We joke about adulting amongst each other and on social media
Paying bills, taking on more responsibilities, getting a promotion
Being more organized, multi-tasking, juggling a dozen types of tasks a day
Work, managing a team, household, children, assets, liabilities

The real adulting comes with all the above, and more (depicted below) thrown on top

It comes with facing harder challenges, the kind that compromise others’ livelihoods (their wages, and families that depend on them)
Types that challenge your personal morals vs. what may seem like survival for your family – which would you choose?

Adulting comes with more serious thoughts about the future – whether we have enough that will not burden others, are our wills written, our debts paid off, if something were to happen to us – would everyone be okay?

Real adulting comes with dealing with deeper emotions and issues,
while having to go through our day and all the aforementioned challenges so everything still runs smoothly as it should

It comes with learning how to be calm and strong in tumultuous times
A complete mix of deadlines looming over your head whilst processing the wellbeing of something/one you care about

Adulting is not canceling on people/work because you have your moon cycle or cos you just don’t ‘feel like it’ or have some ‘personal reason / emergency’ come up
It’s not giving up your schedule and responsibilities just ‘cos something unexpected popped in
Something unexpected ALWAYS pops in, that’s Life

Adulting is learning how to receive and balance them all with grace and deftness

Just when you think you’ve got it
The Universal Course in Adulting will throw you another curveball

You will know when you get those curveballs coming at your face
Swifter and harder than you imagined
If you’re strong you’ll have the foresight to brace yourself
If you’re not it’ll break you

What i pray for is that i always have the strength to take it so i don’t break
So that i can be that wall for my loved ones to lean upon
May i have an inner strength that may be unseen, but required to surface when shit hits the fan.

I feel we all have it in us, and it’ll materialize when we summon it.

Recognize it, as we’ll all need it in time…
Like when my father was in pain on the bed and i crawled in there to hold his hand and cry
When i had to bathe my grandmother alone for the first time and the reality of ageing hit me
Facing death and loss and the cycle of Life (and still not deleting their numbers from your phone even tho they’re not here anymore, then seeing their names and momentarily forgetting they’re gone)

I’ve lived a charmed life, as someone said
I haven’t experienced much hardship
It’s all subjective
We are all going through different stages and emotions

Adulting is about taking responsibility
When you really don’t want to
It’s about expanding your abilities when you think you have none left
Giving more when you think your cup is empty

Radiating brighter when it’s most needed
dazzling everything and everyone around you
till you surprise and respect yourself the most out of all

And that to me, is adulting.

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