In a few days, I'll be moving into my first apartment to kick off what I hope will be the greatest summer of all time. The preparation has been intense. Packing, cleaning, organizing, disposing, donating: verbs that have ruled my life for the past few weeks. I've figured out a monthly budget and paid the first month's rent. I've got two internships lined up (one of which pays, thank goodness!), and I've downloaded a mobile banking app. I've got groceries and cleaning supplies. I am ready.
I guess all this financial planning and the gathering of basic survival tools means I'm turning into a real life grown up. Not so sure I'm ready for that. At least not the label. When I was a kid, 20 seemed ancient, like the age when you get married and stuff. Now I want to push all of that as far back as possible! Still, being more independent is in the cards for me as a 20-year-old, and it's something I really do desire.
I don't think there is an official age when a person becomes an "adult". It just sort of happens gradually. Baby steps lead to adulthood. And we never stop taking those baby steps.
I think we grow up a little each time we learn a new skill, visit a new place, or form a new relationship. The accumulation of experiences is really what aging is. It's what life is all about. It doesn't stop when we turn 20 or 35 or 62. My dad discovers something new on his iPhone almost every day, which usually drives me nuts because he asks me questions as if I know all things about technology, but it's actually pretty cool because it means he's still learning; he's still growing up, just like I am. And we can help each other grow.
Being human in this day and age is a pretty spectacular thing. Technology is kind of the great equalizer, where young people usually know more than their older counterparts, and older people usually know more about real life experiences--like getting an apartment, for example. There is something to learn from every person you meet, no matter their age, gender, etc. Take a chance to listen to someone, whether it's your grandpa, a freshman just arriving on campus, or a person at the bus stop. You just might learn something.
