Both Sides Now

 

What I wanted the most when I was a teenager was a phone in my bedroom. Never mind that we had a party line (a shared telephone circuit for those of you too young to recall that particular horror). Instead, I spent countless hours huddled on the floor in the kitchen corner, the phone cord yanked taut, knees tucked into my chest, a receiver cradled in both hands whispering in hushed tones (with code names) to my BFF (yes, I used that way back when and I have the hand-written notes to prove it). If a portable rectangle of magic (ie a cell phone) existed, I would have been beside myself with glee.

 

While I can imagine how great it would have been to have the world at my fingertips, I’m also kind of grateful that I didn’t. Exactly how many idiotic things would I have shared? Answer: all of them. What I do know for certain is that although the medium for communication has changed, people haven’t (self portrait paintings are the original selfies, no?). So maybe the solution to moderation in these modern times is staring us right in the face—namely, the reverse image button on the camera of our phones. One press and we can see ourselves, press again, and we can see beyond ourselves. Which serves as a good reminder to look at things from both sides.

 

This month our cover story is on Millennials—a generation that’s been much maligned in the media. In an attempt to show you the other side we’ve found eight examples that represent a cross section of their demographic. From entrepreneurs and professionals to tradespeople, they’re all contributing to positive change in our community. Also, because we like a good infographic, we’ve dug up some stats to see how things shake down for Millennials now versus the Boomers that preceded them. Oh, what’s that Gen X’ers? Don’t worry, we see you. Skip to the back of the magazine where Susan Goldberg considers the often-forgotten folks, like me, who are stuck in the middle.

 

If you’re feeling stuck in the woes of winter, that’s okay—with March comes spring and lighter things. In Common has a great spiked cider to help make the transition as smooth as possible. There’s the Sleeping Giant Loppet to ski, and the Thunder Bay Symphony Chorus are raising their voices in song.

 

And finally, many thanks to all of the Millennials who worked hard and shared their talents in this issue. We couldn’t have done it without you. #blessed

 

Rebekah Skochinski