We often talk about the “good old days” as if they were a fixed point in time: simpler, easier, somehow more perfect. But nostalgia is selective. It filters out the hard parts. It ignores the work it took to get where we are. And it risks blinding us to something important: what if today is the beginning of what our future selves will one day call the good old days?

That idea may sound bold given the real challenges we face. Eagle County’s median home price now pushes $1.5 million. The county has a 5,000-unit housing shortfall. Upwards of 40% of employees commute from outside the county. Childcare availability doesn’t meet demand. Traffic volumes on I-70 through Eagle County have risen nearly 30% in the past decade. Our forest health indicators show that 70% of local acreage is in moderate to high wildfire risk.

Those numbers are not the hallmarks of “easy times.” They are proof that we are living in a moment of complexity. But complexity creates opportunity. Numbers like these push us toward solutions. They force us to get serious, get collaborative, and get creative. They remind us that we don’t have the luxury of pretending someone else will fix it. We can do hard things, and in fact, we already are.

Look at housing. A decade ago, Eagle County had taken only small steps toward coordinated solutions. Today, we have a countywide Housing Task Force, multi-jurisdictional partnerships, deed-restricted programs, ADU reforms, and major projects underway throughout the valley. We are not solving this problem overnight (no mountain community is), but we are doing the long, steady, unglamorous work that future generations will appreciate.

Consider workforce and talent. Colorado Mountain College, Eagle County Schools, and dozens of employers now collaborate on career pathways, apprenticeships, and industry-aligned training. Enrollment in local CTE programs has grown. Employers are shifting from reactive hiring to strategic development. That’s not nostalgia. That’s progress.

Think about mobility. Eagle County Regional Airport is now a top-performing regional mountain airport with year-round service. Bustang and Core Transit ridership continues to grow as we expand multimodal options. And the long-discussed Eagle/Gypsum Airport Interchange is finally gaining traction. Connectivity is not a “wish list” item. It’s happening.

On the environmental front, wildfire mitigation has become a countywide priority, with fuel reduction projects accelerating and regional collaborations strengthening. The Climate Action Collaborative has more than 50 partners working to cut emissions 50% by 2030.

None of this is easy. None of it is perfect. But all of it is movement.

And that’s the point. The good old days are never the easy days. Those are the days when a community does the hard work that lays the foundation for something better. The days when people show up, roll up their sleeves, have hard conversations, and stop waiting for the perfect moment.

Twenty years from now, when someone looks back and says, “Remember when we were tackling housing, expanding transit, adding air service, addressing childcare, improving forest health, and building workforce initiatives? Those were the good old days,” they won’t be remembering ease. They’ll be remembering effort. They’ll be remembering courage, commitment, and collaboration.

So, what if today, with all its challenges, is the good old days? What if this is the moment we’ll one day celebrate for its grit and purpose?

Not only do I hope so, but I think so. Because if we keep leaning in, collaborating, and choosing progress over nostalgia, then the story of Eagle County won’t be about the days we long for. It will be about the days we built something together.

Chris Romer is president & CEO of Vail Valley Partnership, 3-time national chamber of the year. Learn more at VailValleyPartnership.com