Adulthood: The Gift and the Curse

Being an adult is equivalent to getting slapped in the face at times.  It has the potential to be quite brutal. 

But let me rewind and give a disclaimer.  I do not want to appear as though I’m complaining. This is just a real conversation that I’ve with myself and others around me.

The reality of adulthood is that of course, there is no one telling you what you should do, how to do it and when to do it.  As a child, particularly in those teenage years, nobody wants to hear that! Adulthood slapped me in the face when I had to start buying my own groceries.  Do you know how much a gallon of milk costs?!  Grocery shopping used to be fun.  You know, when your parents were paying and swiping their debit cards.  I’ve always been one that paid attention to how much things cost, but my mom was still the one footing the bill.  Ever started putting things back once you see the bill getting higher and higher? Did you start reconsidering certain brands and thought Great Value would work just fine? If so, you got slapped by adulthood.

I always get anxious when I take my car in for an oil change.  Every single time.  I’m always waiting for the salesperson to hit me with the “you need $500 worth of repairs to your car.”  Well, it happened just last week.  I’m just trying to be an upstanding citizen, get my car inspected so that I can renew my tags and then, it got real.  I couldn’t pass the inspection until I had nearly $500 worth of work done to fix the wheel bearing and sway bars (whatever those are).  I had to make a major life decision (*cue dramatics*) in a short period of time.  I ended up getting one thing fixed, but obviously, I still have to go back and get the rest taken care of.  I get it.  It comes with the territory of having a car, but still…

I don’t recall being that teenager claiming to be grown right at the age of 18.  I claimed independence, but knew I still needed my mom. (Fact: I called her every day during my first few weeks of college).  Even as I share this and laugh about the reality of adulthood, I’m grateful.  Once it hits, it is truly a matter of staying on top of things, facing responsibilities head on and handling business.   

Can we agree that daycare life seems to be the best?  Who doesn’t love afternoon naps and snacks? 

About the whole Valentine's Day thing...

February 14^th.  

A day to celebrate love.  A day to get romantic.  A day for some single people to be salty. 

For some, this holiday is at the top of the list of their favorite days of the year.  For others, it is somewhat dreadful and a reminder of what they feel they do not have when it comes to a romantic relationship.  While I am an advocate for love, I’m not of the opinion that a whole lot of money needs to be spent in order to prove how much you love your partner.  Love is a beautiful thing and I’m happy to be loved and in love.  On the other hand, I’m just starting to think that so many expectations are built up around this holiday and many people are frankly out here getting their feelings hurt. 

With the prevalence of social media these days, I am beginning to approach the day with a little more skepticism than normal.  Do people want the flowers, cards, candy, balloons, dinners and rose petals because they are things they truly appreciate from their partner?  Or are we in an imaginary contest with our friends and followers, attempting to portray the image of love?  If the first thought of Valentine’s Day is which Instagram filter your flowers will look best in, there might be other things to personally evaluate.

Simply put, love and appreciation should be a constant, not stored up for this one day out of the year.  Most importantly, with any holiday or special occasion, you and yours have to determine what is best for your situation.  I'll be doing just that, spending time with my handsome Valentine! :-)