Over the past couple of weeks I have had multiple conversations with some ladies who are fresh out of college and have ventured into the real world. New jobs, first apartments, marriage, first paychecks, bills...all these new and exciting things hitting them in the face for the first time! And at some point in each of these conversations, each girl has said in some form or fashion, "Growing up is not as fun as I thought it would be." And sometimes I have to agree. That fantasy that we have in our heads when we are in college just doesn't always seem to come true. Life is hard, messy and ugly at times. Of course there are times that bring us great joy, make us laugh until we cry and encourage us, but there are also times where it seems like it would be much easier to call mom and dad and live in their basement!
So here are few things that I wish I had known before I realized that growing up is hard!
1. Bills...they take your paycheck! I thought I would get to buy new clothes, go on fancy trips, eat out every night. But nope, those darn power bills, water bills, insurance bills seem to suck up every last penny. (And now I am singing Bills by Destiny's Child)
2. Finding a church and community is exhausting, hard and messy. When I first moved to Hickory a church family and community was something I longed for. And I guess in my naive 22 year old mind, I thought it would just fall into my lap. But friends, this was probably one of the hardest things I have done in my life. It took me such a long time to find a church where I felt at home and cared for. And now I find myself in that place again and I dread it. I guess what I learned in this process is no church is perfect and being our of your comfort zone is not always a bad thing.
3. Car repairs and maintaining is no fun! I hate dealing with car stuff. I hate calling to get the appointment, I hate getting the call about what is wrong, I hate checking my bank account to see if there is enough money to cover said repairs. Seriously not my favorite thing. Aren't your parents just supposed to take care of that all the time!
4. Friday night no longer has the same meaning that it did in college. Loved going out on Friday evenings with my friends in college. It might have just been dinner but seriously, looked forward to it every week. But then full time jobs happened. And honestly, if I can make it til 8 o'clock on Friday evenings, it is a miracle. I am exhausted. And maybe it is just teachers, but goodness, there is no more going out on Friday!
I could go on and on about things I wish I had been told before the real world became my reality. But I guess the biggest thing I have learned is..growing up is hard!
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