Growing Pains

Thing is, I feel like I'm in a perpetual twenty-something limbo.

Kind of a grown up, kind of a child. It's a conundrum.

Some of my neighbors now want me to call them by their first names. There's a hierarchy and a notion of respect that I just can't seem to mentally overcome (seriously people it would be like me calling my parents by their first names...I'm in no mood for a back-hand).

This is why I'm glad most people call me by my last name...I won't have to worry about this when the tables are turned.

So I was making the best of both worlds this past Friday night: BuckWild, The Butler, HookerJones, C-dawg, Lil Thug, and me, plus a few others, met up at Tapas for dinner - girls night! BuckWild went diving for fruit in the sangria pitcher; pretty sure C-dawg had quail?

Ended the evening at the townie bar with an old friend. Ben and I have known each other for 21 years; from diapers to prom. We had a "holy shit what are we doing with our lives" moment...then we ordered another pitcher and a round of Jameson, toasting to the days of cardboard fortresses and we tried to act like the whiskey wasn't burning our throats. Saw some guys from high school. My friend from college ended her waitress shift and took a seat at the bar with us. Just like an episode of Cheers, I was in a place where everyone knew my name, and it was awesome.

After teetering between my past and my future I landed in the present, circa 2:45a,m when my parents picked me up from the bar ((when did I become so dependent on them?? when did I start having drunken heart-to-hearts with my dad?? what happened to the walk-of-shame??)). I have to say, I felt a little lost.

Where, exactly, does a twenty-something fit in?

One of my friends, still in college, sent me interview questions for a communications project on recent college grads in the workforce. How appropriate. One question asked:

Q: Do you want a family and a career? If yes to both, what, if any, steps do you think you will need to take to manage both a professional career and a family?

A: I wouldn’t know! I'm only 22! That’s something I'd like to ask a seasoned veteran – I can’t keep a goldfish alive much less maintain a relationship…so forget about a family. The education system prepares you to identify mafic rocks but not how to raise a child or balance a checkbook. In the end I think I’ll need to hire a nanny.

So as we hopscotch between our comfort zones and our hopes/dreams, we have to force ourselves to keep moving forward.

Coming back to live at home. I feel like I've been assaulted by Mother Nature's maturity security guard; a yank on the humility leash that is now collared to my neck.

Here's the real mindfuck: platypus. What the hell. Now, that's a warm-blooded critter that lays eggs. So is it a mammal or a reptile? Where, exactly, does a platypus fit in? Did God sneeze when he was zapping that bright idea into creation?

But then again, who am I to question His judgement...I should probably just adopt a platypus and perhaps it will give significant meaning to my quarter-life crisis.