The 20s are fairly new stomping grounds for me. But I am proud to say I have survived almost an entire year of “the most exciting time your life” and a little less proud to announce that I was very wrong in assuming this would be the carefree, Lauren Conrad in "The OC," college party that my teenage self thought that this would be.
One thing they got right in "The Great Gatsby" is that the 20s are roarin’—roarin’ so loud that I usually feel like I have no clue where I am or what’s going on. There’s a whole new world of responsibilities that not even Jasmin and Aladdin could have discovered on that magic carpet of theirs, and it’s not an easy tightrope to balance.
While we still have our parents on speed dial, there are also a lot of things they can’t get us out of anymore and there’s no easy way to learn that food does not just magically appears in the fridge when you are hungry. But seriously, who knew groceries took out such a big chunk of your well-deserved, minuscule paycheck? Goodbye, $10 almond milk.
It’s not like I was the most dependent kid when I lived at home, either. I enjoyed cleaning my room. I even loved helping clean the house! I mean how much luckier could a parent get? I babysat my younger siblings, and had been independent enough to set my alarm and get myself up and ready for school since the second grade.
But there’s just something about knowing that literally no one is there to force you to do that homework assignment for your least favorite class if you would really rather just binge-watch your favorite TV show or mindlessly scroll through social media.
I constantly bounce between puppy cuddling, study hard, wannabe Susie-homemaker, and tipsy Tuesday lip syncing Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” a little too aggressively.
One thing that I have learned to be most true is that your 20s really are the time to find yourself. And so far I have found 20 versions of myself that are all a little different, a little more put together, and a little more than falling apart.
There is so much advice to be taken, lessons to be learned, mistakes to be made, and time to be wasted. Even though I am new at the whole 20s thing and probably wouldn’t have many wise or helpful pieces of advice to give, I think it’s fair to tell you not to worry. Because no one gets it right, and you have a whole decade to learn that for yourself.
As much as I want to feel prepared for what life throws my way, as much as I want to be successful and travel and check off all of the things on my bucket list, and as much as my perfectionist self wants to say, "Yes, this is the best way to do this" and "Yes, you are completely navigating your 20s the way you should be!," I’m not going to say any of that. I am going to wake up every day knowing full well that I have no clue how to do this whole 20s thing, because I am pretty sure no one does.
