go about our business of running the world. 

Not like we got to this point easily. When we entered the workforce, Boomers were all still there. Not a single manager was under 50 where I worked, and they did not like young people (correction: they didn’t like to hire young people). 

My first “office” was in the lunch room. I kid you not – I shared a room with the microwave and coffee maker. Then I worked for years in cubicles until where I am today... In an office next the mechanical room (it’s okay, I like white noise). 

Nowadays, kids get jobs as soon as they’re out of graduate school. They think they know so much with their little PhDs! Gen Z, you have no idea how good you have it! Sure, you might have to deal with AI and climate change, but in the grand scheme of things, is it worse than having an office in the lunch room?? 

My point is that every generation has their challenges. Baby Boomers grew up without electricity (I'm talking rural Saskatchewan). Gen Xers grew up without the Internet. Millennials grew up without smart phones and Gen Z, well, you got it all, including the anxiety that goes with it.  

It’s a trade off, kids! Live with it! 

And I know, as someone who owns a house, a car and a cat – not to mention motorized custom blinds (did I tell you about them?) – I’m acting like a Boomer saying it.