Adult-ish: A New Take on Being Grown Up
It may sound cliche, but 30 really does sneak up on you. You step out of college ready for an adventure, cling desperately to your youth for the next ten years, and in the blink of an eye your twenties are over.
At least that’s how it transpired for me. Evidently not for everyone considering the frequent Facebook posts I see from middle and high school acquaintances celebrating their third wedding anniversary, closing on homes, or popping out children. Meanwhile, I’m happy if I’m managed to go a day in which the majority of my wardrobe is not sprawled across my bedroom floor.
All Growed Up?
Having survived three decades, Deb and I have gained some valuable perspective on growing up, getting older, and the challenges of becoming a truly functional adult as defined by society. We are talking about the card-carrying members of the grown-up club who actually send out Christmas cards, own property, and whose cars don’t double as trash receptacles.
Despite how much progress we’ve made from the Leave It To Beaver days, there remains a stubborn stereotype of what qualifies as becoming successful adult. Sure I’ve figured out how to pay my bills, save a little money, get oil changes regularly, and even take some vacations. But there remain many details that seem unnecessary and nearly impossible. You know, buying actual napkins and putting them in a holder, separating loads of laundry, keeping houseplants alive.
Between Instagram posts of people’s perfectly constructed dinners, well-put together gym outfits, and photos of chic apartment decor, it’s easy to think that everyone has all of their shit together all of the time. We are here to remind you that they don’t — and that’s perfectly alright.
Exploding Suitecase People
During one of our daily back and forths on Gchat (what else do you guys do at work, work?), Deb and I came to an important conclusion: we will never be the type of people who unpack our suitcases when we stay at a hotel. In the multitude of travels experiences I’ve had throughout my life, I have a hard time recalling more than a handful of times in which I’ve made an attempt to put my clothing in a drawer or in the closet. Deb — who has been my travel companion on several trips, including one too many Vegas getaways — can attest to this.
I’d consider myself more of a suitcase-on-the-ground-wide-open-spilling-out type of person. While I can plan one hell of a vacation on the other side of the world, folding clothes and neatly placing them in my luggage will always elude me.
Deb and I will endeavor to provide you a more accurate portrayal of real life — at least of our own. I live in a shoebox of an apartment, eat mac and cheese out of a box on a weekly basis, and continue to prioritize snowboarding over financial stability and matching furniture. And I have no regrets.
I do not intend to detract for those who have legitimate careers, a set of matching dishes, or families that take group photos in coordinated outfits for their Christmas cards. But rather I endeavor to provide an outlet for whom life has taken a slightly messier route, those who haven’t checked off all the traditional boxes of adulthood. Welcome to Adult-ish: a new take on being grown up.