Notes from the ongoing experiment of being a person

I’m an adult. I’m qualified to operate this body, raise children, maintain relationships, hold a job, make financial decisions, understand other humans AND know what the hell I’m doing.

Apparently.

So, why is it that 90% of the time I feel like a fish trying to climb a tree?

Seriously. At what age am I supposed to feel like a grown up because some most days, I’m still mentally in high school. Other days I’m begrudgingly 46, but those are few and far between.

I thought the phrase “fake it till you make it” was just an expression. Turns out it’s real-world advice and I excel at it (why does that sound like I’m simultaneously patting my own back while slapping myself in the face?). Still, that all depends on what your idea of excelling at faking is. If faking it includes convincing my son I understand his Common Core math homework, the jig is up. Apparently, we don’t just subtract anymore. There’s a “process”.

Every day during my ritual of doom scrolling I watch people online who look like they have it all together… moms with all the cutest Pinterest-worthy kid activities and outfits to match; men who can build houses in the forest with nothing more than a handsaw and a mallet; teens and preteens doing makeup tutorials that make super models look amateur.

Then, there’s me: I wear the same messy bun to work every single day just so I can get an extra 3 minutes of sleep. I mean, is it just me or do you, too, curse the ever-so-brilliant Mr. Henry Ford for helping implement the 5-day 40-hour work week? (Worst. Idea. Ever!)

My life seems to be made up of one headfirst tumble down a rocky hill after another, with some giggles thrown in on the landing. If I’m being 100% transparent here, I’m the girl who would trip riding a travellator. Anyway… asking for a friend: WTAF?!

So, here’s the thing: I certainly don’t pretend to know everything about everything. If I’m being honest, most days I’m still trying to figure out something about anything, and I have a suspicion I’m not alone. That’s why this blog exists.

Together, maybe we can feel less like test subjects and more like humans with a purpose—even if it looks like we got here by running a three-legged race with a one-legged partner and absolutely no idea where the finish line was.

Here’s what I want: Talk to me, tell me your thoughts. Let’s see if we can connect on a more lighthearted and even unabashedly honest HUMAN level. Answer questions like these for me:

What’s something you wish you could say to someone, but haven’t found the time, opportunity or courage?
What is something nobody warned you about being an adult or getting older?
What would you tell your younger self if you could?
What is something you do that makes you think, “Surely, I’m not the only person that does this.”?
What question would you ask if you knew no one would judge you for asking?
What is something someone said to you that you will never forget?

You don’t need to be a writer. You don’t need to make it clever. You don’t even need to know exactly what you’re trying to say. That’s my job. Give me any thought, any question, your confession, the story, or the “Okay, so this happened…”. Let’s see where it takes us. After all, I can’t be the only one wondering what the hell we’re all doing around here.

Apparently, we’re human.