As of writing this, I’ve been 28 for an hour, and I’m already pretty much over it.
Today marks the 10 year anniversary of me becoming an adult. Technically becoming an adult I mean. When you’re growing up, you half expect there to be this singular, life altering moment that signals your arrival into adulthood. This universal Bar Mitzvah that lets the rest of the world know “Yeah, I like drinking wine, playing scrabble, and watching the news.” (Those are mainly adult stereotypes. I know.)
But if there’s anything I’ve learned in these past 10 years, it’s that that moment never comes. Yeah, I pay bills, take care of family…do things, make decisions for myself…so I suppose it technically has come. But no one told me. All of those things kind of just happened upon themselves. I’ve been going through life waiting to have the answers that I’m looking for, processing things as a child would. There’s no dire need, no real consequence. I exist in this life and aside from my bills and the money I pay to the federal government, I’ve made no real contribution.
And I say that in a “to my own future” way. Not to say I haven’t made an impact or contributions to others around me. That’s a naive way of looking at life. And, honestly it was a mistake I used to make all the time. Me contemplating on my own failures of not achieving the goals I set used to set me on a path of self belittlement and self pitty. Thinking that me not being the person I wanted to be somehow meant that I wasn’t that person to anybody. And I found out that thought process was wrong. In most of every case that I thought about, it was wrong.
But, that doesn’t mean that I’ve grown to not have those feelings. I have a problem with growth. I don’t learn from past mistakes very well. I mean I do, but I don’t. It’s a complicated issue. One that helps with stress, because logically speaking…I’ve lived through mistakes in the past and doing so again won’t actually kill me. Even if I think it might. It takes that weight off of my shoulders.
I made a playlist on Spotify of all of the music I used to listen to in Middle School through High School. It’s a pretty bitching playlist honestly. But the song that’s been on repeat is “Here’s to the Night” by Eve 6. I’m a sucker for sentiment I guess. It was our senior class song. Cliche. Duh. But, I can’t stop listening. It puts me in a certain mood. And it’s not bad. I guess. It’s…introspective.
Surprise.
And I think it makes me that way, because I’m trying to find all of the areas that I’ve grown since graduating. Besides the obvious areas: musically, creatively, expressively, facial hair, waist size. Granted that’s my entire life. But. The point is, personally I don’t feel like I’ve changed. I react to life altering situations the same way I did 10 years ago. I run. I ignore. I remain steadfast in mediocrity. It’s a curse. I don’t fail often, because I don’t try ever. And because I don’t try, I’ll never know if I’d succeed in anything. I get in my own way, talking myself out of doing the things I want to do, because the world is competitive, and the world has a large head start on me in all of the things I want to do.
I’m afraid of rejection, and because of that, I haven’t had a meaningful relationship in 10 years because I’m terrified that I won’t be enough. For anybody. Which is actually the polar opposite of high school. I had some random sense of confidence then. I don’t know what the hell happened to it.
But I guess the biggest part of growing up and becoming an adult is finding all of this out. Being the person you were in high school isn’t being an adult. But, at the same time, drastically changing the person who got you to where you currently are isn’t either. There are parts of you that should remain with you to remind yourself of the person you want to be. Being an adult is probably finding a way to balance it all out. It’s not easy. I can say that, but doing it is difficult. And that could also not be the right answer. Hell, none of this could even be healthy for me. I could be doing psychological damage just by writing this thing, deluding myself into thinking I’m being open and thoughtful. There’s no correct answer, no one correct way to do things. How we fit into this crazy, wonderful, depressing, scary, humorous thing called life is completely up to us.
Figuring out who we are and who we want to be is just part of the ride.
And I guess that’s what this post is about. Me rambling on just to inform myself that, even though I’m 28 and probably half dead, I still have a life to live ahead of me. I’m not where I want to be currently, but that’s not to say that I can’t be eventually. Life is lived at all of our own paces, and mine just may be a little bit slower than most. Like my walking pace.
So I guess…here’s a toast to all those who hear me all too well. (Had to, sorry)
Life and it's Musings 