Friday, December 29, 2006

2007

So this is the obvious time for a cliche post about the new year and what not. Can you even believe that we are going to start 2007? It makes me think of Y2K and the world coming to end and how we're still here, seven years later. I don't like to talk about it, but I've been out of college for five years and high school now for ten years and this is just mind boggling to me. What has happened in all those years? I don't feel like I've been out of high school or college for that long!

The question I want to pose to you, dear readers (the few that are out there) is how old do you feel? Is it a certain age or a range (mid 20's, late 20's)? Does the number really matter? Not really, if you feel and act something different, who cares about the number? Another question that comes to mind is, do you feel grown up? What age do you think society expects us to be grown up as opposed to feeling grown up? This is something I have talked about with my therapist (yes, I said my therapist) and she seems to think that if she were to take a poll, her expectation would be that on average, people start to really feel like an adult in their 40's. That's right, your 40's! The theory is that we just fake our way through life, jobs, marriage, kids, etc., before we start to feel grown up. I don't know about you, but this makes me feel better about myself. I wish people would speak up about it more often.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

i suppose i'm technically in my "late 20's" but i'm going to pretend "mid" equals 21-29. they're in the middle, right?

i think most days i feel "grown up", especially living in a college town. like when people ask if i'm a student, my usual response is "no, i'm a grownup" [seriously!]. but then the days when i feel behind because i'm single or i don't own a house or haven't found that dream job... those are the days when i feel like i'm just an awkward kid, just trying to tread water.

ain't no shame in therapy. kudos. and i cannot BELIEVE that 2007 will be our high school reunions. oddly, i feel i've done both more and less than i expected after these ten odd years.

beckyjune said...

I feel a lot of different ages. When Im at work I feel like a fake adult. But this is because of the age of people I work with. Other times I feel like a 10 year and want my parents to fix everything for me. I do feel however that everything gets better with age! I can appreciate things more and make my own decisions. I hear from coworkers that every decade is better than the previous one. So I guess we have stuff to look forward to. Im very proud that you see a therapist, they are very necessary and help keep you grounded! Therapists have helped me through some rough spots!

Anonymous said...

I agree that how old I feel kind of depends on who I'm talking to- like compared to the college kids I feel like an adult, compared to people who are older than me I feel young. I am at a place in life where I cannot IMAGINE getting married or having kids, and I guess for some reason those are the things that I think of as making one an adult, even though I know that's not true. Also, I think I felt more like an adult when I had a full-time job and lived by myself compared with now when I'm a student and living a transient lifestyle. Good topic!

Anonymous said...

I was thinking today that there is still so much I have to learn! This came about because our neighbor came over and helped us install a ceiling fan in our bedroom. Then he got to talking about the sump pump and other electrical stuff, and I'm just thinking to myself, when will I be like my parents and other adults that know all this stuff already?!?! Right now, I still depend on my dad to do my taxes, tell me how to invest my money, etc etc. I feel as though I'll never be the one with this great knowledge, and thus still see myself as a kid in so many ways.

joybird said...

Thanks for real comments! I feel like a kid in so many ways too. But then when I hear some of these colleges kids, I realize that I'm not in their age group either. It's all very confusing, but good to hear that I'm not alone!

I'm definitely an advocate of therapy...try it, you'll like it!

Erin said...

((Sorry I'm just now weighing in on this)) I definitely feel like an adult now. I think it happened for me after I bought a house. I don't know if it happens at that point for everyone, but something about being responsible for my own shelter, as well as the shelter of someone else, made me feel like a grownup. I still feel like I'm pretty playful and I have a lot of the good qualities of being childlike, but I can say for sure there was a definite shift after I bought the house. By the way, I think I was 30 when that happened, so, basically, I didn't feel like an adult for any of my 20's.