Hashtag Umm

Recently while on Pinterest, I stumbled across this gem of a pin:

Now, I know that I spend way too many hours on this website and that by 2 a.m. I start to agree with any ol' pin, but this one really is true. When you're a tween, you cannot WAIT to be an adult with all its privileges and glory. But hold onto your britches and quit running towards your imminent grown-up-hood. Because being old is LAME.
The thing about being an "adult" (and by that I mean a college student about to hit my quarter-life crisis), is that it, well, kind of stinks sometimes. It's like those "Expectations vs. Reality memes you see online. Except this is only funny because it's true.

But it looks so good in the pictures...

Expectation #1: Kay, first of all. Nicholas Sparks? Puh-lease. Books/movies like "The Notebook", "The Vow", "The Lucky One", "The [Vague Noun that is Somehow Strangely Appealing]" make you believe in this beautiful, ridiculously easy approach to love. You go to school, one week later you meet a really cute boy, surprise! two days later he asks you out, and then you get married within the month. Though many people think that's what happens here at BYU, this whirlwind romance is the thing of chick flicks and BYU-Idaho. Reality: If you do meet a cute boy, you'll probably never see him again. Most of the cute ones have girlfriends anyways (and are probably named Ryan. But that's another story). What really happens is all the guys you know are 6 years older than you, the ones you like don't like you, the ones who like you either never tell you or tell you way too often, and the only people going on dates are your engaged roommate and her fiancé and you and your cats.

Expectation #2: The thing I most looked forward too as a child was growing up and being able to stay up as laaate as I wanted to. Reality: Now that I'm living on my own, all I want to do is sleep. I don't understand what's wrong with me. In high school I thought it was awesome if I got more than four hours of sleep per night but now I'll be doing homework and think, "Man it feels late; I should go to bed". So I'll look at the clock and it will be like... 7:30. I'm turning into one of those 200-year-old ladies who go to bed at 4 p.m. and still fall asleep while playing checkers with their grandchildren.

Expectation #3: You know when your mom would wipe off your face or pick out an outfit for you and you would whine "Moooom I can do it myself!" and in your head you would be thinking "Sheesh I'm practically a kindergartener/teenager/adult/etc"? Yeah... Reality: Yeah I can't take care of myself. The only times I buy food are when the only edible things left are dried spaghetti and 2 frozen burritos. In an average day, I either don't eat at all, or I eat about 90,000 calories. And half the time I can't even remember when I last showered (ha, I'm disgusting).

Expectation #4: "Ugh I am so sick of my parents I can't wait until I can live with my friends in an apartment for college!" Sound familiar? Such is the mantra of many a frustrated teen. It seems so awesome to be able to hang out with your friends all the time, and you won't have chores, and no one will boss you around or tell you when you have to get home. Right? Ha, nope. Reality: Sure, you get to live with your friends, but turns out one has stinky feet, one never does her dishes, and another has a different boy over to cuddle with every night. Everyone thinks they "don't have chores", so no one cleans up after themselves, and the little food that is in the fridge is either a strange shade of green or somehow sealed its tupperware container shut from the inside. Also, you have to pay rent. And move aaaall the time.*

*Any similarities to any person or event, real or fictional, is purely coincidental.


Expectation #5: Disney princess-esque hair.

It's so AWESOME. 

Reality: I can barely pull off a decent ponytail.

And finally, the biggest expectation of them all: When I grow up, I can be whatever I want because I'm awesome and special. Reality: Actually, this one is true. But. You're going to realize that there will always be someone better than you at something. Even Michael Phelps got a silver medal. But he also got 18 golds. And you can do whatever you want with your life. Just try to make it useful.