One more thing...

On the not-adulthood issue.

I can't believe I didn't think of Hyperbole and a Half's "Why I'll never be an adult" post (n.b.: strong language) when I was talking about the whole issue of being a grown-up, being seen as such, or not.

Pull quote: "It's like I think that adulthood is something that can be earned like a trophy in one monumental burst of effort and then admired and coveted for the rest of one's life."

Yes, this. Like there's some official designation that you get, like some kind of a stamp on your hand: NOT A CHILD. And you can SHOW that to people. And they will BELIEVE you.

(I think I earned that stamp, if I hadn't before, when I scheduled and then went to, a dentist's appointment to have a crown-prep done. Even though I dreaded it. Even though I believed it would hurt enormously. Even though people OH SO HELPFULLY told me horror stories of dental work that a friend of a friend had to have)

But I guess, really, adulthood is like so many other things: pursuing a faith discipline, or writing a dissertation, or going to work, or learning to play the piano, or whatever - some days you are successful at it and you feel good as a result, other days, it's either just a boring slog to be gotten through, or, worse, something happens that sets you back.

But yes, I suppose there are other adults out there, who, after answering all their e-mail and going to the [expletive deleted] bank, and CLEANING ALL THE THINGS!!! kind of wear themselves out? And have to, I don't know, sit on the sofa and watch cartoons for a while? Or are kind of useless for a couple days? Or at least, I hope so.