Tonight I bought a car all by myself for the very first time and now this is officially the most adult I have ever felt, ever.
Related: has anyone seen my comfort zone? Please tell it I miss it and will be sending it care packages shortly.
Now, on to other less adult things!
Have you ever been feeling a whole mess of feelings and just when you are about to be overwhelmed by your feels someone unknowingly throws you the life preserver you so desperately needed? That happened to me today. For most of April I have been dangerously flirting with my old friend The Sads and the past few days have been no exception. This week has been especially trying for me and just as I was beginning to let my emotions take over, someone I barely even know completely set me right side up with the world’s simplest of gestures.
The moment I read her kind words I could feel my spirits life twenty stories at least. And it got me thinking about how silly the sads really are. Because even though I have always known it can often take just one stupid little thing to throw me in to the sads, I am not as good at remembering that I can just as easily be thrown back out.
And it’s nice to remember that.
Oh and back to my shiny new car (which I am thinking about naming Hedwig for the record), she’s totally a manual transmission which is something I have wanted back in my life since high school and did I mention it makes me really, really happy?
Take that sads!
A couple of months ago I accidentally stumbled upon what I like to call the secret to being an actual grown up adult version of myself. It was totally one of those Oh! So this is what being an adult feels like moments. But like, it was one of the good this is what being an adult feels like sort of moments. Not the oh shit I am an adult when did that happen somebody make it stop sort of moments. Do you know what kind of moment I am referring to? All you need to know is that it’s a really great kind of moment. The best part is it kind of hit me when I was in the middle of actually doing it without realizing just what I was doing.
Are you ready for it? Here it is, my secret to being an adult:
Do the thing you are supposed to be doing.
There it is. That’s it. And how gloriously over the mother effing moon happy does it make me when I finally stop procrastinating and do the thing that I am supposed to be doing! As a chronic avoider of all the things in life, I have spent plenty of time and energy avoiding the exact thing I am supposed to be doing. Procrastinator extraordinaire at your service. Let’s just say that stress and I, we’re old acquaintances.
But when I do the thing I am supposed to be doing suddenly I find that I have more time (and energy!) to do more of the things I actually enjoy doing – guilt-free! Like, when I actually clean the kitchen I waste less time stressing myself out over how messy the kitchen is and more time dancing in my underoos. The most surprising part? When I regularly clean the kitchen it actually takes me less time to clean it. WHOA. And that’s pretty much how a lot of things in life go. Do the crappy stuff first, have all of the fun later. ALL OF THE FUN!
Since discovering my adulthood secret a couple of months ago I have found that I have started being less talk and more action. I’ve gotten in to this crazy-pants habit of making a to-do list every night before bed. Crazy right? It gets crazier: I then spend the next day actually checking things off my list. INSANITY. And now I have the added benefit of Nicole’s insanely awesome Eff Yeah 2012 goal template to help my neurotic, list-obsessed self kick it up a notch. Fifteen days in to this new year and my goals have already revolutionized my life. So many lists! So much happiness!
As always, my old habits never disappear without a fight. Not long after I found myself happily doing the thing I was supposed to be doing, my inner child rebelled. It was like I was taking two adult steps forward and then three tantrum induced baby steps back. I absolutely, positively refused to do any of the things I was supposed to be doing. Instead I binged on True Blood, slept half my life away, and avoided studying for finals by any means necessary.
Fortunately, I have found that the baby step tantrums are becoming less frequent and my more adult strides are finding their regular rhythm. I’m learning to tackle the most important pieces of my day first and do what it is I am supposed to be doing.
Oh hey adult me, you’re looking good.
