As I continue to grow and start to settle into the person I want to be, I’ve come to realize that being an “adult” it isn’t always fun and games, and doing whatever it is you want all the time (much to the disappoint of the beliefs of my younger self). There’s a whole lot of responsibilities, hard choices, chores and compromises no one ever tells you about.
As a kid, I thought that when I’d officially be an adult when I turned 19, since I’d be able to go out, I would have moved out of my parents’ house and be in university. I’d be able to stay up late, and eat whatever I wanted, whenever. I could buy clothes, and things, and go on adventures whenever it pleased me. And essentially, I can and could do all of those things, but you quickly realize is that though you have the freedom to do all of those things, it’s not always the best thing to do. Going out can be fun, but you soon grow tired, and your other responsibilities start to pile up if you neglect them too much. Being alone and independent is great, but you can also often get lonely, and need advice you thought you probably didn’t need. You can buy what you like, but you need to have money to do so, and you start to see that you’d rather eat this week rather than buy a cute top, or go out to the movies. Becoming an “adult” is a lot more work than we (and I) could have ever anticipated. But don’t worry, because it’s not always a harsh reality check!
There are so many good moments. Once you start to realize that you have to prioritize, you can also make your own choices. You’ll eat better during the week and pack your lunches, but maybe on Sunday, you’ll go out to brunch with some friends to catch up and relax a little. You’ll take some time out of your day to exercise, because though it might not always feel great at that moment, you’ll feel infinitely better afterwards. You’ll take time to establish a budget and respect it, and as you do so, you’ll feel so accomplished and organized, and in control of a life you don’t always feel like you do. You’ll start settling on a routine that fits you well and then you’ll be able to tweak it here and there to allow yourself some “me time”, some adventures and wanderings so that you retain your long-awaited for freedom.
While I stumble through all of these realizations and settle on my routine, I relish in my little daily wins, and continue to work on what I want. Things might seem harder, but they’re also so much more satisfying when you succeed and achieve them! Though I think no one ever really ever becomes a “professional adult”, we’d all like to think that we’re becoming a person that our younger selves would be proud of. And I’m glad to say, that I think little me would be pretty impressed at this point, so I’ll keep at it until both of our minds would be blown away.
