All right, readers. I know we're all tired of reading about millennials, but I have some thoughts to share on the matter, so I apologize in advance for reviving the topic.

There's a lot of articles out there, both more and less formal, about millennials. Older generations are panicking over whether their businesses will fail in the face of our disconcerting purchasing habits (namely that we're all broke and don't care about buying what we're supposed to buy, like that expensive fine china we'd keep in an equally expensive cabinet where no one could touch it). Apparently older generations are also afraid that our love of technology will melt our brains and destroy society as they know it.

Whatever the reason, people love to complain about millennials, and, regardless of whether we deserve it, I'd like to highlight some of the things I particularly love about my generation: namely, our resourcefulness, creativity, and compassion.

Let's take a look at the DIY movement for a moment. I recognize that I can't give all the credit for DIY solely to my generation -- it would be ridiculous, for example, to ignore the fact that my mother and her friends DIY everything they can get their hands on. That said, my generation has often adopted DIY out of necessity rather than as a hobby; we simply cannot afford to purchase fancy furniture and decor.

Yet, despite the weight of our college loans, we somehow manage to create beautiful and exciting things, made from what we can obtain cheaply from our surroundings. See pallet furniture, for instance -- an entire category of furniture now commonplace, thanks to resourceful young adults repurposing the scrap wood from pallets. In fact, the furniture and decor we build are so quickly "trendy," thanks in part to our much-bemoaned use of social media, that soon legitimate furniture businesses snap up our ideas and produce furniture that looks handmade -- available for ten times the price.

It seems like millennials, as a group, are pretty artistic people. We all take pictures, now that we have easy and constant access to cameras in our smartphones, and write, and DIY as we see fit. We call ourselves "creatives," people who make things as a regular part of their lives, but who aren't comfortable with the institutional term "artist." It's not so much a profession as a way of life. We love the handmade, things that offer connection to other people. We love farmer's markets and craft fairs and coffee shops and thrift stores and microbreweries, local shops and events.

Again, I recognize that these types of things do not belong solely to the millennial generation, but I don't think it's a coincidence that they are, at this point in time, so popular. Though, yes, we spend a lot of time glued to our computer and cell phone screens, such things offer the opportunity for connectedness previously missing in entertainment. Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and other social media all foster a sharing of the local sights, and provide small businesses with a platform to reach potential customers in the area. As a bonus, many of these places are cheaper than the chain restaurants and department stores. For example, I don't think I've ever been to a local coffee shop more expensive than a Starbucks, despite their coffee being better and the atmosphere friendlier.

My generation is, above all else, interested in belonging, interested in human relationships. We are skeptical and sarcastic under a constant barrage of information that is often false, and in our search for meaning, we turn to our relationships. We are eager to find companionship in likeminded people, and create networks around ourselves that affirm our existences. Though it is, of course, very human to seek out relationships, my generation seems to emphasize it more than most others. Everything we care about revolves around connectedness. Even our favorite forms of entertainment (a word which has long meant "television," which of course offers no opportunity for interaction within itself) are social media, which carry as a part of their existence the opportunity for building friendships and being involved in the lives of other people.

I'd never claim that the millennial generation is perfect - far from it. But, when I stop and think about it, I really am proud of my generation. We have our flaws, but in general, I'm glad to be part of this resourceful, creative, enthusiastic, and very people-centric generation.