Our Father's Mustache

My mom always talks about how, when she was little, she couldn’t wait to be a grown-up so she could stay up late and watch Johnny Carson and eat chocolate cake.

I think we all have this idea in our heads of how being an adult is supposed to be. It’s supposed to be fun and we’re supposed to have all this energy to do all this stuff that we haven’t been able to do before, but it’s really not like that at all.

Yeah, it’s fun, but it’s also hard. It’s wondering if we made the right choice in school, we’ll always feel stuck in a job we’re not necessarily thrilled about, that special someone will ever come along and see you for who you are, your car will last ’til the next oil change, or if you can afford this basket of groceries AND rent at the same time..

Being an adult is lonely sometimes. Actually, a lot of the time. Even if you have the best friends in the world, you’re still by yourself in certain things. And no matter how hard you try to explain those things, no one else can fully understand everything that has brought you to this point. That’s okay. Sometimes going through really hard things by yourself is the best thing that can happen to you.

Life past 22 is hard. It’s messy and lonely and it hurts. But it’s also better than any other time of life because you know that somehow, things will get better.

I have hope that being a grown-up is more than chocolate cake and Johnny Carson. I hope that it’s staying up too late and laughing too hard. And even more than that I hope it means even if I never understand the hard parts, I can accept them for what they are.

(Scene: 1AM and our girl K is woken from peaceful slumber by a sudden thunder of sleet upon her bedroom window. Unable to fall back asleep, she gets a brilliant idea…)

K: (thinking to herself…obviously) UGH! Sleet! You are SO RUDE to wake me up like that when I was having a tough time even falling into a good sleep! Now I can’t stop tossing and turning and LOATHING NATURE! I guess I could read a little bit…OR I COULD DO MY EYEBROWS!!! I never have time in the morning, so I might as well do them now…

Voice of Reason: (This is probably a bad idea. It’s 1AM and you’re sleepy and took some strong medicine before bed. A better idea is to–

K: (responding to VOR) Shhhhh! It’ll be fine.

VOR: Right. That’s what everyone says right before things go suddenly VERY wrong.

K: Is that a challenge?

VOR: I’m your Voice of Reason, so why would I challenge you to do something stupid?

K: Because that’s the kind of VOR I’d be paired with.

VOR: You are beyond my power.

K: I think we both knew that as soon as I thought doing my eyebrows at 1 AM while drugged was “the best idea ever.”

VOR: Touché.

K: Wish me luck!

VOR: You are so stupid. GOOD LUCK.

(Guess who’s eyebrows look FANTASTIC?! That’s right. Sometimes we all need to ignore that little voice and go with what feels right; be it a song choice at karaoke or grooming eyebrows at 1AM while on powerful medication. Spontaneity is the spice of life. End Scene.)

(Scene: work, via the instant messaging system. A father attempts to cheer up his forlorn daughter with Downton Abbey humor. Warning: SPOILERS. ALSO, DARK AND TWISTED HUMOR)

Dad: I’m going to change my name to “Shrimpy.”

Kate: I think that’s a wonderful idea. Stacy has started calling me “Levinia.”

Dad: The dead Swire?

Kate: Yes.

Dad: Oh, Wobert.

Kate: It’s because I get so dramatic when I’m sick.

(Pause)

Kate: I’m Matthew Crawley. I’m dead.

Dad: (posts wilted rose emoticon)

(She feels much better. End Scene.)

Because I’m out of my mind with jetlag at the moment and have no time to properly write about all the wonderful things London had to offer, keep yourself busy and entertained with this website:

http://mensweardog.tumblr.com/
I’ll follow up soon with tales of grand adventure in jolly old London.

(Scene: The living room. Two girls sit watching television)

S: (looks at K and starts to laugh) You are so good at that!!!

K: (not really sure what S is laughing about) So good at what?

S: (still giggling) FROWNING!!!!

K: What?!

S: (gasping) You…..ARE……GRUMPY CAT!

K: (furrows brows and frowns) Really?

S: STOP! It’s too much!

(Sometimes Grumpy cat isn’t a cat. End scene)