chiliedogg , 7 months ago

It’s different.

It’s way better in some ways - especially if you find a good career in a field you’re passionate about.

But some of the responsibilities of adulthood are a burden that is hard to appreciate until you’re there. And the perspective gained by life experience is also very different, for better or worse.

For instance, I went through a breakup last year at 39 with someone I was fully expecting to marry. It was my first major relationship failure in decades, and as I was being dumped I expected it to crush me.

What ended up hurting the most was that it didn’t hurt that much. I didn’t spiral into depression or fall apart at work. I wasn’t happy about it, but I was fine. A younger me would have been overwhelmed by the emotional toll, but the adult me was able to keep moving forward without breaking stride.

And in a way that’s what hurts. The passion of youth has been tempered by a lifetime of experience that puts everything into perspective.