The Pros and Cons of Obtaining More Adult-like Things

As I finish up Year Two of post-graduation, I’m realizing with some excitement that my life is slowly moving up the Ladder to Adulthood.  This realization suddenly came to me last Friday when it took about five minutes of struggle to find the right key to open my office door.  Why is this significant? Because this means I have way more keys now than I used to.  And if 1 key = one thing I can control, then that means that I have gained control over several new things. 

Thinking about it, a lot of stuff in my life has made the switch from “functioning-at-the-most-basic-level-possible” to “wow-this-could-almost-pass-as-something-a-real-person-owns”.  

Last year in Berkeley, I lived in a sad box-like apartment in which five fully-grown people attempted to share one tiny bathroom.  We didn’t have a couch, so I sat on the floor if I wanted to eat food or contemplate my life choices.  In terms of kitchen cutlery, we owned two knives, one spoon and no forks.  Truly, this was adult life at its most primitive level.

My new apartment life is dramatically improved from last year, but with great power comes great responsibility.  Here is how I view these new adult-like things. 

Thing: Own Room and Own Bathroom 

For the first time since high school, I have my very own room.  Add to that my own closet and bathroom and I am swimming in a sea of abundance.  

Pros:  

• I can walk around naked in a significantly larger space than I could before. 
• My bed is large enough to fit both me and a bunch of clothes/dirty dishes/self-help books another person in it.

Cons:  

• I am responsible for turning a greater number of light switches on and off. 
• My bathroom has not been fully cleaned since I moved in five months ago. 

Thing:  Advanced Kitchen Cutlery 

It is slightly disorienting to go from being forced to cook all of my food in the microwave to suddenly having access to three blenders, two toasters, and even a juicer.

Pro:
If the desire arose, I could make three different kinds of smoothies at the same time. 

Con:
The desire hasn’t arisen yet.


Thing:  Grown Up Roommates 

Last year, I lived with an eighteen year old girl who hadn’t been to college and contemplated voting for Mitt Romney because “the economy is bad right now”.  Now I live with friends who have full-time jobs and sound morals.

Pros: 

• They are great sources of wisdom and emotional support.
• My roommate’s ten-year plan for his life is something I can aspire to create one day. 

Thing: More Impressive Groceries 

Last year, I would walk over to Trader Joe’s once every two weeks to buy eggs, milk, spinach, pita bread, yogurt, and wine.  Like… this is basically all I ate in terms of groceries the entire year.  Now, as you can see from the picture, everything is different now.  

Pros: 

• I’m saving money by preparing breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. 
• Being able to casually tell people “Oh yes, I assemble the whole salad myself; so much better than that pre-packaged nonsense” gives me a feeling of superiority over others.

Cons: 

• I spent $85 on the things pictured above so I’m not sure if I am actually saving money by buying groceries.
• My arms hurt from carrying all of these things from my car to my apartment. 

Thing:  Actual Job

• I can feel like I’m working on things that are actually important instead of just browsing Facebook all day.
• I’m now relevant enough to make it on my organization’s website! Although 75% of that is probably racial and gender tokenization, but that’s all right.