Real Personhood

When did I become a real person!?

This weekend was a test of my independence. This was my first time without the security of a college campus or the watchful eye of my parental dynamic duo. I was a free bird. 

Over the course of the weekend I learned a few life lessons about Real Personhood.

1.) Real People pull themselves up by their bootstraps


Real People have to make due with what they have. If something goes wrong they have to figure out how to fix it.

For example: when we figured out that the house I am moving into did not have space to keep two mini fridges, we found somewhere to store them. The night before we moved out.

I'm impressed with myself too.

And it's alive.

Or when it's raining and you have to bike home from a coffee shop with your laptop: 

Real People ask the barista (I want a job that makes me sound so fancy for pouring coffee) for a plastic bag to wrap your computer in.

It helps when the barista is attractive, as mine was.

Is it a baristo if it's a male?

Mom! Look what I did!

Or while we're talking about bikes, when you have a backpack AND a purse, it's really hard to ride with both on your back. So, Real People use their intuition and innovation to create a solution.

It took three struggling rides to figure this one out.
It's tied AROUND the handle bars. Out of my and the bike's way.
I should patent this and stop working so hard.

2. Real People have to ask for help

This is the life lesson of the weekend. 

I learned that I do not enjoy asking for help, because it makes me feel vulnerable. 

It must be one of those lessons you don't learn until you realize that you have overcome it.

Because, I also learned that I will never be able to do anything by myself. 

I am so thankful I have friends that help me out when I need it. 

3. Real People Grocery Shop

The people in my life have been so great about teaching me most of the skills I need in life:

• How to read and write
• How to say 'please' and 'thank you'
• How to drive a car

My question for all of you adult mentors:

Where was the lesson on how to grocery shop?!

I'm not asking how to find the bread or milk. I got that part down.

I'm asking WHAT ON EARTH DO I BUY TO SUSTAIN MYSELF?

I just couldn't handle it.

How do you walk into a grocery store and see aisles and aisles of products and know how to choose the golden items?

How do you make a grocery list when you don't even know what you need?

Why does everyone else in a grocery store look like they know exactly what they are doing and I am the only one who is lost?

I quickly realized also, as I was stumbling through the grocery store, wondering why ON EARTH the yogurt and milk were not located next to each other, that grocery shopping forces you into various Real People behaviors.

If forces you to send texts to your best guy friend that suggests middle aged married couple status:

For the record: wheat does not mean just wheat bread.

There is wheat with fiber enhanced, 12 servings of grain, 15 servings of grain, extra vitamin,  or WHOLE grain wheat bread.

All of it makes my choice very complicated.

My second grocery shopping induced Real Person behavior was when I signed up for my very own Harris Teeter membership. 

My name, my phone number, my address. 

My keychain has aged 10 years
in the past week.

Oh, and no worries. 

Miss Shannon at the register made sure to let me know JUST how much I saved with my purchase.

And I am  excited about my $2.31 in savings.

Thank you, trusty VIC card, for buying me a tea.

I'm not sure I'm ready for Real Personhood, but I guess I better be ready for it. 

These life lessons are just coming by the day now.

That counts as an adventure right?