February 27th, 1998 – the day an icon was born. The icon in question? Yours truly, Yvonne Elizabeth Sadinsky.
Okay, fine, I’m an icon in the making. But if you don’t believe in yourself, who will? Besides, I share a birthday with Elizabeth Taylor. That should be enough said.
Anywho, my mid-20s welcomed me warmly, and I wanted to share the wisdom of my fully developed frontal lobe.
It’s quite a surreal feeling watching the kids I grew up with begin to marry and have children. I remember throwing snowballs at passing cars and playing spin-the-bottle in my mom’s basement with these people. Now I see them on Instagram flashing their engagement rings and baby shower photos. I couldn’t even imagine myself in that position. I felt like a child myself still. Owning a home and starting a family never entered my realm of possibility. I figured that I would feel this way forever. How does one transition from the mindset of a child still under the guidance of parents into becoming a parent yourself? Into starting your own family and your own autonomous life.
Unfortunately, the “adult” title is not immediately endowed to you upon reaching legal age. Even though I was frolicking about Miami aged 18-23, frequenting bars and nightclubs, I was only posing as an adult, experimenting with the freedom of post-high school graduation. I could wear skimpy clothes and high heels, purchase cocktails at happy hour, and take trips across the country with friends. Yet, I was still a kid.
At 24 I began to plant the seeds of responsibility that, ultimately, are blooming now. Today, I feel like an adult for the first time. Adulthood seems to be the point where you understand the significance of responsibility and have developed how to fulfill it.