On Growing Up – Gems from Mrs. Obama

As you know I’ve become obsessed with all things Presidential since Mr. Obama’s election and inauguration and to that end I’ve become an avid reader of the White House Blog. Today there is a post about the First Lady’s visit to Howard University where she addresses the age-old question, “What are you going to do when you grow up?” This is a question I ask myself all the time. Even though I’m well past the age of consent, I’ve only recently begun to feel like a grownup and trust me, it is a work in progress. Most days I feel like a full-fledged adult but I still have many moments when I’d like to crawl into my mom’s bed and watch TV with her. Not that we did that much when I was a kid because she didn’t have time or the inclination to watch much TV and she doesn’t even own a TV now but you get my meaning.

But back to the idea of growing up. Mrs. Obama told Howard’s students that she still doesn’t have the answer to that question and she’s 45 years old. The First Lady, I believe, was speaking more to the point of the transient nature of the answer than to the asking itself or even about being/feeling like a grownup. She talked about doing the best you can within your given circumstances which resonated with me a great deal because I’m the person who feels she needs to be prepared for any and every eventuality. This, of course, is impossible and does indeed stop me from doing many things that I’d love to do. The trouble is, I weight each decision with all the possibilities and implications for the future instead of allowing them to be for this moment. Ah, the pressures of a desire to be perfect. Silly girl!

I have accepted that I may never fully feel like a grownup and maybe, just maybe, that’s not such a bad thing.