Growing Pains

When I was an young I day dreamed a lot about "growing up". This ambiguous idea consisted mostly of special privileges like, no homework, staying up late, and watching movies rated higher than "PG". I viewed being "grown up" as something you arrived at like climbing a mountain, or taking a train. I wasn't sure at what age one "arrived" at grown up station but I was SO excited to get there. My 11th year was the year I associate with pain. Not so much the humiliation kind that so often visits this tender age, but the physical kind that comes with rapid growth (and I mean freakishly rapid, thanks mom). I started the school-year 5ft, a fairly average height for an 11 year old, but, before the following summer I reached the towering height of 5ft 6in and was still climbing. 6 shoe sizes and a few months later I topped out at 5ft 10in, and to awkward to carry glass. Now you can imagine what kind of impact this kind of rapid cell division has on the human body, and from what I remember my pants were always short (this was before Capri's were "in"), gym class was a new form of torture, and leg cramps woke me every night. This kind of "growing up" was not quite as I had imagined. I may have been the size of an adult but I still didn't feel that I had "arrived".
Having celebrated a recent birthday, I have been reflecting on being"grown up". I am more comfortable in my "freakishly tall" body, have accomplished many of my goals. I am married to an amazing man, have a house, two dogs, and a cat, but some days I feel as if I am still waiting to pull up into "grown up station" and have everything together. To somehow be able to balance my dreams with my realities. To stay organized, pay the bills on time, keep the car clean, and eat 3 balanced meals a day. At grown up station the toilet get's cleaned more than every two weeks, the laundry never piles up I never forget to put soap in the dish washer. Now you may be thinking "Ha! this girl wants what doesn't exist"......but until recently I viewed grown up station as a reality and I wanted to be there fast!
So after all of this reflection, the other day I decided to put on my grown up pants and get things moving...I took my car to the body shop, got the oil changed, and got it cleaned (first time since the wedding). Now I am not a car person. If it has to do with cars I generally ignore it until it is smoking, stinking, or falling apart....part of my weird procrastination gene I guess. I tend to want Mr. Mc to handle all car related doings so, I was feeling quite proud of myself, and upon coming home, expected much applause and goings on about my accomplishments. Well, needless to say what awaited for me upon my arrival was nothing but a kitchen full of dirty dishes and a hubby focused on budget and apparantly something I forgot to pay. Grouchily, I buckled down and did the dishes (still no applause) made lists of all my personal bills and a schedule of how to pay them (No applause) and was trying to set some financial goals(you guessed it, still no applause). I moodily sat on the couch and brooded..... It was about that time that I got it. I was being a grow up and it hurt! This year has been a bit like my 11th year, I've had the equivalent to 10 inches of growing up (Husband, House, Dogs, etc.) and with this growing has come the pains!
Now, I have embraced that "Grown up station" is a myth and that we are continually changing, learning, and growing into who we are meant to be. I may never have it all together and that's fine......So after a bit of convo with Mr. Mc about bills I decided to indulge in some of the good parts of being "grown up" and enjoyed a PBR on the back patio and looked at my Christmas lights......question your childhood myths, you might just learn something interesting about how you live your life.