With graduation coming up in about 45 days, I have been thinking a lot about the things I will be responsible for on my own very soon. I consider myself to be fairly independent, but every now and then I have to call my dad if my car is making a suspicious noise or our freezer smells funny. Sometimes I will call my mom about insurance information, school documents or when I am in need of childhood pictures for my blog.
I decided to google, "things I need to know as an adult." I clicked on the first link from Thrillest.com. Here is what I apparently need to know how to do before turning 30. Let's see how prepared I am.
Change a tire. Not off to a great start. I have no idea how to change a tire.
Operate a grill. Zero for two right now. This one seems more doable. I think a simple google search could help me out here.
Pair wine to a meal. I have the basic understanding. Whites with fish and reds with meat and pasta.
Swim. Okay, I can 100% do this one.
Change your oil. No clue. I know how to make an appointment at the dealership to take it in for an oil change, tire rotation and inspection.
Throw a football. As the 3rd place winner (and only girl competitor) of the local Punt, Pass and Kick competition, I've got this down.
Do your taxes. I have a general idea, but I have been lucky that my parents have done this for me so far.
Take a decent picture. Thanks to Apple, I can easily take photographer-grade images and pose for them as well.
Build a respectable wardrobe. My mom may not completely agree that I have done this, but I can look nice when I need to. The next step is shifting from bumming in t-shirts and shorts all the time.
Fix basic household problems. This seems vague. I can put a nail in the wall to hang a photo, change the batteries in the smoke detectors and replace an air filter. Just going to have to play this one by ear.
Dance like an adult. Not very clear on what this means, but we will say I've got this one down.
Get around without a phone. In places that I am familiar with, like Chapel Hill, Suffolk, the Outer Banks and their surrounding areas, this is a breeze. I know how to follow road signs but I appreciate the security of having Apple Maps at my disposal.
Parallel park. Easy. Check.
Play a vinyl record. People still have record players?
Balance a checkbook. I definitely learned how to do this when I was in middle school. The knowledge is in my brain somewhere. I might be a little rusty.
Jump-start a car. The red cable connects to the positive terminal and the black cable connects to the negative terminal. I am not sure what happens next.
Tie a tie. I am not sure that my 20-year-old brother even knows how to do this.
Nail a job interview. Done. Landed the job.
Make a decent cocktail. Now we are talking! If I can do anything on this list, this is the one. I have been working as a bartender at a local restaurant since January. I have my own little bar set up at home where I test out cocktails on my roommates. This is a breeze.
Iron clothes. I can iron my clothes, but I will always have the fear that I am going to burn a hole in something.
Ride a bike. What's next?
Cook. On a scale of one to ten, I would give myself a six. I can cook chicken, eggs, salmon and vegetables on the stove. I especially love using our air fryer, but does that count as real cooking?
Drive stick. Absolutely not.
Control your drinking, dude. I've got it under control, dude.
Control your anger, dude. Will my road rage subside with age? My mom is definitely concerned about my anger when I am cut off or get stuck behind a slow driver. Maybe one day.
Choose a date. We established I have expensive taste in my last blog. I am not one to shy away from a nice meal either. I think I can handle this.
Keep a living space. I've been doing this for four years.
Build a fire. I may not know the best way to build a fire, but I think I could get close.
Brew a cup of coffee. I am not a huge coffee person, so this is one I can skip.
Start a conversation. I enjoy talking to people and have found that it has gotten easier and easier with age. I can check this off the list too.
All in all, there is a lot left to learn, but I feel confident that I could make it on my own... for the most part. Mom and dad will definitely get the occasional phone call with a random question.
Header image courtesy of Hawkeye.
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