Staying out of Trouble?
It's a comfort to know that I'm still young. I don't mean this to rub salt in any wounds or make anyone feel any older than quem rightfully should, but I speak for myself in being thankful that I cannot yet be expected to know everything.I used to feel badly often about the things I didn't know, and of course I still do occasionally. But now I figure the easiest way to resolve the problem is to ask. Thus, the Washington Department of Licensing is in for a bit of a hassle in the coming month. I finally got a driver's license picture I like, and now it's time to take the plunge again simply because I moved a thousand miles away.
When you're an adult, "staying out of trouble" is a much more active commitment than when you're a kid, though some trouble-prone teens might disagree. It was really, really easy for me to stay out of trouble throughout high school and college. I just didn't have any desire to do the stereotypically "teen" things that would have gotten me there: drinking, "partying" (whatever that means), drugs, vandalism, mischief, causing a ruckus.
Now, "staying out of trouble" means filing correct income tax forms on time, paying credit card bills, paying auto insurance and keeping a current registration. It means homeowners' association fees, regular doctor visits and awareness of what's going on in the political world. It means a "respectable life" requires active maintenance.
Ugh. The transition isn't an easy one. In a way, I resent that my passivity doesn't serve in the adult world as well as it did in that of my youth. Then I just didn't want the hassle of being into mischief, but now I don't want the hassle of being out of it.
Baby steps. Or, maybe "shuffling elderly" steps would be more accurate. With a few deep breaths, maybe I can handle getting a new license picture. Then it's on to income taxes.
posted by Lynn @ 6:39 AM
4 Comments:
Yup.
I know exactly what you're going through. The amount of paperwork involved in getting my address changed last month was crazy, and I'm still waiting for my new driver's license to arrive (it is the only decent picture I've ever had, too).
The only sanity saver for me was that I was able to do most of it online. Not so last year, when I changed my residence from IN to TX...
Yeah, I know exactly what you're going through.
One waits for "years and years" to "grow up" and then wham!! the reality of it all sets in. As one of my favorite radio characters used to say, "What a revoltin' development this is!". Even so, as Aunt S says, "It's all good":-) (because God is good).
"When you're an adult, 'staying out of trouble' is a much more active commitment than when you're a kid ..."
Well put, quite the bon mot. *all five fingers fan out upon kissing all tips together (is there a word for this gesture?)*
And, the "respectable life." We could write volumes, tomes, on that one, n'est pas? So much so "that I do not suppose that the whole world could contain what would be written." We should probably take John's words as a challenge and write furiously on his theme so that the world's library shelves are not so full of the less edifying topics. Reminds us that there is, by God (and thank God), more than the "respectable life."
:)
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