…And just to finish the last part of that Grey’s Anatomy quote from 2005, “And how do we make it stop?” Although my feelings at the moment are less in the interest of making it stop and quite a bit more curious on just when and where it began?
Due to a slight emotional breakdown (not adulty behavior, I know) my parents recently made an impromptu trip into the city for a long weekend; bless their hearts. I called my mom on a Monday afternoon, and she and my dad were in the city early Thursday evening. The last time they visited, it was literally a nightmare. It rained the ENTIRE time they visited, I was running around midtown like a psychotic tourist fool and all they wanted to do was relax with their daughter. Needless to say, that weekend didn’t end on the best of terms, and this time around not only did I not have time to plan ANYTHING, but also they were staying IN MY LIVING ROOM. A recipe for disaster, I thought.
BUT GUESS WHAT? It was fantastic! Hands down not only the greatest weekend I could have imagined with my parents, but also one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long, long time. It was so refreshing to just mosey about the city, not have to constantly be on some rampant schedule that I’ve meticulously worked out, and just fully enjoy my parents’ company. To say I had a wonderful weekend is putting it lightly.
Even though I knew I would be seeing them in a short two months, saying goodbye was still hard. It was after that tearfest that I got to thinking, “Hmm, only a matured grown ass woman cries when leaving her parents for an undermined amount of time.” And even though that’s actually more like what babies and small children do, the point was that I actually enjoyed their visit. Hanging out with them felt exactly like hanging out with them, and not like trying to entertain them and shield them from the big-city things I wouldn’t want my care-takers to see. After dissecting the situation a bit more, I came to the realization that this is one of the first times (aside of paying bills and watching my metabolism dissolve before my eyes) I truly felt like an adult. Here are some other signs you’re growing up I’ve since come up with:
- When politics suddenly get really exciting. True that 2012 being an election year and me being a huge SNL fan also feeds into this, but outside of exciting, you start to realize politics are also very relevant.
- The aforementioned getting along with your parents.
- A 401k. You have one now.
- The endgame of any time you consume a drink does not consist of blacking out and making terrible life decisions. *It does on occasion, but just not every time.
- Reading the newspaper everyday. And not just the horoscope section.
- Putting money in the tip jar. I don’t know, maybe this consists of being a good human, but I’ve started to do this a lot lately and it does feel good. Plus karma and stuff.
- Starting to seriously considering adopting a dog, because even though you will always be a cat person, your maternal instinct is kicking in and you don’t have the money for a baby.
- Sending out more mail than you receive. (Bills, bills, bills)
- Reading the washing instructions before you buy clothing.
- You know how to fax shit. And you fax shit like a mofo.
- Buying beers in bottles.
- Voluntarily volunteering.
- When you realize the TV shows you watch have shifted from Jersey Shore and Gossip Girl to Up All Night and Parenthood.
- Choosing to buy tampons over candy as your drugstore purchase two weeks before your lady time because you need to get cash back and the ATM is 4 blocks farther away.
Anything I missed? When was the first time you actually felt like a grown-ass adult?
Uptown Moxie 