Maturity

Do you ever look at yourself and think... what the hell happened?  I tend to do that all of the time.  Not in a bad way... just in a way that I judge myself just a little bit.  Let me explain.

I went back home a few weeks and here is what I observed:

• Banditos is the hang out for happy hour (often but not always)
• Everyone is married (or at least they were married at some point)
• Everyone has multiple kids
• People are generally polite

Pair these observations with a few observations about myself:

• I need to be bubble wrapped for as many times as I fall.
• I am a fighter (you know... that fight or flight response... well, I inherited the majority of it from my entire family).
• When I say good morning to people, they still scowl at me (this does not meant hat I am stopping... I look at is as an experiment).
• I still feel the need to play kickball (why... because I don't want to grow up).

I look at my life and feel that I am fairly young. I am just finishing up graduate school. I live in Washington.  I have a lot of single friends. I am not afraid to go to a random concert on a Tuesday. Yet the question often arises... am I being mature about these decisions?

Back home in Indiana, my friends have taken a more traditional approach to life (or at least traditional the way that I was raised).  If I look at my life just five years ago, I probably would have told you that I'd be married and have a few kids by now. My mom was pregnant with me when she was my age. My how things change so quickly.  Instead, I moved to DC, got my Masters, and am really enjoying not living in the suburbs with kids (that being said... I love playing Aunt for a day or two).

But maybe this is maturing... at least in my own way (despite suggestions otherwise... I didn't take the jello shots in my fridge and hide them like Easter eggs yesterday... see maturity). This weekend I walked away from a fight (my mom would be so proud). Not because my flight response was initiated, but because I know when someone isn't worth my energy (despite this... I am still organizing a boycott of Townhouse Tavern. I also have had friends volunteer to picket the place...).I suppose that it is the tension between being from the Midwest where people say good morning to each other (they don't do that out here) and living on the East Coast.  I may give the East Coast a hard time because I don't feel the guys out here appreciate sports (I mean seriously... when I started talking about Cam Newton and the Panthers in a sports bar and the three guys I was with didn't know what I was talking about... serious problems), but I think being a Midwesterner on the East Coast is the perfect mix of maturity. 

I must insert a disclaimer here... I have some really great friends I met out here that are from the East Coast... but we're friends because we like sports and carry the same attitude towards life (Go Caps! sorry... I couldn't resist).  Besides when I'm going to get into a fight, you're the people I want to have my back... that and I'm pretty sure you could scare the pants off of any East Coast pansy.

I may not have children (yet). I may like sports (I still play them on the mall).  I may be afraid to date (since most of the guys out here are jerks and don't like sports... Midwestern guys are excluded from this criticism... and I am not a girl who will bite my lip... also... if I meet one more guy looking for a housewife... seriously...). But the balance seems to work out for me. I am glad that I live out East and still maintain connections back in the Midwest.  And while sometimes I feel immature when everyone is posting pictures of their baby... I realize that my time will come and I mature in my own way (hence me not going "ape shit" on the owner of the worst bar in DC - boycott Townhouse Tavern - as my friends wanted me to).