Adulting in the modern era
Adulting.
According to Google…
Adulting: the practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks.
“It feels really good to take a step back from adulting and have someone else cook dinner for me.”
Adulting encompasses many things we must take responsibility for.
Yep, with more freedom (my fave F word), comes more responsibility. The biggest catch 22 of all.
Here are some of the things which define adulting for me
1. Buying food and cooking healthy, balanced meals for myself. (I used to do meal plans – bringing out the big guns).
2. Taking care of my body and my mind – through the above ^, regular exercise, yoga, travelling (when the bank account permits), writing, teaching, reading, meditating, playing music and taking time out to do sweet FA.
3. Washing my clothes (somehow I have a never-ending supply of clothes to wash, and I’m only one person?!)
4. Washing the dishes
5. Taking the bins out
6. Cleaning the bed sheets (fortnightly, rather than four times a year like first year of UNI. Just. Gross).
7. Drinking water
8. Paying my bills on time
9. Brushing my teeth twice a day (sometimes more) and flossing (occasionally)
10. Booking regular dentist check ups
11. Cleaning the bathroom
12. Booking regular smear tests (Hello age 25)
13. Moisturising, exfoliating and cleansing (the occasional anti-wrinkle cream thrown in there for good measure, this face ain’t getting any younger).
14. Showering, (teenage dirtbag no longer) I’m a before bed evening shower-kind of person.
15. Contraception, at the current stage of my life the thought of children is SO far from my mind – no, thank, you.
16. Getting my haircut, my mum was the very best hairdresser.
Other adulting ‘stuff’ include:
17. Being able to create my own happiness.
18. Being OK with the silence
19. Expanding my knowledge and furthering my ambitions:
This year I want to keep writing, I restart Arabic classes in a few weeks, later in January I start my yoga teacher training and in the first half of this year I will start my new job – which will hopefully be an open door to where I want my career to take me.
20. Knowing when enough internet for today, is enough internet for today.
21. Having a therapist (I feel like there’s a time in all our lives when we need this).
22. Realising that having standards and having expectations are two different things.
23. Letting go of past pain and future worries – that stuff doesn’t serve us in this present moment (I’m still working on this one).
24. Listening to my gut.
25. Saying ‘no’ and being OK with that.
26. Learning how to deal with my grief in my own way.
But with the responsibility – comes freedom, choice, reward, personal drive, opportunities, and so much more…
When I turned 18, left home and moved to Nottingham for UNI – I grew so much as a person. At 20 I moved to Spain and China for a year. At 22, I moved back to China. At 24, I came home and moved to London. The adulting stuff only keeps growing, and I only keep growing more abundant in life experience, choice, reward – and all that other fun stuff that comes with going it alone – in other words, adulting the f*ck out of life.
Amen.
Now to change my bed sheets, make a food shopping list, shower and wash 5 loads of washing. What a Saturday night!