Back on the Blog

Don't you hate those people who start blogs and then go on to just ignore them and neglect posting anything for weeks!  I guess I really got into the whole summer mode...

I've tried writing different posts but for some reason I just could not get into the swing of things and always ended up departing the blogosphere long before completing a post.  Hopefully this one will make it all the way to the "publish post" button! 

Since I've been home from school, I've caught up with many old friends and a topic of conversation that keeps coming up is this whole impending adulthood thing.  Apparently we are actually growing up, despite all of our efforts to forget that the real world is just around the corner.  I'm talking about the real world that consists of full-time jobs, committed relationships, worries about the future of our country, and decisions of what health insurance plan is best.  I'm not talking about The Real World: Las Vegas - I mean, there's a lot to talk about there, but just not for this post.

A friend of mine described "young adulthood" as the time when we've lost our place at the kids' table but haven't carved out a place at the adults' table yet...a bit of an in-between stage.  I'd say that's pretty accurate.  One of the first days I was back at home from school, I came into the house and asked my mom if I could go out that night with a friend.  Her response was pretty much, "Maura, you're 21.  You don't really need to ask permission for things like that anymore."  Oh.  I guess I didn't realize that.  Obviously I can't do whatever I want, but it makes sense that there are certain things I no longer need permission for.  It was one of the first times I realized my childhood had officially left the building.  I'm still not sure of how I feel about this.

Maybe I would feel more adult-like if I had a fancy-shmancy internship in Boston like some people I know.  Maybe I would feel more adult-like if when I bought beer the guy working behind the counter didn't say I looked like I was fifteen.   Maybe I would feel more adult-like if I found a summer job that was more suited to my major of economics than babysitting is.

But then again...

Maybe I'm ok with foregoing a commute into the city five days a week for an internship that might look great on a resume but bores the heck out of me.  Maybe I'm ok with looking like a high school freshman now, because perhaps my "youthful" look will resonate well into old age.  Maybe I'm ok with playing working with kids people who enjoy crayons, glitter glue, and pancakes just as much as I do.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I want to hold onto this in-between stage for a little bit longer.  There will be plenty of time for resume-building, forty hour work weeks, car payments, apartment rental fees, and every other little thing that comes with this whole impending adulthood thing.  For now, I am going to soak in my last (fingers-crossed since this job market sucks), real summer vacation. 
Babysitting two days a week can be rough and of course finding enough activities to fill my five day weekends is exhausting, but somebody has to do it and it might as well be me.  This whole in-between stage might not be so bad after all...

Look at that, I made it to that little orange button.