Adulting: I Know What I'm Doing... Kind Of

I just got the oil changed in my car. I don’t remember the last time my car had its oil changed. Also, I got an inspection too. This, I must say, is a great victory for me. Until flying out from under my parents wing, I never really had to think about all the things that needed to be done to keep the car in good health. When I was in college and high school, my dad would just say “Krista, your car needs an oil change.” Or, “Krista, your inspection is overdue.” He was always there to gently remind me of these necessities. Leaving the nest has since left me with an awakening of sorts. Now what am I supposed to do? Doesn’t the voice of my father transcend time and space, continuing to always gently remind me of when I need to get an oil change and when I need to get inspections and where the knob to the windshield washer fluid is, and how to dip the oil stick, and everything else? Ok, I swear I’m not totally pathetic, but my car has experienced neglect because my own voice in my brain has now taken over the duty of reminding me when these things need to be done. It’s certainly been a transition. A transition into adulthood. So far, its been great, but have definitely had some frustrations and moments when I contemplate my abilities. They say you only get experience until after you need it. I am a novice adult, and it absolutely is apparent, to myself, and certainly those around me. But IM TRYING. I promise, I am trying to get better at all these things. I hope other people experience similar things as well. It’s not just getting the oil changed. There have been several other situations where I have faltered in adulthood.

A few weeks ago I filed my taxes. This was the second time I have done them by myself. Turbo Tax makes it so idiots like me can easily type in a bunch of numbers, go through all the questions and then at the end give you a nice estimate of your refund. It’s kinda depressing when I get to the stage of “Did you buy a house?” No, no I didn’t, but I wish I did. “Did you go to school?” No, the best years of my life are already over. “Did you have a baby?” Yes, why yes I did. Finally a yes! I got a Penelope this year. She is my baby. Let me claim her! So I continue through all the questions and what not. Then, embarrassingly so, it dawns on me that I actually might want to make sure I can actually claim my dog as a dependent on my taxes before I send them off to Neverland. “No, no Krista,” said Google. “Pets cannot be claimed as dependents.” So then I had to go back, and revise my tax file until it was correct. With my boiled blood spilling over, the once “easy” turbo tax” opened my floodgates of frustration. Another experience, leaving me to question my ability to survive independently, because surely if I filed Penelope as a dependent, they would have audited me. And I imagine I would get in trouble, because that’s been my luck lately.

Recently, I was cleverly “gifted” an E-z pass. You know… pay tolls with the automated car detector thing. This is yet another transitional point that takes me further away from teenager hood, and springs me into adulthood that I have struggled with. First of all, registering my E-z pass was extremely confusing. There are a bunch of different types of E-z passes you can register online. I don’t even remember them all but I remember looking at the website and thinking “What is all this?” I certainly didn't know what kind of E-z pass I had. Then I punched in the serial number of my e-zpass into the website. Okay, do you know how many numbers are on an E-z pass? Well, I can tell you there are a lot more then you would think. And its not clear as to which one is the serial number they want you to type in. So, eventually I get it figured out. I then approach the tollbooth on my next road trip only to be met with serious letdown. Of course, I left my E-z pass at home. All the headache for nothing! At least on this trip.

So in the cornucopia of Krista’s adulthood challenges, there are lesser challenges, but still weigh heavy at times. I still don’t know my bank routing number, and am constantly forgetting my bank account number. I think I might be allergic to numbers. There was also one time I forgot to take the trash out to the curb several weeks in a row. That turned into a disaster. Overfilled trash can, with the queen of coordination hauling it out to the curb? Yeah, it was awful. Thank goodness for the wonderful and MATURE roommate I live with, because without her, there would be clogged drains and flooded basements if not for her hasty communication with the landlord. I am going to keep getting better and I know it will keep getting easier. Despite these things, I am very much enjoying adulthood and I don’t feel jaded or wish for the past. More importantly I feel thankful that my problems are this small, and that my lovely parents and friends are so patient with me. However, those things do not take away from the fact that I look forward to the day when I will remember to get an oil change in my car.

#Taxes #Cars #EZPass #Adulting #Dad