ArcaMax

It started with a comment during school pickup, something my mom said about the china plates she remembered from her parents' home. The delicate plates and cups, which were kept behind glass, were reserved for use only once or twice a year. I mentioned that the china was a good metaphor for the differences in our generation. Hers kept some parts of life in storage; ours pulled out things for use, or gave them away if they didn't serve us.

My parents had a similar set of "good china" in our home, with bright red plates and cups that are completely unserious in size, if you're realistic about a caffeine fix. After my father died and the household scattered due to moving, I somehow ended up with those dishes. They are now the staple for every slice of dessert, and the sensibility to be fancy with cups that have a matching saucer. At the beginning of our everyday use of those plates, I saw her look at the dishes, the ones she had bought in a life that no longer existed. But it now existed in the life I was creating.

Her generation was taught to save the best for special occasions. That fancy dishware, the expensive perfume, the silk dress with tags still on were all waiting for the "right" moment. But my generation? I think we're done waiting. Not because we're so bold or wise, but maybe because we've seen how fragile everything actually is.

We don't want to leave the nice parts of life locked behind glass.

My mom was probably my age when she put that china behind the cabinet doors. I saw them only in passing as a child. She thought, like many of us do, that the good times would come later. But later is a slippery thing. You blink and decades pass. Your kids grow up. Your knees ache. You find yourself wondering why you were saving anything at all.

Our generation -- the millennials sandwiched between Gen X's cynicism and Gen Z's sharpness -- grew up on the myth of someday. We were told to plan, to be prudent, to delay gratification. But life keeps throwing curveballs. Retirement doesn't feel guaranteed. Staying healthy into old age? That's not a given either.

Perhaps we're not reckless when we wear our good dress on a random Tuesday. Maybe we're just realists when we pop open the bottle of wine meant for "someday" and share it with a friend on a weeknight. Maybe we're trying, in our own messy way, to live life in the present tense.

We still plan, of course. We budget, we calendar, we try to balance everything. But more and more, I find myself wanting to use the good china -- metaphorically and literally. I'd like to enjoy a nice cup of coffee now in matching cups and saucers. I want to wear the dress just because. I want to take the picture, sing the song, and eat dessert first. I want my kids to see that joy doesn't always have to be earned.

Life isn't a museum. And we're not exhibits. We're here now. And that's enough of a reason.

Cassie McClure is a writer, millennial, and unapologetic fan of the Oxford comma. She can be contacted at cassie@mcclurepublications.com. To learn more about Cassie McClure and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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