Cassie McClure, Las Cruces Sun-News Journalist Profile

Articles

Tugging at the Same Roots

1 week ago | arcamax.com | Cassie McClure

I waited to return her call until I had all the information I could get. Unfortunately, the ultimate why for the destruction of the trees was beyond my reach. She left a message in a resigned panic. She couldn't stop those cutting down the old mesquite trees, even though she tried to reach out to the postmaster at two of the post offices in town. The workers couldn't tell her much and wouldn't stop. She had hoped the city might, which is how she ended up in my voicemail.
Millennial Life: The Kids Are Not All Right ... but They Might Be Right

2 weeks ago | arcamax.com | Cassie McClure

You know that line from "The Avengers," where Bruce Banner turns to Captain America and says, "That's my secret, Cap: I'm always angry"? I've been thinking about that a lot lately. Because I think that's where the youth are now. And as a middle-aged youth, that's where I still am, too. After a youth shooting, our city is about to have a series of youth town halls. Leadership and nonprofits want to "hear what the youth has to say," wants to "let the youth lead." I've heard that before.
Millennial Life: The Tables and Traditions That Form Our Lives

3 weeks ago | arcamax.com | Cassie McClure

The victims of the shooting could have been at the table next to us at Olive Garden. Or, it could have been the shooters. It's hard to know. The table had a group of young men, perhaps in their late teens or early 20s, wearing their grown bodies like oversized coats inherited from their fathers. My son and I shared the wall-length booth with one side of the group, so when I would turn to speak to him, their boyish movements mirrored those of my son.
Turns Out Scraping By Is Not the Goal, by Cassie McClure

1 month ago | creators.com | Cassie McClure

For millennials and Gen Z, life is mediocre. Whatever we label the drive for overachievement — the hustle, the grind, or paying your dues — we've found that it doesn't necessarily lead to success. Especially if we've redefined what that looks like for us. It's not just about money. Working 40, 50, or even 60 hours a week with one or two jobs might pay rent, but good luck buying a home without a six-figure salary or family wealth.
Milleniel Life: Turns Out Scraping By Is Not the Goal

1 month ago | arcamax.com | Cassie McClure

For millennials and Gen Z, life is mediocre. Whatever we label the drive for overachievement -- the hustle, the grind, or paying your dues -- we've found that it doesn't necessarily lead to success. Especially if we've redefined what that looks like for us. It's not just about money. Working 40, 50, or even 60 hours a week with one or two jobs might pay rent, but good luck buying a home without a six-figure salary or family wealth.
Everyone Wants a Village, But No One Wants To Be a Villager

1 month ago | arcamax.com | Cassie McClure

A few years ago, a friend of mine asked if I'd be willing to be the emergency contact for her kids at their school. I told her it would be an honor to be a part of her village. We say it all the time: "It takes a village." But we rarely stop to consider what that actually means. We long for community and a sense of belonging, for people to show up for us when life gets hard. And yet, when that same community needs us, we hesitate. We're busy. We have our own problems.
Expect the World To Change -- You Don't Own It

1 month ago | arcamax.com | Cassie McClure

As millennials, we were told not to have kids until we were financially responsible. The world had to be just right. Our careers should be stable. Our savings, sufficient. Our ducks? In a row. Yet, the same generation that was warned about the unpredictability of parenthood was also sold on the idea that homeownership was the key to stability. But here's the truth: Owning a house is like having a baby.
Being Brazenly Loud for the Greater Good

1 month ago | arcamax.com | Cassie McClure

It feels like there are people in America who wake up every morning, stretch like a cartoon villain, and immediately start working to make things worse. They clog up school board meetings, launch unhinged Facebook rants, and propose legislation that makes you check if it's satire. And you know what? They do it with confidence that would be admirable if it weren't so dangerous. They are brazen. They do not second-guess themselves.
Hustling Toward Hibernation, by Cassie McClure

2 months ago | creators.com | Cassie McClure

It's February, and I am sluggish. Not just a little tired, not just needing another coffee, but a deep, soul-level sluggishness that no productivity hack or morning routine tweak can fix. And I have a theory: Maybe we aren't meant to thrive all year round. Maybe, just maybe, we were built to hibernate. The world around us suggests it. Trees drop their leaves and conserve energy. Bears retreat into dens, lowering their metabolism and heart rate, riding out the cold in a state of restorative stillness.
Before Answers, Before Action, by Cassie McClure

2 months ago | creators.com | Cassie McClure

It's never good when you get the doctor on the phone to update you on the results. This could have been a slightly chirpy column about how this millennial went for her first mammogram. But now it's another essay about the in-between — before answers, before action. Thanks to the state of our medical world, I'm now waiting for an unspecified office to verify my insurance and then call me to schedule an appointment for a biopsy. I'm right in the thick of friends encountering disease.