My birthday is a few weeks away. That's not really the subject matter of this post. More so it's about the lessons I learned and continue to learn as I turn 22.
I am trying to practice patience. Practicing it with myself, others and in situations I can't control. I watched a documentary about drugs, 'cause what else does one do n a Monday night (I promise this will segway). The overlaying theme to the documentary was about societal pressures. Society has become so saturated with the urgency of "now" and competition and personal enhancement. Recently I've been invaded with thoughts like this, "Make more money, find a better apartment, you need to get the car back, you need to go above and beyond for your inner circles to maintain a certain reputation." Blah blah blah.
The fact of the matter trying to live a humbler lifestyle I realized nothing was really wrong. I have a roof over my head, bills are getting paid, I have a job and a good support system to boot. Really there isn't anything to complain about. So what the hell is the problem? I'm impatient and stubborn--that's what.
I came to this realization by talking to peers and older mentors it's normal to be "starting out" at 22 and, in fact, I'm doing just fine.
Sure, there are bigger goals I can start to carve out, the older I get; is my work meaningful, how am I giving back to my community etc. But for 22 and the "right now" moment, I need to remind myself it won't all happen over night.
So maybe the job isn't the dream one or the living location isn't Front street in a condo. I forget my age sometimes and that I have to go through these little moments of being a young adult; getting your degree completed, work your ass off to make rent, go out and dance and spend your last dollar on chicken nuggets, in order to truly appreciate the bigger future goals to come.
So self reminder: just be patient! And hell, enjoy 22 while it lasts, before my future mortgage, the dog's kidney stones and the greying hairs are the bigger problems in my life.
So cheers to 22 and enjoying the simplicity of young adulthood with patience!
-Mimi