Growing Up

I wish that when I was born, someone had given me a book on the stages of life. Something that said how exciting going to kindergarten would be, how hard puberty is, how fun college would be, and how friggen scary and kind of depressing your late 20's would be. Don't get me wrong here, I enjoy my life and I am very happy with my family, friends, husband, kitties, house, and all that jazz, but it is so HARD to leave your early 20's behind.

A few months ago I claimed to be going through my quarter life crisis. Don't laugh at me (I can see my aunts chuckling at this), its a real thing! Babies? No way. Independence, alcohol, and clubbing? Bring it on. I spent three Saturday nights in a row living it up and wasted three Sundays in bed with the worst hangovers I've ever had. I needed to rebel a bit. Go out to the club. Dance until 2 in the morning (although by 11 I was exhausted). I even told my poor husband I was going to buy concert tickets because it was what I wanted to do and I was sick of having to ask about every financial decision I want make (which by the way is so NOT true, we both have plenty of our own financial freedom). I was a crank.

After the third Sunday of crawling out of bed at 4pm only to trip on the trash can my amazing husband had placed next to me, I snapped out of it. Still no babies, please, but I was perfectly content making dinner at night then sitting on the couch cuddling with my husband and kitties until we went to bed at a very early but comfortable 9pm.

Last weekend was my best friend Ryan's bachelorette party. It wasn't a wild, wear penis hats, matching shirts, and take 900 shots kind of night. We all dressed up, took a limo into Boston, went to a really classy martini bar, and then went to the Revolution Rock Club where we hung out in the VIP area, and I ordered myself a bottle of wine. (Hey, its cheaper that way!) But as I looked out onto the extremely packed dance floor I couldn't help but long for those college and early 20s days back. Things were so EASY. Get up, go to class, come home, start drinking, laugh your butt off for hours on end, go to bed after about 20 drinks, and wake up hangover free. That was the life.

Do I think that life is boring now? No way. I have a lot that keeps me going. I have an amazing husband, and the best girlfriends who make me laugh more than I knew I could. But I honestly think that my college/early 20s years may have been the best of my life, and its so hard to let that go. When I think about starting a family I get so excited, but then immediately realize that my youth is over. I'm even starting to look too old. I was watching some news story the other day about a guy and I just assumed he was this regular, adult man, obviously out of college and in the career world. Then they said he was 27 years old and I about died. Do I look that old? Well, maybe I do, seeing as I too am out of college and in the career world. Oh lord, this growing up thing is tough.

Back to the book I never got. I'd like to think that the chapter on your late 20's ends something like this: Being grown up doesn't mean being boring. It doesn't mean the kids at the store think you are some old hag. It does mean less time at the clubs, but it doesn't mean less time with a good bottle of wine and close friends and family (you still get the buzz you know). Having kids doesn't mean your life is over. You really are only as old as you think you are. When your co-workers and older family members tell you the best is yet to come, its ok to not believe them, you will see it in your own time, but believe that this time is coming sooner than you think. And know this, when the next transition comes and you hit your mid-life crisis, it won't be easy, you'll recover, and the second half of your life will be even better than your first.