Where Do I Even Begin?
Growing up is cool. Adulting? Not so much.
It is absolutely terrifying coming to terms with this realisation. It was fun while it lasted. I guess it’s time to embrace it. And so, I enter into the next phase of my life — being an actual adult.
All my batchmates are getting ready to jump into it. Now that we have all graduated from college, we are moving across cities, states and even countries. I know some friends of mine, who are moving out of their homes for the first time ever. And a few lucky ones who still get to stay at their humble abode, eat their favourite food and sleep on their own beds. Paradise. Or is it?
As for me, it’s been 6 years since I left Vadakara. I’m almost used to being treated like a guest in my own home. But this time around, things are different — I’m transitioning from being a young clueless adult into an accountable-for-your-own-actions adult. A transformation set in motion when you join college and slowly growing in the background unbeknownst to you and keeps expanding into your adulthood. A revelation that hits you right in the face when you absolutely don’t want to hear it.
And just like that, you are pushed into what everyone likes to call the real world. Growing responsibilities, building work pressure, managing your own finances and dealing with society (on our own!) become a staple part of your life.
As I gear up to get my ducks in a row, one look at my to-do list will tell you how anxious I am. It is filled with all kinds of crazy things.
• Learn how to drape a saree
• Learn the basics of cooking
• Learn to stitch…
It is at times like this, you wish there were something like a crash course on how to live life 101. Experts would teach you how to adapt and manage your personal lives on your own. What a cool course that would be? People would have joined right away. Maybe, this is one of those million-dollar ideas that are yet to be implemented. Perhaps in a year or two, we will have a startup trying to wrap their heads around this.
I still remember how I badly wanted to become an adult when I was growing up. Looking back, my mindset has changed but I’m certain I am as clueless now as I was back then. Grappling to come to terms with reality, I’ve mostly started to accept the fact that I’m going to have a hard time and make mistakes. But it is the learning curve which is important. We are all gonna cry, laugh, curse ourselves and face all kinds of unimaginable situations in between. It all boils down to how we face it.
Last week, I made my first proper dish consisting of puri and bhaji. My parents ate it whole-heartedly while we were watching the match. It was only later at night, that my mom told me how onion slices in the bhaji were in fact, raw. “At least the puris were good”, she smiled. I looked at her with my eyes tearing up. She hugged me tight. “Don’t worry, silly! You will be alright”. I so needed to hear it.
And oh, before you even ask — Yes, I did post a pic on Instagram to let the world know of my cooking endeavours. Don’t blame me for that’s what the world has come to today. (*sigh*)
But growing up has its ups too. You are in charge of your life. The newfound sense of independence can be very daunting at the beginning that is until you truly begin to enjoy it. Making your own decisions, living life on your own terms, thinking of actions and repercussions help us move on to yet another stage in life — being an adult having responsibilities of the highest order. But that’s for another day.
Life is all about moving forward, whether you are excited or not. There is no right way. No wrong way either. Till then, hang in there and well enjoy it every way you can. Who knows, maybe you could decrypt the secret to life?
