The other day, as I was counting out my quarters to purchase a muffin from a coffee stand, a post idea came to mind. What things am I doing now as an adult that would have made me embarrassed doing as a teenager. I am sure we all remember those times when our parents or other adults in our lives frustrated us or annoyed us because of their embarrassing behavior. Well now I find myself doing things that would have been the end of the world if I had done it around myself as a teenager. So here are some of those things…
1. Randomly dancing in stores (like Target).
I now do this rather often. If I have the extra energy by the end of the day and I go to target, chances are I will be found busting a move in the aisle. This also goes for books stores like Barnes and Noble (I am just so happy to be surrounded by books).
2. Using quarters to buy stuff.
As this post began with a quick reference to counting quarters in order to purchase a muffin, I find I do this often for small purchases. I have so many quarters and have found that it is easier just to apologies for using quarters than rolling them and getting cash for them. I of course do not pay for something that is more than a couple of bucks but as a teenager just explaining that I am making a $2 purchase with only quarters would have been embarrassing.
3. Asking for help.
As a teenager I hated admitting that I didn’t know how to do something that everyone else seemed to be able to do. So I would either just not do it or I would observe and learn by watching (I am pretty good at being a wallflower and not being noticed). I think now as an adult I just don’t have the time to observe but also I don’t mind going up to someone and just telling them I have no idea what I am doing or suppose to do. I found that this “asking for help” thing became a norm after living in Korea. The ability to ask people how to do something and understanding the instructions they gave me was such a comforting element of being back in the United States that I found that I would ask for help even if I know what I was doing…just to be sure I was doing it right.
4. Talking to myself.
When I have a lot on my plate or when I am making decisions it helps if I talk to myself. I make a game plan on how to accomplish the tasks. As a teenager I would do this just not in public. Now you could find me in Target, dancing and talking to myself in one of the aisles. (Okay this mental picture might make me seem a little crazy…but as an adult I don’t care so much.)
//giphy.com/embed/BNeYkdJLBcCzu?html5=true
5. Owning up to my mistakes.
As a teenager it was so embarrassing when I made a mistake. I just didn’t have the confidence to say “hey, I was wrong here…”. As an adult I find that I am admitting to more and more of my mistakes.
Apart from maybe seeming a little more crazy, I feel that as an adult I have more security in who I am and what matters. People will judge you no matter what you do. So I might as well just be myself and like myself for that. I still find that I get embarrassed with some things but not like it was when I was a teenager.
travelingwithroots.com 