Welcome to "The Real World"

Currently, I am in “the real world.” I include quotation marks because my lifestyle is nowhere near a real world sans quotation marks. I have a full time job that requires me to be present 9-5 but it is far removed from a corporate setting. The casual work environment is perfect for post graduate Holly who does not yet grasp fundamentals such as “responsibility” “professionalism” and “not drinking on a Tuesday night”. I am about as far in the door to the real world as I care to venture this summer and pretty content with that.

The ambiguous term “the real world” was brought up by Meem earlier. We wish there was a more apt phrase we could use when describing this sloppy, peculiar stage of our lives but “the real world” will have to do. So far from what I’ve experienced, “the real world” a dream-like state of life where we are independent enough to survive on our own but blissfully live a life void of responsibilities that actually require the use of any survival skills. Besides having to remember to drink water and sleep a few hours, living in “the real world” is like that time in junior high you were required to take care of a doll for a week like it was a real baby but everyone ended up shoving it in their lockers or dropping it on the head.

For example:

“the real world,” - have margaritas during lunch break at work
the real world - have a chicken alfredo lean cuisine during lunch break at work

"the real world" - work outfit is the ensemble worn last night drenched in fabreeze
the real world - work outfit is charcoal gray J Crew tailored suit

“the real world” - my office gets free ice cream delivered in the middle of the day
the real world - my office gets mail delivered in the middle of the day

“the real world” - wake up at 8am and drive boy sleeping in my bed back home before work
the real world - wake up at 8am and just drive to work.

As you can see, these two worlds are light years apart and it is surely going to take more than two months of summer for the phrase “happy hour” to lose its luster. Soon enough I will be handed car payments and insurance bills but until then I’m going to thank mom for paying my rent and live it up this summer, late nights and poor decisions included.

Meem and I have already begun paving our way through a memorable summer and we hope that throughout all the “shots!!”, “yeesh’s” and “I don’t want it’s" we will grow into adults fully capable of functioning in the actual real world. We've got our whole lives ahead of us to lose the quotation marks and work, get married, have a family, and grow old. Why not just slow down to smell the roses tequila? The real world will eventually find us - until then, cheers to a summer in-between! Extra lime in my vodka tonic please

Hol