Adulting.

I think I’m slowly turning into the Grinch.

It seems as if I’m navigating my twenties as the grumpy green guy who lives on Mount Crumpit, finding more and more comparisons with him, which makes me start to wonder: is this is what adulthood is supposed to be like?

Below are some examples:

Having nothing to wear when I own two closets: “That’s it, I’m not going.”

Eating because there’s nothing better to do with my time: “Am I just eating because I’m bored? *chomp chomp chomp.”

Judging everyone around me: “Hate, hate, hate, double hate… LOATHE ENTIRELY.”

When I’ve spent way too much time at home with my cat: “I guess I could use a little social interaction.”

I know I’m not actually turning into the Grinch, but it got me wondering if I have at last become a big bad adult.

But what exactly constitutes being an adult? What pivotal moment brings young people like myself into the world of grown ups?

Is it having sex? Moving out? Graduating college? Getting married? Having a baby? Having babies? Buying a house? Paying for your own bills? Taking responsibility for your life?

Perhaps, like me, you believe being an adult isn’t defined by one singular moment, but a period of time, a process filled with growth where you go from being reliant to self-sufficient.

I’m about to take on a major responsibility, one that was mentioned above, and it’s requiring me to pull up my big girl panties and “become an adult.” I can’t tell you what it is yet, but it’s the biggest investment I’ve made in myself and my future, and it’s bringing me many moments of pause, where I reflect and take in the big changes I’m about to go through, “as an adult.”

I know being an adult has this bad connotation, like you turn soulless and boring as you prepare to follow the supposedly mundane steps of your next years, but I’m finding it extremely thrilling and exciting.

Even though there are moments in which I miss daily naps and not having to worry about spending all my tip money on groceries, it feels good to finally take control of my life and be on my own.

I’m taking steps forward, I’m growing in unimaginable ways, and despite feeling like the Grinch sometimes, I’m interpreting adulthood as it applies to me, defining what being a grown up means in my own way.

And yes, that still involves dressing like a pink Barbie doll in a flamingo top because while I believe in growing up, I don’t believe in growing old.