How Does One “Adult”?
This is the inside of Luigi, the Toyota Tercel. I proudly took this picture. Within my lengthy break from this blog, I have taken some major steps into the world of adulting. This has probably been the scariest, most fun, and nauseating month of my life. From moving back home for the summer, to having my first failed job interview, signing my very first lease to an apartment, and lastly buying a car, I feel like I have pretty much girl bossed my way to the top of the adulting pyramid. However wonderful all these things may be, I can’t help but feel so extremely overwhelmed by the concept of the word adult. I think this is because the people in my generation haven’t really been taught how to deal with the fiscal part of being an adult. Sure, we know how to tackle a political situation, and yeah, we can tear the shit out of someone with a single comment on Instagram but, I think the generations before us did a poor job of preparing us for the things that most would say “really matter”. For example, my sister often brings up the question “Why don’t we learn things like how to pay taxes, or how to get a loan, in high school?”, and this is a great question. As soon as you graduate high school, it is almost like you’re expected to know exactly how all of that stuff works. I am not saying that no one my age knows how to invest, build credit, pay taxes, or manage loans, but I am saying that the majority of people my age were busy being kids and then as soon as they turned 18, were just supposed to go and do it with no prior knowledge. Now you can correct me if I am wrong in saying this but, isn’t that a little bit… unfair?
I think about this idea a lot when I think about having to build my career and real adult life once I am out of college. I see the people who have had kids in high school, or who are getting married really young, and I just can’t help but to ask myself how they’re doing it all or how they even know what they are doing. Because when I spend too much time on my dream home Pinterest board, I swear I start to have major anxiety thinking about how I will even begin to afford any of it. I think that all of my fear around adulting though is not a fear of whether or not I can actually do it and succeed, it is more so a fear that I won’t be able to learn everything I need to in the right amount of time. This kind of ties back into the question my sister asks, and my only answer to it is I don’t know. I find it ironic really that we’re granted the greatest pleasure of getting to rebuild our country and save our planet yet, I don’t feel like we have been given the proper knowledge to do so.
To somehow answer my title question though, I will now list some ways in which I have learned to “Adult” and how they have worked out for me. Please do enjoy!
I bought a car: Just a week-ish ago, I purchased a 1984 Toyota Tercel. This the first car I have ever bought and considering how it is going it may be my last. I know that it is a 38-year-old car, and it is bound to have some quirks but, I have never had so much stress because of an inanimate object in my entire life. Don’t get me wrong though, I love my car. His name is Luigi.
I signed a lease on an apartment: Around the same time as buying Luigi, I signed my very first lease on an apartment. Due to some shitty things that happened at the very end of this last school year, I was put into a sticky situation in terms of housing. So, when a spot opened up in an off-campus apartment, it was the perfect opportunity for me to gain some more independence and also not be homeless. Now, while somewhat scarerd, I am so excited to have my very own bathroom, a full kitchen, and a washer/dryer IN THE UNIT. I’ll say it… it is a slay.
I lost a job: This one is the most frustrating experience on the list. For the past several months I have been in the process of getting a job at a very famous department store. When I was finally put down for an interview to be interning as an assistant to a personal stylist, I was stoked. I went to the interview and NAILED it. But, due to some scheduling issues they were unable to give me the job. Now, I could say all of my feelings on the matter and really dive into the way in which I was informed I didn’t get the job, but then this Blog would go from PG-13 to R pretty quick.
I don’t have a curfew anymore: Last but not least, the most underrated and weirdest part of being a so-called adult, no curfew. Although I have been blessed with pretty great parents, I always had a curfew before I turned 18. And even though I love my bed and sleep far too much to stay out at all hours of the night, it is quite the euphoric moment I have knowing my sister can’t come and go as she pleases without having to tell mom and dad where she is going (PSA I always tell where I am going, I just don’t have to ask… and that makes me feel so cool). No matter how cool of a feeling, it is also so weird. I sometimes forget I am technically an adult meaning that I am completely responsible for myself… sometimes I don’t think that I should be.
Please take this post seriously and also with a grain of salt. No matter how stressful adulting is, I am so lucky and blessed to be able to be at this point in my life, and I cannot wait for what is to come.
On a side note, I will be making some edits to the page, such as different sections for things I want to share with you all, as well as getting the comments to work. I have had some people aksing me if they’re on, and they are supposed to be, so I will be figuring all of that out this summer. So, stay tuned, and I promise it won’t be another month before I post again.
-Miss O
