Adultliness II

So I’ve still been thinking a lot about what it means to be an adult. I’ve gotten to the point in my “quarter-life crisis” that I’m actually looking forward to my upcoming 25th birthday. As I’ve seen friends turn 25 (and not explode) and in thinking about what being an adult could mean to me it might not be such a bad thing.

After all, what is an adult except a person who can decide their own actions and accept responsibility for them. I’ve lived the last 24 years of my life governed entirely by actual demands of people (my parents) and perceived ones (my friends and society at large). Being an adult to me means that I don’t have to let my decisions be dictated by other people. After all, as an adult I’m my own keeper. I’m responsible for myself and thus I can make my own decisions. In college this freedom usually meant being able to have dessert before dinner, staying up until whenever, etc. But its not just silly things like that, its everything.

As an adult I decided to put myself in a situation that could’ve made me uncomfortable. I went to party with people I didn’t know to meet someone I didn’t know well. And I had a great time. In previous times, I would’ve felt too uncomfortable in myself to do that and would have only gone if someone else went with me. Thus the decision to go would be dictated by whether or not I had accompaniment.

So now, in my adult frame of mind (which just means deciding to pursue things that I want despite other peoples objections, availability, etc) I’ve gone to that party, I signed up to take the writers workshop at the Loft and I’m going to keep doing things like that. Pursuing things I want even if they take me out of my comfort zone, because as an adult I’m not going to get what I want unless I go for it and I can’t keep expecting other people to guide me along, because I’m responsible for me.

So if that’s what being an adult is, then sure, sign me up.