growing up

means I went a whole day without wearing a unitard. It means that I felt like exercising today, so I went for a walk around the neighborhood because I knew my joints wouldn't want to handle the strain of a run or a jog. It means I spent several hours researching graduate schools and when my eyes started to burn from staring and the computer screen and my mind started to feel like it was going to burst, I calmed myself down again by repeating the word "zipper" over and over again in my head, rather than saying it out loud. Growing up means that I still had more dessert than I should have ("should" have), only this time I felt guilty about it. It means I am cleaning my dishes up right after I use them. It means that I am going to bed now, at a reasonable hour, so that I can get up early for work.