Everyday I remind myself that growing up is hard to do. Recently, my roommates left me to eat dinner on my own. This is when the real world struck me down. Of course, while the roomdogs were away, I decided to make a little trip to Target before the daunting task of dinner. Since it is Halloween season, Reese's has their specialty peanut butter cups out and about for the fanatics like myself. So clearly, I purchased some, meaning to eat them as a post-dinner snack. But I slowly realized that I still had no idea what I was going to have for dinner and the end result was all too clear. As I was sitting on the couch in front of Jessica Day and Nick Miller, eating my Reese's pumpkins and drinking Diet Coke, I realized that the one day Kim and Glen leave me to make my own food I choose candy for dinner. This was the point that I took the five long steps towards the fridge and decided to wrangle myself some eats.
Now, I'm really not trying to explain what I had for dinner last night, I'm moreso trying to explain the realities of my life. Everyday I seem to realize that this is not college and I can not substitute chocolate covered peanut buttery goodies for a balanced meal and I also cannot drive to school and see the majority of my good friends. Last weekend, I took a very trip to the cities. Yes, people travel to see their friends all the time right? But, it becomes even more of an adult task when you have to wait for a long weekend to do so. Having never traveled alone for farther than 156 miles... it was a big step for me and the more reliable car option that I now have. So as any one person would do in a car with two cupholders, I filled both up with liquids and was on my way to see some fabulous people I hadn't seen in months and even years.
During the 4ish hour journey, I learned a lot about what it's like to travel alone. Just because there are two cupholders, doesn't mean that you should fill both and drink both before hitting the halfway point.
Also, passing cars tend to get a good laugh when they catch you ad-libbing during "Wrecking Ball" or get a glimpse of your outrageous car dance moves.
In addition to all the interesting things I found out about myself as a lone driver, I found out what it's like to spend quality time with some special people. As a culture, people think that it's necessary to always be in constant contact with each other, whether it's through text, social media, or in person. I am at fault as well. I think that we tend to place quantity of time together over quality of time. Knowing that as an adult, that some of your very best friends have settle in places away from you is bittersweet, yet satisfying. They, like you, are starting to build their lives around a career and hopefully find something they love and pursue. Now in order to see them, weekends must to be preplanned, gas tanks need to be filled, and time is limited. But yet, after all the miles driven in just three days, it feels like so much more than all those lackluster nights in front of the television stuffing your face. Not to get me wrong, those days are great too but they're long gone. Now the television is a spot where I enjoy my pre-nine o'clock nap before I transition to bed. It's a place where I share some of the enjoyable moments of my day with Kim and Glen or have a snack.
There is nothing more special than enjoying a cup of coffee with a good friend and talking about plans for the future, qualities searched for in a spouse, possible graduate programs, jobs, etc etc, or my personal fav, the hair and eye color of our future children. Please, not red. It's all of these thoughts and conversations that lead me to believe that I am quite possibly verging on extreme adulthood. Pretty soon I'm going to be giddy over vacuum cleaner shopping and buying forks. Am I proud of finally growing up? Hell yeah. Am I terrified? You betcha. But at least there will always be holiday Reese's right?
Next on the agenda? Flying the coop... hopefully before I'm 30.
Now, I'm really not trying to explain what I had for dinner last night, I'm moreso trying to explain the realities of my life. Everyday I seem to realize that this is not college and I can not substitute chocolate covered peanut buttery goodies for a balanced meal and I also cannot drive to school and see the majority of my good friends. Last weekend, I took a very trip to the cities. Yes, people travel to see their friends all the time right? But, it becomes even more of an adult task when you have to wait for a long weekend to do so. Having never traveled alone for farther than 156 miles... it was a big step for me and the more reliable car option that I now have. So as any one person would do in a car with two cupholders, I filled both up with liquids and was on my way to see some fabulous people I hadn't seen in months and even years.
During the 4ish hour journey, I learned a lot about what it's like to travel alone. Just because there are two cupholders, doesn't mean that you should fill both and drink both before hitting the halfway point.
Also, passing cars tend to get a good laugh when they catch you ad-libbing during "Wrecking Ball" or get a glimpse of your outrageous car dance moves.
In addition to all the interesting things I found out about myself as a lone driver, I found out what it's like to spend quality time with some special people. As a culture, people think that it's necessary to always be in constant contact with each other, whether it's through text, social media, or in person. I am at fault as well. I think that we tend to place quantity of time together over quality of time. Knowing that as an adult, that some of your very best friends have settle in places away from you is bittersweet, yet satisfying. They, like you, are starting to build their lives around a career and hopefully find something they love and pursue. Now in order to see them, weekends must to be preplanned, gas tanks need to be filled, and time is limited. But yet, after all the miles driven in just three days, it feels like so much more than all those lackluster nights in front of the television stuffing your face. Not to get me wrong, those days are great too but they're long gone. Now the television is a spot where I enjoy my pre-nine o'clock nap before I transition to bed. It's a place where I share some of the enjoyable moments of my day with Kim and Glen or have a snack.
There is nothing more special than enjoying a cup of coffee with a good friend and talking about plans for the future, qualities searched for in a spouse, possible graduate programs, jobs, etc etc, or my personal fav, the hair and eye color of our future children. Please, not red. It's all of these thoughts and conversations that lead me to believe that I am quite possibly verging on extreme adulthood. Pretty soon I'm going to be giddy over vacuum cleaner shopping and buying forks. Am I proud of finally growing up? Hell yeah. Am I terrified? You betcha. But at least there will always be holiday Reese's right?
Next on the agenda? Flying the coop... hopefully before I'm 30.
