The Secrets of Living Like a Grown-Up

There is something that has always bothered me:

When do you actually learn the secrets of living like a grown-up?

When do you start caring whether or not you have an adequate bowl to prepare salad in? When do you realise that the magic pixies will no longer be there to fill the refrigerator with something else than diet coke and a pack of ice cream? Where to draw the line between what is acceptable when you are in college or struggling with your first job, and present?

If you have asked yourself at least a couple of those questions, then you have already taken the first steps to growing up. It means that you are ready to take a step in the direction of change from the unpredictability of not knowing whether the milk in the fridge is fresh, or you will be making your first major mistake for the day by adding some to your cereal to taking the road to knowing that you know the exact expiration date of every produce in the refrigerator.

Escaping life's little annoyances can be so beneficial that once you get used to the comfort of being a responsible adult, you will turn back with bewilderment to your past, and wonder how you have survived before. If you are ready to welcome adulthood in your life, there are a few approved items that you need to have at home at any given time:

1. Batteries – When you were in college it was acceptable to “steal” the batteries from the remote control to power your wireless mouse, but now, if you really need to do it, it means that you are once again unprepared for an unexpected turn of events. On the other hand, there is something reassuring to seeing the pack of AA batteries once you open the fridge. There is nothing as reassuring as knowing that they will be there when you need them, and you won't have to get up in the middle of the night to run to the nearest store.

2. Light bulbs – Nothing to give you a wake-up call like a week or so with a dark bathroom. When you are young you can get away with not changing the light bulb for extended periods

of time, but once you reach a certain age, and social status, when being that sloppy isn't sweet at all – it is disturbing! Instead of blushing guiltily every time you have to make excuses for yourself, just go to the store, and buy some extra bulbs! The feeling of knowing that you are prepare to fight that embarrassing darkness will be more than fulfilling.

3. Toilet Paper – Running out of toilet paper is probably one of the most annoying things that can happen to you, yet everyone has been there. However, there is no valid excuse to ever run out of toilet paper, and not be ashamed of it – you are a grown-up, after all. It never hurts to have extra rolls stashed somewhere for emergencies, and not only for the bathroom, it does good work when you run out of kitchen paper, too. Which makes me wonder, is using toilet paper in the kitchen allowed in the grown-up world?

As you can see for yourself, I haven't figured out all the secrets to living like a grown-up. Still, I am doing my best never to run out of toilet paper, light bulbs, and batteries. I am proud to say that I have the basic kitchen appliances, and utensils. Does this make me a grown up? Probably not but it shows that I am on the right track.

Oh, and one last thing before I leave you to decide whether or not you are also a grown up. I now live in a CLEAN apartment. Which, by the way, I organise and maintain all on my own. Well, at least most of the time. As a part of the growing up process, you should learn when it is high time to delegate some of your responsibilities to others. In that line of thought, I found out (the hard way) that cleaning things like the carpets, the upholstery and the mattress are better left to the professionals. Personally, I often use a reliable upholstery cleaning company in Melbourne (http://carpetcleaningexpertsmelbourne.com.au/upholstery-cleaning/). I am always certain that my furniture is in good hands, and I don't waste any time trying to figure out how to remove bad stains or signs of wear and tear. As I said, you got to learn when to let go and focus on the really important things in life...

While I am not certified to judge which is the adult thing to do, I believe that it indicates that I have grown wiser, and more concerned about my surroundings... what do you think?