Being an adult comes with its own mixture of issues. How do you keep everything straight? Why do you have to be nice to the guy down the street that mows his lawn at 6:30 every Saturday morning wearing his pajamas? Are you really ready to deal with everything life has for you once you have reached peek adulthood? Making decisions as an adult is only a little different than when you were younger. As a child the pain of a bad decision was usually temporary, and forgotten about within minutes, whereas an adult may need traction and months of physical therapy. It is probably best to put the childish decision maker to bed and focus on how to be an adult. It will certainly keep you out of at least some physical pain. These 5 things are pretty important to know as an adult.
1. You will still be unable to sleep at night, just not because you are excited
Remember being a child on Christmas Eve? Opening that present that you always hoped would be the best thing ever but always turned out to be some sort of home-made pajamas? Then trying to go to sleep just knowing that Santa was going to come sneaking into your living room at any moment. The excitement seemed almost like a physical presence keeping you awake.
As an adult, you will experience events of this nature, but with a slight twist. Instead of it being Christmas Eve, it is every weeknight. Instead of excitement it is anxiety and stress; and instead of Santa it may be that your boss texted you about a surprise meeting at 7:30 the next morning to go over the changes you were supposed to have written up but haven’t had time to get to yet. Just like as a child, however, it will be a long, sleepless night.
2. Injuries caused from sleeping
Ever wake up and feel like you slept in a rock garden while wrapped around the trunk of a tree? The bed that you spent so much money on to help you sleep has somehow become sentient and has started torturing you in your sleep. This becomes a much more common theme as you get older. One of the truest signs that you are an adult now.
3. On these you need to know: Bills don’t pay themselves
As a kid, everything you needed was at least partially provided for you (hopefully). As an adult, it’s up to you. Forgot to pay the power bill? They shut it off while you are in the shower getting ready for the day. Staying on top of your bills is a true sign of being a successful adult.
4. Doing your own laundry is a thing you need to know
Clothes no longer magically appear folded in your dresser. Turns out you actually have to take care of all of your laundry on your own. This is one of those things you need to know. Unless you hire a service to do it for you. Even then it would still be creepy to have them appear folded in your dresser.
5. Going to bed at a reasonable time
As a kid, staying up all night was more a rite of passage than anything. As an adult, the only reason I would be awake at 4 am is if I had an early flight. Going to bed around 10 or 11 is not only the grown-up thing to do, it is also incredibly nice to get to go to bed. Most people would probably go to bed earlier if they could.
Adulting is hard, but it is definitely rewarding. There are so many great things to look forward to, like having kids, or being an aunt or uncle, or never having anything to do with kids at all. Really, the choices are limitless. Do what you want to do for as long as you can, and you may never truly have to become a “grown up”.