One of the most anticipated days of every college students' short-lived life happened for me not too long ago and with it came new obstacles and a new awareness of my adult-ness (not to mention a new appreciation for Uber).
Between all the planning and excitement leading up to the big 21st birthday, I didn’t feel the reality of the situation hit me, I am an adult now. Sure, I can grab a beer at any time, go on a wine tour, indulge in a Fuzzy’s Margarita with some friends, or hit up a late night comedy club, but being “legal age” is supposed to mean that I am full speed ahead to adulthood. And for many, that may be the case. I have friends my age who have already gotten married and have children, working in careers and making retirement plans. Instead, as I write this, I’m curled up in my Minnie Mouse pajama bottoms and eating mac and cheese--it doesn’t really scream “responsible grown woman," does it?
But this got me thinking--what is an adult? According to the Oxford Dictionary, an adult is defined as “a person who is fully grown or developed.” But there are people in the world who are adults by age but not in their behavior (cough Donald Trump cough) and there are kids you meet who have more skills and maturity than their superiors. Age and physicality can't be the only components of adulthood.
What I'm suggesting is maybe none of us are “adults” at all. Maybe there’s such thing as adulthood.
We all live differently, experience different things, and make different decisions. Just because I now have a horizontal drivers license and a few more responsibilities as I did a year or two ago doesn't mean I have reached full maturity. We learn and grow and change every day of our lives. I think we choose how we want to live regardless of what phase we are in our life.
Maybe, in a way, we’re all like Peter Pan, telling ourselves we will never grow up despite all our daily adult responsibilities. Maybe it's our duty to hold onto our childlike enthusiasm and continue to live authentically.
