One of my greatest and most consistent fears over the last couple of years has been that life as an adult will eventually wear me down. In this nightmare scenario, year after year of working a 9-5 job will transform me into a dull, apathetic, listless grown-up who comes home from work, slumps into a chair, flips on the TV, and watches it until my brian has turned into oatmeal and I'm absentmindedly drooling.
Transitioning from the college lifestyle to the "adult" lifestyle can feel pretty odd and uncomfortable. The days when I lived within a ten minute walk of dozens of friends; when campus groups and committees planned all sorts of social things for us (which usually involved free food/t-shirts/even beer, by the end of it all); when great bands & musicians came to perform, and i could see them for next to nothing; when going to class was optional (I'm almost positive that work is NOT optional); those days are definitely gone.
Don't get me wrong - becoming an adult doesn't mean your life is over. Your daily schedule just shifts an incredible amount, and it can be hard to adjust to it all. It's much less flexible (seriously...you can't just decide to sleep in, get notes from someone later, and expect that your boss won't notice you weren't there). With at least 8 hours of your day spent at work, balancing the rest of your time can be complicated. Your need for seeing friends, being involved in your community, exercising, and setting apart some time for yourself (not to mention sleep) can be hard to bring into equilibrium. For me, it's hard to come to terms with the fact that I can't entirely escape settling into a basic routine. Some days during the week, I'm running from one thing to the next until 9 or 10 pm, and being spontaneous isn't exactly an option.
I think one of the biggest things that's helping me transition into this ridiculous grown-up lifestyle is that I don't let myself take things too seriously. Living with Laura helps, since it's easier to get into trouble when there's two people scheming instead of one. The rest of my friends in the area are pretty fantastic as well. Also, I volunteer two nights a week with my church's Jr and Sr High youth groups, so those kids keep my maturity level down at an acceptable level and remind me how to stay young:)
At the end of my day, whether it's been a crazy one that never let me stop to catch my breath or a low-key one, I can honestly say I consistently love my life. Becoming a fake grown-up hasn't ruined things; it's just forced me to stretch, adapt, embrace a steadier lifestyle, take full advantage of the moments of free time and spontaneity that spring up, and learn how to balance being responsible for my life without abandoning all the crazy/fun parts of it.
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