Lori Blaine: Upwardly mobile, 6 flights in fact.....

This past weekend the hubs and I went to help our oldest son move - AGAIN! Ground floor you ask, ahhhhh, heck no, of course not... but I take comfort in knowing we are certainly not the first parents to be called upon to assist with this roost changing phenomena going on amongst college age students. I know my friends with kids of the same age are dealing with the same issues. But while one of my many trips in the elevator (yes, thank goodness for the elevator) I found myself pondering the way my son's generation seems to adapt to change readily. And I came to the conclusion there is a direct correlation with the technical age we live in and that generation's ability, or maybe their desire to not settle until they achieve their goals.

It probably sounds like I think of that in a negative fashion but while I certainly think there are negative connotations, overall it might be a very positive and healthy thing. Back in the day when I was in my early 20's the path was fairly clear. You graduated high school, went to college, got married, got a steady job and had a family. Pretty cut and dried, no drama, no risk, not much variance. Sometimes the pieces of the puzzle were altered but the goal was pretty much the same for everyone. Now, the puzzle doesn't even look the same. Some people might argue that we are just raising a society of selfish children only worrying about themselves. Trading in spouses, trading jobs, trading domiciles, trading — lives, in an effort to be happy is making them selfish and self-centered. I dare to ponder this differently, is it self-centered to do exactly what the fore fathers suggested when it was blatantly spelled out in the Declaration of Independence - "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?" Maybe it doesn't follow the norm or beaten path of our perception of the "proper" way to go about life but is that necessarily a bad thing? Don't get me wrong, I am not advocating the further decline of marriage or family but I am just openly questioning if staying in a decaying relationship or a dead-end job is the best option to creating a happy family.

On the flip side of the coin I do wonder if this society where so many people work at home and live in neighborhoods that do not have the sense of community and safety of the Beaver Cleaver age, is causing a disconnect to relationships. For instance if you work at home and only know Mary from accounting by the talking head in Skype or the information laden emails, and have no real relationship, it becomes quite simple to move on to another job. Or, if you have never met your neighbors other than the half-hearted obligitory wave when you accidentally make eye contact as they pull into their garage, you don't have to think twice when moving to a new place.

I guess this really is nothing new under the sun, just a different paradigm in which people are struggling to not only do the right thing in the eyes of society but to create their version of a happy, healthy family unit. So, I guess I'll just take more Aleve and be happy my son is making a conscious effort to move and be happy and feel fortunate that this economy hasn't forced him into making this decision. And on a side note......why is it that a young man that manages to hold two jobs and has a college degree cannot see that if he is going to move he might need to plan a bit and gather some boxes and pack a few things ahead of time? I suppose it is because common sense 101 is not required for the degree.....

Here are some pictures from the move, he moved to the power and light district in Kansas City, it's a hotel renovated into apartments and I really like it, the whole area is reminiscent of New York City and his new roomie, Mike, a true sweetheart and good guy.