I Need an Adult, But I Am an Adult: Realizations You Have While Adulting
By Kevin Christian L. Santos
Remember when you were a kid and you couldn’t wait to grow up? You’ll be able to do all kinds of grown up stuff like party, be free and independent and go to bed whenever you damn please? However, things start to get serious in your mid-20s. Work becomes a bigger priority and you start thinking harder about your future and your goals. You can’t party as hard as you used to and you risk having the dreaded two-day hangover.
It’s at this time you transform into an adult-ier you, ditching your past carefree self as you try to make a mark in the real world. You may not know what you’re doing half the time, but it’s ok. You’re not alone.
When you start adulting, there’s no going back and you just need to keep moving forward. And it’s going to be okay. Once you put on your grown-ass person pants, you start to realize these things:
8. Friday nights are sacred
With all the hustling, grinding, overtime work mixed with your sweat and tears, you gain a bigger appreciation for Friday nights. It’s not just about partying anymore. It’s about treating yourself because dammit, you earned it. Sometimes, you get excited to go home and do absolutely nothing.
Do you want to get a massage? Sleep for 12 hours? Who cares, treat yourself because you deserve it.
7. Being an adult isn’t as fun as you thought
You thought you were going to be independent at a certain age. You’d have a car, a house, and be financially stable and travel the globe. The world was your oyster. You soon realize that that’s not the case as the realities of life slaps you hard in the face.
The reality? BILLS. RESPONSIBILITIES. You start appreciating your favorite childhood memory more, which was not having to pay bills. You realize that being an adult is all about juggling your responsibilities while also doing the things that make you happy. It’s all about that balance. There are times when you just sit back and reflect and be amazed on how far you’ve come.
Though there still times that this happens:
6. You get annoyed with the younger generation
What the hell is up with this generation? If you did some of the things that kids are doing nowadays when you were younger, you would’ve gotten your ass kicked. “Was I that annoying, insufferable, and nasty before,” and “what’s this person’s deal,” cross your mind every time. Kids these days. Pretty soon, you’re going to end up telling them to get off your lawn.
5. You know when to take the high road
4. You take better care of your body
Gone are the days when you can binge drink a shit-ton of Red Horse and be okay in the morning. Guess what, you’re going to feel the effects of last night’s festivities and it’s going to affect how you work. You’re more responsible and you carefully plan your nights of celebration. You listen to your liver more now, years after it begged for mercy when you downed that nth tequila shot. You also prefer eating something that’s meticulously cooked instead of going for another fast food meal. You’re more mindful of what goes inside your body. Heck, you might even enroll yourself in a gym membership. It’s at this age you realize how important your body is and the need to take care of it.
3. You Know How to Choose Your Friends
It could also be because you have no time for BS. When you grow older, you know what you want and don’t want to settle for less, or for fake relationships.
2. You take dating more seriously
As mentioned in the previous entry, you know what you want and you have no time for crap. You take dating more seriously now and not as just way to pass the time or fill some void. You have no time for the stupid dating mind games. You want something that’s real and something that would last. You’re not just looking for something that would scratch an itch. You want and deserve something for keeps.
1. You make plans for the future
You know what you want for the future and make the necessary steps to get there. You carefully plan for it and you’re also much, much more careful with how you spend. You’re responsible with your bills and know how to budget. You have an idea of what you want in life and you plan out how you’ll reach your dreams. You have a better appreciation for life and you’re able to make smarter decisions on how to enjoy this trip of yours.
If you still don’t know what you want, don’t worry about it. Some of the most successful people in the world only struck gold later in their life. Just relax, and enjoy the ride. Appreciate every moment. The journey is the destination!
How about you? What are the realizations you had once you reached adulthood? Let us know in the Comments Section!
