Today, I was in a meeting at work when the conversation took a turn and all of a sudden we were discussing 20-somethings. This is not the first time this has happened in a meeting, and, come to think of it, I will often hear references to 20-something year olds while going about my daily business. We are notorious, it would seem, for being big drinkers and big slackers. And we are sometimes painted as semi-bad people. Today someone said, “When I think about who I was in my twenties, I want to crawl inside my skin.”
As someone who is in her 20s, I could see how something like this might make someone feel uncomfortable, but not me. I took this statement to be an exciting declaration that I could apply to myself one day. It reminds me that now, at this age, decreed on a stone on a hill somewhere, there are indulgences allowed. Like if I want to lay in bed at night and stew and pout in my disappointment for a whole hour, I can do that. Or if I want to make considerable impulse purchases multiple days in a row, I can do that too. I can also spend lots of time soul searching in tea shops with Nathalie while wearing one of my many large, shapeless t-shirts because I am in my 20s and there is still lots to find out about myself.
When I’m older, I will just look back and blame it on being young.
I think I must have deferred my 20s till my 30s: still fun but more frowned upon by others!
That's a great outlook to have. I would have thought something along the lines of "Well, I'm not your average 20-something"… but your way of thinking about it is so much better! And you're right – we do have an excuse to be young for the time being, since we are young :.) [Maybe I'll use this as inspiration to decide to go to Kenya. See you there?]
This really isn't fair, because when I was in my 20s (the 1980s) it was the decade of the type A over-achiever, so my generation frowned on slackers. Didn't stop me though!
I think there are always times no matter what stage in life, that I just want to cover my head in shame. Just blame it on imperfection, not age.
I absolutely love this. I'm turning 20 in about a month and a half and I constantly worry about the shit I do. But you kind of just made me realize that it's ok for now. This post made me smile. Thanks!
Katie — welcome! How exciting for you that you have a whole 10 years of 20s ahead of you. I just have 4 more years and then I can finally start to go after all those things I said I'd do when I grow up 😛
Wonder if being married at 19 and living as a real adult through my 20's made me skip that part of my 20's altogether? Consider yourself lucky!!