Post a little, Mean a lot

Perhaps the title of this post is more of an excuse than an actual, correct decree on how to write blogs. The truth is the more I scroll and scroll the more I realize how terrible I am to committing to written things. For example I have boxes of half-written journals that I purchased because they “looked nice” or the saucy quote on the front intrigued my feelings at the time. I am writing this blog post instead of sending out a training program because, well admittingly, I’ve exhausted my creative practice abilities this week. Hold on, I really should send it out…

Okay, I’m back. In the interest of keeping true to what I write about I should really re-title my blog to “Chronicles of a broke coach” because my mind tends to only wander in that direction these days. However I am also a true believer in my subtext in that I am blogging about my navigation through adult life, formerly teenage life. I am now 21. For those keeping up I started writing this blog when I was 17. I swear it was yesterday when I felt compelled to click the settings from private to public. Why I felt my life would be so interesting to everyone around me, I don’t know. What I can say about being newly 21 is that I have learned that being an adult is hard. Sometimes being an adult is like re-living High School Musical and sometimes it’s like re-living Mean Girls. It’s bipolar and changes daily. I’ve gathered 21 things I’ve learned about being an adult so far.

1. You spend a lot of time wondering if you’re wasting time or using time wisely.

Even the things you love to do. I think at those moments it’s wise to take a vacation. Only you can’t, because you love what you do too much to leave it.

2. Adults can act like children so maybe instead of spitting “Stop acting like a child!” to a child, we should really be saying “Stop acting like an adult!”

This means that I am completely questioning the phrase, “Grow up” because is that even a good thing?

3. Your life has stages.

You’re probably thinking I am incredibly out of the loop to just now be realizing this but maybe I was. I had my athlete life and now I have my coach life and I’m satisfied that one is over and the other is happening.

4. I think of my life in decades.

Now I’m 21. What are other 21-year olds doing? In ten years I’ll be 31. Will I be married? Will my student loans be paid off? When I’m 41 will I live in a bungalow or a mansion?

5. Crockpots are the zest of life.

I have thrown the most random assortment of foods in and a meal has come out.

6. I fall in love with soap opera characters more than I used to.

I never understood my mother’s obsession with Coronation Street until I started watching it…

7. You embrace an afternoon to snooze.

I never slept in and I never really napped. Although I still don’t sleep in yesterday I treated myself to a 4-hour nap and I believe it was vital to my survival of the day.

8. You take pride in affording a full tank of gas.

Perhaps this should be a list of things I’ve learned about being 21, not just an adult. I imagine that once you have a solid career full tanks will be the norm not just a bonus.

9. Don’t get phone bills sent to you as text messages. 

Text messages should be happy things, always.

10. $20 doesn’t go as far as it used to.

There were days when I felt rich after geting a nice clean bill, now, with expenses covered, anything over $100 should do.

11. Adults still like quotes and minion ones especially.

As a kid a quote was nice, as an adult it might as well be one of the Ten Commandments. These worldly adults take their minion’d life advice seriously.

12. You get less cool with age.

I was always the strict but fair, particular but cool coach. Now when I say things sometimes I feel like I’ve outdated myself as these children mock me with their eyes. I’m only 21.

13. It’s less about what you own and more about what you do.

It used to be Instagram pictures of your latest gadgets and clothes but now it’s about what you do with them. More specifically, it’s all up for judgement.

14. No more booking appointments after school…it’s all about those early starts because, let’s face it, you’ll have no energy at the end of the day.

For example I booked a 7:30am mechanic appointment in the city.

15. No matter how hard I’m trying I’m not pleasing everyone.

If anything this is the worst adult problem. When you’re a kid you blame it one naïveté. Now, no matter how good your intentions there’s always a problem. The success of your story has to do with whether you choose to ignore it.

16. People either expect a lot from you or nothing at at all.

Being 21 means you’re expected to make adult decisions without the experience. The result of your decisions are up very much up for judgement.

17. No matter what someone is always trying to one up you. 

This isn’t like athletics where someone is clearly better, sometimes it’s someone completely unqualified and you have to bite your tongue. In teenage life you could have probably gotten away with a smackdown.

18. You’ll either crumble with everyone’s expectations or rise up.

You have to set up your life and stand by it. For example the year I took a year off I was sort ashamed. No more time for self-pity.

19. Most older adults are just as perplexed by life as us 21-year olds.

I’ve learned there are just a ton of perplexing things no matter how old you are.

20. Being 20 was a youthful thing,

Everybody loves people turning 20.

21. 21 is pure adult.

It feels like everything matters now.   You’ve had 3 years of adult practice and now the jig is up. It’s less about what you don’t know and now more about what you do.

There. 21 things. I’m sure most of them are wrong and will change when I’m 30 but at 21 those are my thoughts.