The Young and the Restless

Living in Marin in the sub-30 crowd is a lot like living in a retirement community.

Yes its warm, the food is good, but the crowds just do not seem to jive very well.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my parents and old(er) people, but there is something missing in Marin County for the young 20-something crew.

 I have been searching for it far-and-wide in the last two weeks since my landing on the Left Coast. To my disappointment I have yet to discover the inner-zen of Marin. 

It seems that there are plenty of outdoor activities for the day, but it is the night that I am most interested in exploring. 

 The activities for youth appear to be limited to cafes and movies. The bar scene is abysmal and relegated to the local drunks. I recall the first few times I revisited Marin back in college for winter/summer breaks. At the time it was “okay” to be seen at the local bars (Marin Brewing Company and Silver Peso Saloon). It was a right of passage to be seen at one of these two hot spots. Yes, I am 21 now - and how is life after high school?

 Living in this area full-time does not afford you the luxury of attending these watering holes. I see the same people from high school at these spots. The same people who never really left home. Our aspirations in life are not equally aligned. I almost feel triumphant when I see these guys/girls still here, which I admit is obnoxious. I wonder if they are happy, if they realized whatever it is that they were striving for as teenagers. 

I guess part of the growing up process is the realization that its okay for us to all want different things. I wanted to experience New York City - so I went there for seven years, got my college degree and worked the city for a couple of years. It was an experiment in self-determination. “If you can make it in New York, You can make it anywhere!”

 Coming back to the Bay Area has been a choice that I made on my own merits. No one forced me back here. I did not need to be out here, but I consciously decided that it was time to experience Marin on my own terms, not those of my parents or my friends. 

 But what I am seeing out here kind of scares me. There is this divide between the young and the old. The young live with their parents. The old live with their young. I do not have any young kids and I am not old, which puts me out. I have to move out of Marin to save my sanity. Off to San Francisco it is. But I am confident that soon enough I will return to Marin again. 

“If you love something set it free. If it comes back to you, it’s yours. If it doesn’t, it never was.”

 I am not sure how Marin willingly allows its citizenry to leave and come back at will; but I think this quote gives good context to my relationship with Marin.