To get to your future we’ve got to start with now… I want you to think how old you’ll be in twenty years… So how old are you now? And in twenty years you’ll be?

So a lot has happened over the course of twenty years, some of it good, some of it not so good, some of it tragic, most of it pretty unpredictable. But, you’re still here, living life, on your way back to your place at the end of quite a long day. It’s pretty late and it’s gotten dark, and the street your walking along is mostly quiet, apart from the occasional passing vehicle. It’s cold too. Winter is definitely on its way. You can see your breath when you pass through a beam of the streetlights. You walk the last few steps to your door and touch your key to the lock, eager to get in.

You touch your key to your phone. Oh, what?! Well that’s not very friendly. You’ve been outbid on your place so it’s someone else’s now. Oh, and yep, there’s your luggage, locked to the wall, waiting for you.

OK, so your phone has found you a place a few doors away. You unlock your luggage and it rolls along behind you as you trudge off down the street. I mean honestly. At least in the old days estate agents were people, with a bit of common decency. These bloody algorithmic services just don’t care.

And it wouldn’t be cheap. Even a bit of consistency round here is pretty much out of your price range. Getting outbid every few days is just a bore, but you get what you pay for. Or more accurately everyone gets what they can pay for. And in towns like this, space is a precious commodity and the market is furious.

Anyway, only a few more days living like this and then back home-home. And no real harm done as your new place is only a bit further down. Oh, and it turns out you were notified this afternoon that your top bid got trounced, but you’ve had your phone on deathly silent.

Your luggage is still trundling along behind you as you get to your door. The lock opens and in you go… Only to be greeted by a long flight of stairs up to your room. Great. Your knees aren’t as strong as they once were. Conversions like this just aren’t quite so set up for itinerants, unlike the last place where the omni room is properly built in.

Until, finally, you’re home. Not home-home, just home, but it’s a nice enough place. Omni purpose, but the room seems set up for evening so you take off your jacket, get out your phone, and sit at the table as you have a look what’s around for dinner.

Yep. Still plenty of activity circulating the neighbourhood. Well there would be. An area like this is extremely well serviced. Hmmm, what to eat? That Chilean brand you had yesterday was pretty good, but something a bit simpler today… Pasta. Classic and warming. And there’s one in your price bracket turning in to your street now. You direct it to head your way, and sit back and wait for the case to get to your door.

To be continued…