If you’re anything like me, you’re reading this article in an attempt to avoid all responsibilities that continue to pile up in the corner of your room. It seems that recently the only words coming out of your mouth on a regular basis are “my life is a mess,” or “I have absolutely no cares left to give,” or “I need more coffee.”
You are not alone, my friend. Because I am right there with you -- avoiding all responsibilities like the mature adult I have become. Furthermore, I would like it to go on record that if your life wasn’t a mess, would it be as fun? The answer, I can guarantee, is no.
The truth is that it’s okay not to have your crap together in early adulthood. It’s okay to consistently run late for things, make selfish decisions, and try to make yourself happy. Actually, I recommend it.
I recommend oversleeping, procrastinating, ignoring phone calls, drinking too much coffee, and binge-watching Netflix (obviously I recommend all of this to a certain extent -- you’re still in school, or have a job, or a family, and these things should obviously be priorities). But realistically speaking, at the ages of 18 to 24, this is the time to live for yourself. This is the time to take risks and do stupid things (not fatal, of course -- be safe, friends) in order to have a good time and a memory to laugh about with friends in the morning. This is the time to do all of these things in order to have a story to tell.
I think we often are so determined to think of the future, and are pressured to stick to the plan or remember where you want to be in 10 years, that it is easy for us to lose sight of the fact that we are living a life now. We are not just preparing to live in 10 years; our lives are happening in this very moment. And with or without your knowledge, that time will pass.
Emily Dickinson once said, “Forever is composed of the nows.” I think what Dickinson was trying to say is that life is full of moments, not how flawlessly your life plan moves along. The moments, the “nows,” ultimately create who you are as a person. Yes, it is important to study for tests, think about the future, and plan for the life ahead of you. But it's also important to live in each moment; to create memories. Because at the end of the day, at the end of your life, you’re going to be looking back on the moments and the “nows,” not the plans and the strategies.
Right now is about creating yourself. It is about living a life that may be messy, but is completely you. Soon, we’ll be out of college, in the real world with a mortgage and actual taxes and other adult responsibilities that make me shudder at the thought. We’ll be living a life full of obligations that are time consuming and terrifying. So for right now, I’d like to live for me. And I encourage you to do the same.
Travel. Discover a new passion or hobby. Try a new restaurant. Read a new book. Make amends with an enemy or make a new friend. Live in the now; because the “now” is the only thing we are promised in life.
It may seem embarrassing to admit your life is currently a mess and you’re unsure how you’ll ever learn to adult properly, but I promise you are not alone. No one expects a 19-year-old to have their life completely figured out. You are young. You have the capability to make mistakes and learn from them. Life is all about experiences. So make mistakes, try new things, and most importantly embrace the “nows.”
