The Twinge of Adulthood
Greetings from the friendly skies! That’s right, I’m on an airplane as I write this – flying from my current home in Richmond, VA to my original home of Palo Alto, CA.
What does “home” mean to you?
Is it a geographic location on a map? A feeling? A person?
I haven’t been back to this part of the Bay Area for many years, and over the past week as I’ve prepared for my trip, I’ve had the most surreal dreams – filled with people and places I haven’t thought about in years.
When I land, I’m going to pick up my rental car, drive down 101, and revisit my childhood downtown – complete with a stop for a grilled cheese sandwich and a milkshake at my favorite diner.
I’m going to swing by my old house and check out the neighborhood. Explore some of the new-to-me shops near the Stanford campus. Take my time and let my memory guide me.
It’s a funny thing – growing up.
I expect to get caught up in a “soupy mix” of nostalgia, bittersweet memories, and a longing for easier times. Of feeling proud of my new home, my grown up life – while also feeling that twinge of what-could-have-been.
That’s because there’s a difference between the direction we think our lives will go, and the path our lives actually take.
I call it, Navigating Adulthood.
Try This Out
When I started my “100 Days of Designing My Life” art project back in 2020, I knew exactly the image I wanted to start with. It was something that had been bouncing around in my head for quite some time:
A simple chart with two lines: one for the the direction I thought my life would head in, and the other showing the winding, unexpected path my life had actually taken.
The distance between the two lines, I posited, is what it means to be a grown-up.
Today, I invite you to reflect on your winding, circuitous journey into adulthood.
Take a moment – on a walk, in your journal, or in conversation with someone you trust – and consider:
What does “home” mean to you today? What did it mean when you were growing up?
When you think about the city, town or locale where you grew up, how did it shape or influence who you are today?
What are some of the ways your life has deviated from the path you’d expected, and what meaning do you make of those experiences?
What does it mean to you to be an adult?
What To Do Next
As they say, to know where you’re going – you have to know where you started. I imagine I’ll be doing a lot of reflecting on that over the next few days.
If you’d like to go deeper and reflect on you – who you are, what matters to you, and where you’re going – check out my 4-part journal series, “100 Days of Designing My Life: The Reflection Journal.”
Each journal is filled with 25 days of inspiring stories, curious prompts, and deep questions to guide your own personal exploration.
Check out the Life Design School shop to get started!
And if one of the questions above sparks some learning or a-ha for you, I’d love to hear from you! Have a great week ahead.
Onward,
