Clean Sheet Day

Recently, I've been having a lot of "You Know You're An Adult When..." moments. I think being 25 really is different...I feel different. I like the place I'm at in my life.

Anyway, here are some of my epiphanies. These are many things that I've realized lately.

• You don't even get grossed out cutting chicken anymore.
• You reach your hand right down in the sink to get any yucky stuff out. You dispose of it, and don't even flinch.
• Poop marks in the toilet? You grab the toilet brush and aren't even grossed out.
• Clean sheet day is one of life's greatest pleasures.
• You love going out to eat in large part because it doesn't mean you have to clean the kitchen.
• You can only rest when the house is clean.
• You can't sleep 'til noon anymore.
• You go to the gym on the weekends.
• You realize not everything in life is supposed to be fun, and you know that you have to do stuff you don't like sometimes. And you're OK with that.
• You become concerned that you need to open up a Roth IRA ASAP.
• You head straight to the sale racks.
• Your significant other is lying there having trouble sleeping. After asking what's wrong, you jump out of bed, half-asleep and rummage through the medicine cabinet for them. You don't even care that you're exhausted too.
• You actually have a bunch of stuff in the medicine cabinet.
• You realize that you're not the center of the universe.
• You become concerned with causes outside of yourself...world hunger, genocide, etc. You want to learn more. You want to help.
• When a homeless person asks for money, you don't automatically think they're going to spend it on drugs or alcohol. You give them a dollar and know that you did the best you could.
• You don't have to agree with your parents or your significant other on everything. You become more comfortable with your own ideas, and feel more confident stating why you feel certain ways.
• You realize some of life's simplest pleasures are acting like a kid...eating messy ice cream cones, taking naps, picking wildflowers and spending time with your mom.
• You realize your parents knew something, after all.
• Your job's important, but you know that your life is measured by how you affected others, not if you worked overtime.
• You realize you still have a lot to learn...and that's pretty exciting.

I know I'll learn a lot more, but I wanted to share some of my latest lessons. I still remember being about 15 and making beef stew for my family. I was seriously disgusted at cutting the beef into pieces. Now I cut chicken with no problem. Surely that's a sign I'm growing up.

And crawling into clean sheets last night...well, that was pure heaven. I'm glad I don't wait for surprises and big events to bring me great joy. Those moments are in day-to-day life.

And I'm glad I can recognize them.