Growing up

I found this in a magazine years ago, January 2008 to be exact.  It has been on my fridge ever since.  Today we are cleaning up, and I realized it is time to trash the dingy, ratty page.  It probably applied much more 10-15 years ago, but I still like it; it expresses so well my thoughts about growing up.

You know you're a grown up when:

you're able to say no, no, no! to those adorable boots because you're saving for the trip to Paris (Australia, Thailand, etc.) you've always dreamed of.

the checker at the grocery store calls you "ma'am" and you don't plummet into a month long depression, and in fact, you smile a little...

you say, "I know Mom means well"--and you really mean it. 

waffles become your dinner of choice now and then--not because there is nothing else in the house to eat, but just because you like them.

a normally even-tempered friend flies off the handle at you, and rather than snarling back, you wonder what is actually going on with her.

your primary feeling towards Brittany (or now, Lindsay or and other ridiculous famous person) is one of pity.

you suddenly get why your father complained so much about taxes.

you feel no compulsion to adopt the current sizzling hot (and really stupid looking) fashion trend; you know that, like a mild rash, it will go away soon on it's own.

the idea of staying in is just as appealing (if not more) than going out.

you decide to learn to a) play the piano, b) learn Spanish, c) scuba dive, for no other reason that you want to.

rocking out to the radio no longer embarrasses you.  In fact, you turn it up.

you realize that Prince Charming lives in the same place as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

you also realize that not all the "good ones" are gay or married.

--the proverb, "Life is short, but wide" starts to make sense.