Im being thrown into this adulthood thing fast. I thought I had figured it out back in Prescott, with the pinnacle successfully setting up Autopay with my utility bills. Oh big surprise- thats not even the start.
Yes, the drive from one corner of the country was awesome and fun and extremelly butt-painful, but hey, we did it. HUGE shout out to Gretchen, friend of the century, for dropping her life at a phone call's notice (well, text) to come join me on the epic adventure. Ill post more from the trip later. But shes pretty much the best. Another jolt into adulthood came with the call from my dad, having just been run over by our tractor, telling me to call 911. No, thats not a typo. My dad, my papa bear, is lucky to be alive. Lucky to not be paralyzed. If I needed proof that there is a benevolent God, this was it. Because I know there is evil in this world. And the fact that my dad is slated to make a full recovery...that is just unbelievable. Someone was watching over him, over us. Because I am not ready to lose part of my family. I am not ready for that moment of adulthood. I dont want it, ever.I have a friend who lost both of her parents before she graduated college... I dont know how she did it. I dont know how she survived. She's one of the strongest women (and person) I know, and I miss her dearly. After her mom died while we were in college, I was amazed at her strength and ability to carry on. And now that I've tasted barely even an ounce of what she went though, my respect for her has gone through the roof.
But anyways. Adulthood. This was not going to turn into a narrative about losing parents. This post was inspired by something funny I saw on Tumblr.
I read this while I was avoiding adult duties. (heehee, duties) See below.
BUT REALLY!
HOW TRUE IS THIS
BECAUSE NOT ONLY TAXES
BUT INSURANCE
AND RENT
AND BUYING A CAR
AND KEEPING A BUDGET
AND COOKING HEALTHY FOODS
I CANNOT EAT PB&J AND MAC&CHEESE FOREVER
AND CAR MAINTENANCE
AND FIXING APPLIANCES
AND SEWING HOLES IN YOUR CLOTHES
AND CREATING AN INSURANCE FUND
LIKE REALLY?????
AMERICAN EDUCATION SYSTEM YOU HAVE FAILED ME
I mean, yeah, I learned a TON of good things in school. Lit taught me to think critically and not take things at face value. Physics taught me to work around the constraints given to you and find loopholes for everything. Earth science taught me that we're dumb for living on a fault line, but hey, the weather's nice. (okay, earth science was really really stupid. Dont know why we took that). Art and woodshop taught me that theres ways to relieve stress in a healthy way. Calculus taught me to look at the big picture, logically figure out where you want to go before finding yourself in a giant jumble of numbers and letters (aka, have a plan). But all the classes I really truly loved...I CHOSE those classes. I chose AP Lit, Lang, Physics, Woodshop, Calc, etc. I chose to take the tough classes. If I remember, the classes that were least useful in the overall scope of my life thus far were the required ones.
Because my high school was in the top 2% in the nation.
And I still feel like there was a huge place for improvement.
So I think these schools, if they are going to require classes for graduation...shouldn't they be classes that will make us more productive members of society?
Classes that teach us how to be an adult. To take care of ourselves.
I dont see how knowing about earth's tectonic plates help me live a happy life.
Unless they coupled that with a lesson on how to buy Earthquake Insurance.
That would have been nice to know.
And instead of having to memorize a sheet full of prepositions, I wish I had learned how to change a tire. I know my sister would have appreciated that at midnight last night.
So anyways. Today I have successfully balanced my budget, payed my credit card bill, and called the moving company with my belongings. Tomorrow I sign my fist official big-girl lease.
I wish school had taught me the do's and don'ts of that.
Now excuse me while I research how to purchase a new washer and dryer.
Ain't adulthood great?
