Life on My Own Terms

I’ve realized over the last few weeks that I hold certain benchmarks in my mind as to what it means to be an adult. These realizations have come with finding out that people in my life have or have not hit these benchmarks. I’ve been surprised at some of them and not so much at others.

The odder thing to me is that these benchmarks aren’t even the ones our society typically equates with adult behavior. I’m not talking about marriage, kids, or home ownership.

It also is a reminder to me of the incredibly high standards to which I hold myself. Several years ago, my therapist did a good job of beating home the fact that these expectations were often unrealistic. I work on softening those expectations daily. Sometimes I succeed; sometimes I fail. Either way, I learn more about myself in the process.