Thrown off the Deep End

Coming into adulthood is far more difficult than I would have imagined... For the first time in my life, this summer I am seen as a professional in the workforce. Weird. No more acting, no more dress-up, no more "hey, you look so professional! Do you have a presentation today?" No. This is the real thing with real expectations. They don't teach you this in college. Young adulthood may as well be called "pseudo-adulthood." I'm given this task "grow up" and told sink or swim. Some days I feel like I'm drowning; others I'm floating on drift wood. I know I'm not the only 20-odd year old to feel this way. I know for a fact that at least one other person on this floating ball relates because we talked about it today. In light of drowning, I came up with a three step plan to learn how to swim. Step one: Ask for a life jacket. I've been learning that it's okay to ask for help. I'm not expected to know everything at age 21. For example, I don't know how to cook much besides pasta, and that's okay. Just the other night, I was all worked up because I was broiling meat for the first time. But now I know to leave the oven door open a crack, let the meat rest about five minutes, and cut it at an angle (this part, I'm still working on). All because I asked for help. Step two: Learn to kick. Discipline in the smallest is what will keep my legs moving. God says if we are faithful in the little we will be faithful with larger, more daunting tasks he has for us. But first, we need to be disciplined in the every day aspects of our lives. For me, the hardest things to be disciplined in are the activities without deadlines such as my spiritual journey, exercising, flossing, oh and heaven help me if I have to do dishes! I obviously still have a ways to go in this area, but I believe this concept can apply to any individual of any age and any background. As I prove myself to be reliable in the small tasks, I will build trust with everyone around me. And it is trust that will provide the social safety net for the hard times. Step three: Reach out and stroke. Reaching out to someone in either a professional or personal relationship is the beginning of all relationships. Sometimes it's scary to take initiative and make a whole bunch of new friends. I'm not saying that one has to be an extreme extrovert to survive this life let alone "make it," whatever that means. Simply be a friend. Care for those in your life, whether that's 5 or 500 people. Humankind was not meant to live in isolation from each other, the planet, or the Creator. So I ask you, can you swim through this life or will you sink?