I have a feeling it may be time to grow up...just a bit. I'm officially declaring it my ultimate goal for the year. It is time to accept the fact that I'm not a little girl anymore. I am in my thirties. It's time to stop waking up (almost) every Sunday morning with a hangover. It's time to stop making excuses for things like not doing my dishes, and laundry, and saving money. Chips and Salsa alone is not an acceptable dinner, even if I am trying to lose weight (or "get healthy" as I so non-committally refer to it).
The time has come to start cooking real meals, and planning ahead; and not considering leftover money from my paycheck "beer money." I realize I should be nicer to some and a little less nice to others. I can't keep whining and waiting for people to do things for me. While I've managed independence in many areas of my existence, there are still a few in which I am still lacking...and they mostly have to do with the area outside my home (my home that I actually own, like an adult, and therefore should care for as a homeowning adult would). It's time to clean out the gutters and start pulling weeds with regularity...and not waiting for the rain to water my flowers (if I ever get around to planting any).
I no longer drive the first car I ever bought, which was a perfectly suitable vehicle for a teenager. I drive a Buick now. A grown-up car that should set the pace for the third decade of my life (while blasting The Eagles, Bruce Springsteen and Ray Lamontagne as I drive down the road, of course). I must throw away the collection of beer bottle caps and wine corks...unless I'm saving them to use in a Pinterest craft. I have to stop being afraid to make chicken, and start changing lightbulbs when they burn out (seriously, I've been doing laundry in the dark for months). My calendar should be updated everyday, by me; not only by Joanna when she comes over and changes it for me. I must pay closer attention to my credit score; and I have realized that it is beginning to become imperative that I start saving for retirement. I also feel that maybe I should start recycling or something...or at least start considering it an option.
It's not that I am afraid to grow up, or that I don't necessarily want to...I just haven't gotten around to it. Kind of how I haven't gotten around to buying a shovel, or new light bulbs for my basement. It really is important to stop and look around at everything we're missing while we're rushing to the next stage in life. If we're not careful, we may not notice that we've allowed important things to pass right by us.
Now you may still see me with purple hair on occasion...some things I'm just not ready to give up. I intend to always get together with my friends to drink beer, and laugh, and be silly. I'll never deny myself the right to go out and have a good time. I am single and childless...what else am I going to do? Sit at home and knit? I don't even know how to knit. If I'm going to be an old maid; I want to do it with a smile on my face, a drink in my hand, and money in my savings account.
"All children, except one, grow up." ~J.M. Barrie
