Are we adulting already?

I turned 23 this year and this year hasn't been any less than a roller coaster ride so far. I experienced everything I had experienced at least once before this year, but it was still so new to me. Let's do a case-by-case analysis (look at me turning into a corporate slave and flaunting my corporate jargon).

I shifted first to a PG and then to a 1RK (Trust me, I swore to myself that I would never shift in a 1RK because they're tiny but I think I found a home here). I always assumed that living in an apartment would be like living in a hostel, but it feels different somehow. Don't get me wrong, I like living by myself because it gives me a chance to work on myself every single day but adulting hits you hard when you've to prepare the next day's lunch after returning from the office. And god knows where all the unclean utensils come from. I don't even own as many utensils as I end up washing every hour (overlook my slight exaggeration but this is still the question of the century - let me know if any of you has an answer to this). Then, the groceries are like Schrodinger's cat: if you buy more, they'll get stale and if you buy less, you'll not have enough of them in your vegetable pancakes. Okay, I'll stop ranting now because it's also fun living alone. For instance, I don't have to worry about the curfew and I can hang out with my friends more than once a week. 

On a separate note, I had my office party last week, and while on our way there my friend played Punjabi songs. Though I've never been a fan of Punjabi songs because I don't really understand them, I have always adored the Punjabi language. Listening to those songs made me realize that with this "hustle culture", I had actually forgotten how much I used to love Punjabi. I also forgot how much I loved listening to English pop music and how much I've changed. Usually, people say that changes are good but I wonder how much truth this statement holds. Is it just me or do all of you sometimes miss some traits of your younger self (and no, I'm not talking about how we all loved living as kids without all these stupid responsibilities)? Why does it feel weird to have lost that craze for certain things in life? Maybe, our priorities have changed. Or maybe, all of us are just a part of this rat race hoping to grab the cheese of this never-ending track. Okay sorry, that got a little dark. All I'm saying is that if you have something that you used to love maybe a couple of years back and feel weird not being in touch of, remember how happy it felt doing that thing and how that thing felt like a purpose at that time. It feels good to be reminded of those times in which even for a moment, you had let go of all your fears and worries. 

And yes, adulting seems tough sometimes because now more than anyone else, you have to take care of yourself. You have to choose your career paths and decide if you want to switch jobs or study for a master's degree. You might even have to work hard to get some new friends with similar interests as you. But at the end of it all, there's a life that you made for yourself. Imagine if painting a canvas or baking a cake or posting an Instagram story can feel so good because you did it yourself, how amazing would it feel to live a life that you made!