I really enjoy making lists. I have them all over my apartment -- in my planner, on my refrigerator, on the wall behind my computer, note cards on my desk, excel spreadsheets, etc. I could single handedly keep 3M in business with all the Post-It Notes I use. Each list is different. I have my daily "Things To Accomplish: 'Day of the Week' Edition list, my recipes to try list, the accompanying grocery list, books I want to read, music I want to purchase, movies I want to see, articles I want to read, things I need to research for my thesis. The list making never ends.
The closer I am to finishing school, the longer my things to do/acquire when I'm a "real adult” list becomes. You might say, "But Carolyne, you are an adult. You've been able to vote for almost 6 years. You can legally drink. Contracts are valid when you sign then, provided you've met the four requirements of a contract and you're not entering into a deal with a minor and something or other about life necessities." Yes, all those are true, but I still don't really feel like a real adult. I can't rent a car without extraordinary insurance fees. I still don't pay for my own health insurance. I don't have a real job. Frankly, I've never had a full time job for more than four months at a time. I still operate at a deficit. Again, you may say, "But Carolyne, lots of people are in debt. It's almost like a mark of being a real adult -- going to school for something that may never pay off. Also, with unemployment rates as high as they are, you won't be the only adult without a job!" Again, that is true, but I have a certain list of things I need to do or acquire before I feel I’ve become a real adult. I've already made a couple steps in that direction. I own coasters and I purchased curtains. I pay rent and other bills every month. So what are these other mysterious real adult qualifications? Let me write you a brief list.
- Subscribe to the Sunday Times.
- Subscribe to at least 3 art organizations, or be a member.
- Keep a plant alive.
- Have a career (or job) that has benefits!!! -- also having the same full time job for at least one year
- Pay back student loans.
- Start investing
- Owning a real couch/love seat instead of a futon.
- Matching silverware.
- Actually being able to put money into my savings account and keep it there.
- Subscribe to magazines, particularly Opera News, Classical Singer, Cooking Light, The New Yorker, Marie Claire, Time, and The Economist.
- Colonoscopy. Need I say more?
This is not an all inclusive list. It doesn't even really begin to scratch the surface. Clearly some of the things on my list won't, well shouldn't, be crossed off for many, many years. That begs the question, do we ever become "real adults?"
In my life experience I have seen many adults act like children. Even the most mature individuals still behave like a tantrum throwing four year old because someone told them no. Are we really just children in adult bodies? Is "adult" a societal concept we've created over the years to distinguish ourselves from children? When does childhood really end? A good friend of mine brought up an interesting point saying, "Your childhood seems to affect everything that happens in your adulthood. We are constantly referring to what happened to us when we were kids whether we're trying to recreate it or change it." That's very true. Some parents live vicariously through their own children because they had terrible childhoods. Adult versus child is a very interesting concept. Are we confusing “grown up” or “mature” with “adult?” Are we really trying to identify the point at which a person stops thinking only of themselves and starts considering other people? Believe you me, it sure as hell isn't 18. Perhaps this is something, like how many licks it takes to get the the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop, the world will never know.
--Caro
--Caro
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