Adulting with means: replacing adventure with convenience

It would probably be fair for some people to call me bougie. For the last two and half years, 90% of my travel, household chores and several other life things have been outsourced. I have a travel agent that books all my flights, accommodation, transfers and even activities when I travel, a personal shopper for my groceries and a personal trainer. This is not done because I am wildly rich or too bougie to do these things myself, it is done because I simply can’t or won’t be bothered by the hassle. I am a natural worrier, so if I can take some worries out my hands, I will.

When I was in my twenties and a poor journalist I was all about the hassle. I stayed at questionable hotels just to save $20, the struggle was very real. I would Google the heck out of transportation options just to save money and it was all part of the adventure, late night buses and trains through suspects part of town, I walked through neighborhoods that would take the heart of my father. At twenty, it didn’t feel like I couldn’t afford things, it was just part for the adventure, the very inconvenience of an extra hour to a 15mins trip was an exciting unknown. It is who I was and those were some of the best times of my life.

As I got older, my brain began to reshape itself, I guess that’s what happens when you grow up. The meaning of adventure changes and what once seemed like fun becomes risky or dangerous. Now risks have bigger consequences and life altering attributes. When you grow up big questions plague your mind, who am I? Am I enough? What have I done with my life? Is time running out? What will my legacy be? In the midst of asking myself these big questions, I battle to with space and time for unnecessary things. I don’t want to haggle with a cabby at JFK or any other airport in the world. I don’t want to figure out complicated train maps or bus routes. If there is no Uber, I would like someone waiting to pick me up in a weather controlled vehicle. Someone does my grocery shopping because I like the idea of eating healthy but left to me I would survive on takeout. My trainer comes to me because I want to be in shape but I know myself, I would never choose an early morning workout over an hour of writing, reading, working or Netflix. My travel agent books all my travel, because I don’t want to hassle of having to call airlines when I need something changed. I am who I am and that will not change so I make the world around me work. I carefully plan out my finances just so I can make it work.

As a young woman in my twenties, the fun of life was in the misadventures. The many wrong turns that lead to a great story. It is the reason this blog was started. An adult with means doesn’t mean the adventures stop, the definition just changes. As a young woman in my early thirties, attempting to be an adult the best way I know how, an adventure is going on Island vacation but staying a in 4 star hotel because comfort matters and good sleep is 50% of the holiday done.

At a recent late night drinks with friends this came up. And my friend said to me, “you see that bus over there, it stops right in front of my house but I am still taking an Uber home tonight. I don’t want to sit for an hour with many stops, drunk people vomiting when I can be home in minutes and zero stress.”

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