The Adulthood You Were Promised is Already Here

I can't even keep track of how many TikToks I've seen with the exact phrase 'the adulthood I was promised' typed across the screen with a montage of comfy, warm, brown photos are set to a calming Norah Jones song. Hell, I bet I've reposted about a dozen of them myself this year alone. So many people can relate to this phrase/feeling, it brings a sense of comforting nostalgia that reminds you of your childhood. Warm wood, creamy coffee drinks at a bookstore in the mall, soft jazz music, cinnamon candles, philosophy body wash - I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

It wasn't until I was scrolling and I saw this woman who couldn't have been much older than me showing off her beautiful home; dark wood finishes, warm lighting in sconces, crowded bookshelves, a fireplace, a small television on her kitchen counter. It was beautiful, and her caption was something along the lines of 'because I was a PBS kid' which I loved. If I was better prepared I would have saved the video to link here. But I couldn't believe the comments: the adulthood I was promised, ugh. Ugh? Ugh?! Here you have present-day proof that the adulthood you were promised is attainable and happening right now!

So many of these videos are nostalgia-bait coupled with learned helplessness. It's not 2008, the Barnes and Noble coffee shop will never be what it once was, and those older songs really did sound that much better playing from the speakers of your mom's busted old Windstar van. I'd reckon you don't want to live in 2008, you want to comfort that 2008 brought you because you were a kid. If you want to live in the adulthood you grew up admiring, you have to make an effort to do so. 

You want that friend group early 2000s television promised you? Go to community events, meet your neighbors, put in the time to see your friends consistently even if you're tired. Order the Chinese takeout, dance around the kitchen in your underwear, go to Goodwill and buy a shirt that isn't a crop top, listen to music beyond the top 40 - I promise you, you can make it happen. 

In the same way people will complain that the holidays don't feel like when you were a child. Yeah, because you're not a child. You're the adult now and it's up to you to create the holiday magic to surround yourself with. I'm making an effort to reel back my social media use - blogging is in fact the adulthood I was promised! - I'm learning new hobbies like Chess and oil pastels, watching shows from the 90s that have better vibes, music, and fashion, cooking comfort meals at home, making plans to call my friends on the phone after work just to chat. Again, as I count down to my approaching 30s, I'm taking note of the things in my perceived adulthood that younger me admired and implementing those into my daily habits. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Macy Gray CD to put on while I make dinner, just like I always dreamed of.